Free My Lucky Stars by Michele Paige Holmes

marshmallow up near her nose. Tara gasped. “So I see.”
    “Just don’t let him get that close to you once he’s eaten one,” Ellen warned. “He’ll be a big, sticky mess. Remember, kids, you have to stay on the tarp. Mommy won’t have time to clean up any messes in the morning.”
    Is she kidding? Tara thought, wondering how they could possibly pull this off without graham cracker crumbs in the carpet, chocolate on the walls, and melted marshmallow goo everywhere. She stabbed Sam’s marshmallow onto the stick and held it toward the fireplace, only to have one of the dogs snap the marshmallow off.
    Chloe, the eighteen-month-old, laughed hysterically and fell back on the tarp, her diapered bottom landing on the plate of crackers Ellen had just set down. Sam screamed and jumped up to go after the dog.
    Ellen reached out, snagging Sam by his pajama bottoms. “Let Coulter have it. We’ll get you another one.” She handed him two more marshmallows and sent him back to Tara.
    Sam stuffed one in his mouth and gave the other to Tara. This time she held the stick out of reach until there was a clear line to the fireplace. Cadie, her cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk’s, hopped around the perimeter of the tarp.
    “How many marshmallows do you have in there?” Ellen asked, reaching out to pat Cadie’s puffy cheeks.
    “Four.” Cadie opened her mouth to show her mother the sticky balls of white stuffed inside. Tara looked away, disgusted.
    Chloe still half sat on the graham crackers and was doing her best to get the chocolate bars out of their wrappers.
    “No more,” Ellen said, sounding amused. She took the chocolate and marshmallows and put them on the mantel.
    Sam sat beside Tara, his eyes large as he watched the flames. Tara found herself mesmerized by them too. All in all, she had to admit this was a cozy little gathering. Ben was outside getting the truck ready for tomorrow, so she didn’t have to deal with him. And the kids were quieter right now with their mouths full of chocolate and marshmallow and their eyes drooping with sleep.
    When she’d fixed two s’mores for Sam and he’d toddled off to brush his teeth, Tara roasted a marshmallow for herself and enjoyed a treat she hadn’t had in years—if ever. She really couldn’t remember. Camping hadn’t exactly been her mother’s thing.
    “Hey, did ya save any for me?” Ben asked, coming in through the front door, stamping snow off his boots.
    “There’s plenty,” Ellen said. “With Dallin not here, we haven’t even used half a bag.”
    “I miss Daddy,” Cadie said, returning from the bathroom with Sam.
    “We’ll see him tomorrow.” Happiness lit Ellen’s face.
    “Yep.” Ben didn’t seem as enthused. “With a little luck and prayer. The chains I bought will fit the truck tires. If we don’t have to use them, we’ll just return them in Denver.” He walked toward the fire, and Tara stiffened and looked away. But she needn’t have worried about another confrontation. Ben seemed equally eager to avoid her and sidestepped so as not to come anywhere near.
    They’d barely spoken since the DI incident, though he had taken her to Target so she could purchase new underwear, socks—and a tube of mascara, which she hadn’t mentioned to him.
    Cadie plopped down in front of her mom. “I want to see Daddy now. I want him to come here. I don’t want to go to Denver. I don’t want to move.” Her voice grew whinier with each statement. Over her head, Ben and Ellen exchanged concerned looks.
    Ellen stood and took Cadie’s hand, leading her to one of the sleeping bags spread in a circle around the family room. “You’re tired, sweetheart. Let’s tuck you in bed.”
    “This isn’t my bed.” Cadie folded her arms across her chest and pushed her lip out.
    Tara finished the last of her s’more as she observed the drama from the sidelines.
    “I don’t want to sleep here. I want to sleep in my room. I want my things back. I—”
    “Shhh.”