SUCKER PUNCH 🛶 PACEY WITTER [book one]

CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

LIVE LONG AND PROSPER

...🛶...

IT was a complete disaster. Not only had the communal bathroom flood but the furnace had packed in, leaving the entire Potter home without heat and what was to be the coldest night of the year.

Pacey sighed as he once again watched Heather pace back and forth, but this time the bed belonged to one of the rooms at the Potter B&B "Heather, it's going to be fine."

"How?" She turned to him in disbelief "The man looks like he could step foot onto planet Vulcan and he'd fit right in with that death stare. The bathroom is mess but I guess, who needs a bath when you can just lie on the floor and call it a day, huh! Or who needs heat to survive because we're all gonna have to double up for the weekend anyway because the rooms aren't finished. How could I do this? How could I mess up this bad? If I where Joey and Bessie—"

"I would consider myself very lucky to have you in my life." Pacey stood, grabbing her shoulders and looked into her eyes "You put a lot of selfless work into this place to help your best friend, you can't give up now."

"You're right." Heather swallowed before blowing out a breath, winding when the white mist drifted between them visibly "First things first, get some heat."

...🛶...

WHILST Dawson and Gail headed to the Leery's for wool blankets and Jack and Andie went to Grams for the woman's space heater, Pacey had taken it upon himself to chop wood for the fire all whilst Mr. Fricke had thankfully taken himself into town for dinner.

Wrapped up in the Leery's blanket's, the women watched as the men attempted to light the fire, but with many failed attempts, Mrs. Ryan finally stepped in "You'll never get it started with the hickory on the bottom." She held out her hand for the matchsticks "May I?"

The boys backed off, allowing the woman to kneel before the fire "Hickory is a glorious wood, but it's a hard wood. It'll never burn on its own. Soft pine goes on the bottom, oak in the middle, hickory on top." She lit a match before touching it to the pine, smiling when the flames began to roar "There we go."

Heather chuckled, pulling her blanket tighter around herself "Don't you just love women?"

"Wow, I'm impressed." Mitch admitted, helping Grams to her feet.

"You know, she churns her own butter, too?" Jen smiled in amusement.

Mrs. Ryan smiled fondly as she took a seat in the armchair "Oh, I used to build a fire after dinner every night in the winter. Jennifer's grandfather would sit in his leather chair, feet on ottoman, and read to me. Some nights we'd travel with Ahab in search of the great whale, some nights we'd float down the perilous river with Huck and Jim."