Chapter Sixteen

"I never thought I'd need snow boots, that's stupid, isn't it?"

The snow ploughs had cleared the road by midmorning meaning they could get out and about, but Oscar had headed out before breakfast.

Freya shook her head as they pulled into a parking space. Helping Nate out of the backseat, the three of them rushed into the department store. "I was so unprepared when I arrived in this country, you have no idea."

Lizzie laughed, "but then I hear you were a teenager."

"Ha ha, that's exactly right. But then I was meant to be intelligent." Freya led them across the floor to the winter wear section. And she started to search.

Nate moaned, bored, but the two women were almost industrious, and within a ridiculously short period of time, they had waterproof coats, trousers and boots for her and Nate. As they paid then headed to the car, Freya leaned in to her.

"I'm so glad you're not that type of girl." When Lizzie turned to her questioningly, she added, "I went shopping with Krystal once...NEVER again. In every shop a dozen times, then back to the first one...nightmare."

Lizzie's heart stopped at the mention of the other woman, but she managed to breathe, "Krystal?"

Freya stopped in her tracks, then stared at her, "Oscar never mentioned her?" She rolled her eyes, "typical. She's his...well I don't know what you'd call her...they've been shagging for years. But not much more than that."

Lizzie hated that she'd asked now, "he mentioned a girlfriend, just not a name."

"Exactly. She's...." Freya unlocked the car. "Well, nightmare comes to mind."

They spent the afternoon throwing snowballs, sliding down a nearby hill on a sled and making snow angels. Nate was red nosed and icy cold when they finished. Elena had given up long ago. As they walked back to the house, Nate's gloved hand in Lizzie's, the door to the warehouse opened and Coop called to her.

"Freya's made soup and bread...it's very good...she asked me to call you in for some."

They stamped their boots in the hallway, then peeled off their outer layers. Nate rushed in to find Elena, he had already grown attached to the girl he had no idea was his cousin. Freya was in the kitchen looking homely, Coop had Riley in his lap, sat watching some sort of ice hockey game on TV.

Freya patted a chair at the breakfast bar.

"Come talk to me."

Lizzie slipped on to the seat and smiled, "thanks."

"This is chicken soup...my mother used to always make it in the snow."

"Smells amazing." Lizzie leaned forward to inhale the aroma wafting from the bowl in front of her.

Freya handed her a spoon, "how does it taste?"

"Delicious!" It was no lie. It tasted perfect, as did the sourdough bread she'd made to go with it. "You're a proper domestic goddess!"

Freya laughed, "not until very recently. I don't think I'd cooked a thing until I moved here...five years ago."

"I couldn't afford to eat as a student, so I had to cook. If it is cheap...I'm your girl."

Freya smiled coyly as she refilled their bowls, "so Oscar stayed at your last night?"

Lizzie blushed, "he fell asleep, I'd only turned my back for a moment. But then jetlag is a nightmare..."

Freya chuckled, "and then there's the demanding Krystal...my poor bro, hey?"

"I don't think he needs sympathy, he seems in control of things..."

Nodding she agreed, "he takes life by the horns."

"Just like my sister..."

The other woman reached out and placed a hand on her elbow, "sorry, it must be so hard...you must miss her..."

"Who wouldn't? She was vivacious...attractive...the life and soul..." Lizzie sighed, "it was a huge shadow to live in."

"Pah!" Freya puffed, "you are beautiful, and I think you're really cool. So there goes that theory."

Lizzie felt those damned tears at her eyes, just threatening to fall, she'd always felt inadequate, second best, and now she hated that she still felt resentment to her sister. Despite everything.

Freya's hand squeezed her arm, "sorry. I didn't mean to upset you...but just know that I probably wouldn't have liked Janis...but I like you. Ok?"

Lizzie smiled, "you are a really nice person too Freya, thank you."

Riley's cries finally brought an end to their chat, and as Freya moved to retrieve him from her husband, Lizzie couldn't remember ever feeling so relaxed with a virtual stranger.

Freya looked over at her, "I'm just going to go change him...Mitchell Cooper, get her a drink why don't you?"

He groaned pulling himself from the sofa and finding a bottle of wine in the fridge, "this?"

She shrugged, "beer is just as good..."

That made Coop smile, "that's a good girl." He handed her a bottle, then pointed at the screen, "come watch the game...I'll tell you the rules?"

And that is how they were when the front door burst open in another gust of cold air, and a rather wrapped up Oscar appeared in the doorway,

"It's snowing again..."

Coop studied him for a minute then pointed at his bag, "so you've come for a week!"

Oscar rolled his eyes, "I didn't want to be stranded across town, away from..." his eyes were on Lizzie, but then they darted across the room to the sleeping children. "...Nate."

Coop stared at him for a moment, then shrugged, "beer in the fridge...and we could both do with another one, hey Liz?"

She waved her empty bottle and nodded.

Rolling his eyes, Oscar made for the kitchen.

Later Oscar had Nate on his knee, the ice hockey had changed to a Pixar movie as the snow continued and Freya cooked them more food. Every now and again he'd glance across at Lizzie, she was on the same sofa as Coop and the two of them laughed a lot. He hadn't seen her so carefree, and it warmed him. He only wished that he made her laugh that way. Nate looked up at him, and snagged his attention.

"So Coop said he's taking me ice skating....when the snow stops. Will you come?"

He felt pleasure beyond, knowing that Nate wanted him there, and he couldn't hide his own smile, "I'm not brilliant at skating, not like Coop. Maybe we can help each other?"

It was a slight understatement; he could stay up on skates, and move around. He wasn't a natural, but he could do enough to teach his son.

When he looked up, Coop was smiling, his friend would never want to step in the way, "he's lying Nate, he's a great skater. He can help you when I help Elena."

"And Aunty Lizzie...you said you'd help her."

Coop nodded and gave Lizzie an evil wink, "oh yes, she'll get her skates on too."

Pain lanced through Oscar's chest at the thought of Coop teaching her, more than with Nate he didn't want anyone helping Lizzie but him. What did that mean?

Rather than process it, he jumped to his feet, "beer?"

Freya was watching the events from across the open plan room, and when he joined her in the kitchen, she gave him a knowing look.

"You like her."

He stared at her for a moment, and then shook his head, "don't know what you're talking about."

Freya sighed, "Oscar, she's not like Krystal...she's innocent. Don't hurt her."

He'd moved to the fridge, but at her words he snapped around, "hurt her? Is that what you think of me?"

She stepped towards him, "bro...you don't do what she needs, that's all."

Her words cut him to the core, he hadn't let himself think about how he felt about Lizzie, he'd only known her for a few weeks, but already he thought about her in ways that were beyond what they should be. Now he was being warned off something that he hadn't let himself think about. Was he that bad?

His sister reached for him, "it's just I've never seen you like this."

"Like what?" he hissed at her.

She shrugged, "caring, worrying, your eyes never leave her...you've not been like this with anyone, not Krystal."

He flinched every time she mentioned her, since their meeting two nights ago, he'd failed to get hold of her, and he was annoyed that he hadn't been more direct before he'd walked out. He had to see her, make sure that she realised it was over. He never wanted to see her again.

"She's been through a lot Frey; I just don't want to hurt her...THAT'S what I'm trying to do."

She nodded, "so you need to think about what you want, because the longer you make doe-eyes at her, the more you pull her in. If you want to take her nephew from her, don't break her heart twice."

"I don't want to take him from her..."

She gave him a hug, "but you can't expect to play happy families with her either. That will break her even more. You hear me?"

They sat and ate at the table, but Lizzie was aware that Oscar was quiet since he'd walked away from them earlier. He was sat the opposite end of the table, being fed by Elena, but he was avoiding her. She knew that. Freya and Coop were such brilliant hosts. She didn't feel like an unwanted guest, instead they were both so open and friendly. Nate was loving every minute with his family. It just left Oscar.

The snow had stopped in the last hour, and she was planning to take Nate for a tramp in the street, a few snowballs, then head back to their apartment of sorts over the garage. Whenever she let Oscar in, he seemed to throw her another curveball. She had no idea what she'd done to cause his silence; he needed a manual to understand him.

Then she thought about the ice skating conversation and it started to make sense, another man was about to teach HIS son something, and Nate still didn't know that Oscar was his father.

Maybe that needed to change; it was only fair to Oscar...and Nate. She just had no idea how to broach that topic.

It was dark and eerily quiet when she, Nate and the two men stepped out into the snowy night. Nate was so excited at the knee deep snow that he was chattering at her side. But the men were preparing for all out combat, when she turned around they'd both taken positions behind walls and were making stock piles of snowballs.

"Competitive much?" She called out as her and Nate started on a snowman.

Both men grunted a response. But before they had made a head for the snowman, snowballs were flying through the air, accompanied by grunts and shouts of victory. Boys and their competitive streak.

The snowman complete, Nate looked up at her, "can we snowball Oscar?"

She glanced across at the two men who were like snipers, hidden behind posts and walls, slinging balls rather accurately at each other. Oscar was in front of them, but his eyes were on the house, where Coop was assembling more supplies, ready to pelt at his friend. A perfect opportunity to ambush him from behind.

Giving a nod to Nate, they both gathered handfuls of snow, then crept over the snowy driveway. Lizzie nodded then they both slung the snow at the back of Oscar's head with a shout of celebration. He turned in shock to see them there at the very moment Coop peppered them all with a barrage of very accurate snowballs. Nate screeched and ran towards Coop, whereas Oscar gave her a menacing glare.

With her own scream, Lizzie backpedalled, turning to run away from Oscar, but he roared as he ran after her, by the time he reached her she was panting hard, and laughing, and as he threw himself into her, throwing them both to the floor in the deep snow, he was laughing too.

Holding a huge fist of snow in his hand, he growled as he waved it in front of her face.

"Revenge!" he finally shouted before dropping it onto her face.

It was freezing, obviously, the water running down her chin and cheeks to her neck and into her hair, "bastard!" She gasped, and he laughed hard as he wiped the snow from her face.

"Play with fire and you're gonna get burned," he drawled, still lying half over her, their bodies touching. Suddenly his eyes met hers and her breath caught in her throat, nothing else existed for a moment, but the two of them. She stared back at him, swallowing nervously. And Oscar must have noted that, because he blinked, then looked away before pulling himself to his feet.

"Here..." he offered her a hand then pulled her up. But the moment was gone and grumpy Oscar was back.