Page 95 of The Family Guest

“Paige, is everything okay?” Mom’s voice sounded on edge.

“Yeah, we’re having a blast. So is Bear. He loves running up and down the sledding hill. He even got on a sled and went sliding down it. It was hilarious.”

“That’s wonderful.” She sounded calmer.

“We texted you some pics. Did you see the snowman we made?”

“I honestly haven’t checked my messages. I’ll take a look at them after I finish lunch.” A pause. “Where’s your father?”

Usually, she would say: Where’s Dad? There was something off with the way she asked about his whereabouts. Her tone was frosty, no pun intended.

“He’s at the food shack, getting us another round of hot dogs and hot chocolates. A veggie burger for me.” All our sledding, especially climbing back up the steep hill over a dozen times, had worked up our appetites.

“Good.”

“He’s heading back.” I squinted in his direction. “Do you want to speak to him?”

“No,” she bit out. “I’ll see you back at the hotel. Give Will a kiss for me and have fun.”

We ended the call.

I looked at my brother. He looked adorable in his red puffer jacket and beanie. His freckles were burning brightly from the sun despite using sunblock. “Willster…”

“Yeah, Pudge.” He took a big bite of his hot dog and gulped it down.

“Do you think Mom and Dad are acting all weird?”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know…like they’re keeping a distance from one another. It’s even weird we took two cars up here. And Mom’s always loved to go sledding with us.”

Will fed the last bit of his hot dog to Bear, who was lying next to him on the snow-covered ground. Gobbling it down, our voracious dog looked up at him for more.

“Well?” I said.

“I think Mom’s just stressed out. You know, with Christmas and everything.”

“Have you noticed how much weight she’s lost?” Over the past two weeks, it looked like she’d dropped ten pounds. All her clothes were baggy on her. I was worried. The last thing I wanted was for her to have a breakdown like she did after Anabel died. It was terrible for me and Will not to have Mom around for months on end. One day I planned to tell her how scared I’d been during that time. How much I’d missed her.

Will snagged a fry and dipped it in ketchup before chomping it. “Yeah, I have.”

“Doesn’t it concern you?”

“Well, she did have the flu.”

“Yeah, but still.”

“Hey, guys!” My dad’s voice. He was stomping toward us, the crunch of his Sorel boots against the snow getting louder with each step. He set the cardboard box with our food on the outdoor table. “Will, they ran out of wieners, so I got us burgers. Another veggie one for you, Paige.”

The greasy smell of the grilled patties assaulted me. After talking with my mom, I’d lost my appetite. My father plunked down on the plastic chair next to Will, across from me.

“Mom called.”

“That’s nice.” His voice was cold as ice, his face glacial. “Dig in before everything gets cold.”

We each grabbed a paper-wrapped burger and a steaming hot cocoa. I took a sip of my soy milk one to ward off the chill spreading under my jacket. It had nothing to do with the sudden drop in temperature.

My stomach twisted. I could feel it in my gut.