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Chapter 3
Dany stepped into the building. Inside there was a roaring hearth, billiard tables, men who yakked loudly and gulped beer, a lady who served food and drinks, and kitchen smells that made her stomach growl. The rustic benches and tables looked as if they’d somehow been cut right out of a tree and just sanded down to a smooth finish. Dingy gas lamps flickered along the walls. Dany noted the mounted animal heads—a big black bear and some kind of animal with horns. She believed the horned animal was called a moose, but she wasn’t sure.
Some of the grownups looked at her funny, like she didn’t belong there. She had just as much right to be there as them! Dany marched right up to the big, burly man with the curly brown beard and the plaid cap, who held a big flask of foamy beer.
"Hi! I’m Dany."
The man chuckled and extended one giant hand. Her eyes widened at the size of it, but she shook it anyway. Six of her own could fit in it. The man lifted her whole arm up and down once. "I’m Jack. Can I buy you a beer, Dany?"
The skinny, younger man next to him laughed, and Dany half expected the beer foam to spray out of his nostrils.
"No thanks! I actually just want to find my uncle. His name is Matt. He used to be a lawyer. Do you know him?"
The man next to Jack cleared his throat. "Yup, everyone knows him around here," he murmured, like Matt’s name was a code word for scandal.
Jack tapped his finger against his lips. "You know, I remember something like that. Does your mom know you’re here?"
"Do you know where he lives?" Dany asked, evading the question.
"Trust me, kid, you don’t want to go there." Fin threw in, slurping the foam off his beer. Jack nudged an elbow into his ribs. "Hey!"
"Yeah, he lives in the cabin near the woods. Come on, I’ll show you." Jack eased off the barstool and straightened. Dany’s jaw slacked at his size. She had to look way up to see his face.
She followed him to the door, and he pointed out a small log cabin at the edge of the woods on the other side of town. The mountains formed a spectacular backdrop to the little abode.
There too, a faint light flickered in the window, and smoke plumed from the chimney. But Dany stared with a rapt expression at the sky and the breath-taking dancing lights around the mountaintops. Green and blue and purple and some almost red. Postcard-perfect.
"What are those?" She pointed, sounding breathless.
"Ah, the Aurora Borealis," Jack said. “We just call them the mountain lights, or the aurora lights. You want me to take you over there?"
For a moment, the chill in her little bones was completely forgotten, so enthralled was she by the beauty of the lights. A heavy hand came to rest on her shoulder and brought her back to herself. She smiled at him and nodded eagerly.
Jack cleared his throat and pulled his belt up over his belly. He dug a key out of his pocket, pressed a button, and the lights of his Jeep blinked twice. "You go on in; I’ll be right out."
***
Dany skipped off to the vehicle. Jack watched her, then went to the counter where Rose helped Lily fix drinks.
Fin had been right. Everyone knew Matthias. He came to the inn every night to drink his woes away until his legs could barely support him. After, he stumbled home with Frost the husky.
Sometimes he came in during the early hours of the morning too, when the kitchen was closed, despite Rose and Jack’s best efforts to keep him home safe.
Many people couldn’t understand why Rose liked the man so damn much. But Jack knew Matthias wasn’t a bad person. He was just more drunk than sober. It had been like that ever since he came to Harlem after his wife left him for some other guy and took his kids with her. In his drunken stupors, he’d often confided in Jack how his children had never sent him a single letter. Pity, really.
The confession about his sister and niece was spotty in Jack's memory. Matthias had been slurry at the time, so he wasn't entirely certain if the man had been delirious or not. It happened the same night he got into a fight with the O’Malley brothers. Jack drove him home with a black eye. First and last time he ever got into a fight with anyone. Jack remembered enough of their conversation, however, to have decided with conviction that he didn't like...
Some of the grownups looked at her funny, like she didn’t belong there. She had just as much right to be there as them! Dany marched right up to the big, burly man with the curly brown beard and the plaid cap, who held a big flask of foamy beer.
"Hi! I’m Dany."
The man chuckled and extended one giant hand. Her eyes widened at the size of it, but she shook it anyway. Six of her own could fit in it. The man lifted her whole arm up and down once. "I’m Jack. Can I buy you a beer, Dany?"
The skinny, younger man next to him laughed, and Dany half expected the beer foam to spray out of his nostrils.
"No thanks! I actually just want to find my uncle. His name is Matt. He used to be a lawyer. Do you know him?"
The man next to Jack cleared his throat. "Yup, everyone knows him around here," he murmured, like Matt’s name was a code word for scandal.
Jack tapped his finger against his lips. "You know, I remember something like that. Does your mom know you’re here?"
"Do you know where he lives?" Dany asked, evading the question.
"Trust me, kid, you don’t want to go there." Fin threw in, slurping the foam off his beer. Jack nudged an elbow into his ribs. "Hey!"
"Yeah, he lives in the cabin near the woods. Come on, I’ll show you." Jack eased off the barstool and straightened. Dany’s jaw slacked at his size. She had to look way up to see his face.
She followed him to the door, and he pointed out a small log cabin at the edge of the woods on the other side of town. The mountains formed a spectacular backdrop to the little abode.
There too, a faint light flickered in the window, and smoke plumed from the chimney. But Dany stared with a rapt expression at the sky and the breath-taking dancing lights around the mountaintops. Green and blue and purple and some almost red. Postcard-perfect.
"What are those?" She pointed, sounding breathless.
"Ah, the Aurora Borealis," Jack said. “We just call them the mountain lights, or the aurora lights. You want me to take you over there?"
For a moment, the chill in her little bones was completely forgotten, so enthralled was she by the beauty of the lights. A heavy hand came to rest on her shoulder and brought her back to herself. She smiled at him and nodded eagerly.
Jack cleared his throat and pulled his belt up over his belly. He dug a key out of his pocket, pressed a button, and the lights of his Jeep blinked twice. "You go on in; I’ll be right out."
***
Dany skipped off to the vehicle. Jack watched her, then went to the counter where Rose helped Lily fix drinks.
Fin had been right. Everyone knew Matthias. He came to the inn every night to drink his woes away until his legs could barely support him. After, he stumbled home with Frost the husky.
Sometimes he came in during the early hours of the morning too, when the kitchen was closed, despite Rose and Jack’s best efforts to keep him home safe.
Many people couldn’t understand why Rose liked the man so damn much. But Jack knew Matthias wasn’t a bad person. He was just more drunk than sober. It had been like that ever since he came to Harlem after his wife left him for some other guy and took his kids with her. In his drunken stupors, he’d often confided in Jack how his children had never sent him a single letter. Pity, really.
The confession about his sister and niece was spotty in Jack's memory. Matthias had been slurry at the time, so he wasn't entirely certain if the man had been delirious or not. It happened the same night he got into a fight with the O’Malley brothers. Jack drove him home with a black eye. First and last time he ever got into a fight with anyone. Jack remembered enough of their conversation, however, to have decided with conviction that he didn't like...
