“In the garage. Thank you, Dare. I hadn’t realized how slippery it had gotten.”

“The sun’s melting it, but the ground is still so cold it’s refreezing a bit. I’ll get the salt and take care of it for you.”

“You’re a lifesaver, Dare.” Molly headed inside.

Bay lingered on the front steps. A quick nod from her and then she was gone.

I nodded and went back to shoveling.

The door swung gently shut, not a slam like I’d been used to before.

It didn’t take much time, but the volume on the song was kicked up a notch this close to her house. Halfway through the last line of the driveway, the screen door squeaked open.

Bay stood in the doorway with her arms folded, rubbing her hands up and down them, doing a dance against the freezing temperatures.

“If you want, my mom made some hot chocolate. It’s homemade. You don’t have—”

“I’d love to.” My stomach rumbled. I hadn’t come over looking to beg for food, but that didn’t mean I’d turn it down.

She nodded. “Come in when you’re finished.”

“Do you guys have more salt?”

“Maybe? Probably not.”

“I have some at my place. I can bring some by later, but things are already warming up, it shouldn’t be too bad. But I don’t want this to refreeze tonight when your mom gets home from work.”

“She’d appreciate that.”

Bay disappeared back inside, leaving me in the driveway with the puffs of air hanging in front of my face and the early morning quiet. Finishing the last row of snow, I propped the shovel up against the garage.

With numb fingers, I opened the front door. Stomping my boots and kicking them against the top concrete step, I breathed into my hands. The doorknob felt warm after the chill from the shovel.

The cozy heat inside made this feel like so much more of a home in the three minutes I’d been in here than the house I’d lived in had since before I could remember. Puddles formed around my feet. I cursed under my breath.

Molly came out of the kitchen, yawning and covering her mouth with one hand and holding a mug of hot chocolate with the other.

I pressed my back against the door. Shit. “Should I leave these outside?” The dampness spread from my boots.

“Don’t worry about that, dear. Take off your boots, we promise we won’t steal them.”

I toed off my boots and stuck them beside their discarded shoes.

“Come into the kitchen. It’ll help you warm up.” She waved me forward.

Their kitchen was small like mine, but had been taken care of over the years. The cabinets and countertops were worn, but well maintained. Tucked in the corner was a four-seater table that could only seat three with the limited space. And one of the chairs was occupied.

Bay sat at the table with her hands wrapped around a mug that read ‘Yes, you’re being billed for this’. She’d changed into a long sleeve Queen shirt and flannel pajama shorts. There were no cartoon characters this time. Her damp hair was piled up on top of her head.