“Come on, Jonah! It’ll be fun.”
I sighed loudly and dramatically, just to make my sister laugh. Ellie obliged and I hid a smile, even though we were on the phone and she couldn’t see. She knew damn well I couldn’t deny her anything, and if she wanted to hang out with me for the weekend at her husband’s family’s cabin, then we would. But that didn’t mean I was going to give in easily.
“Seriously, it’ll be great. You and me and the whole weekend to hang out and eat and drink and gossip and talk shit about people.”
I snorted a laugh. “You never talk shit about people. And if you do it accidentally, you immediately feel bad.” Ellie was about the sweetest person on the planet. She didn’t have a mean bone in her body.
She hummed. “Well, that’s true.”
“But, Ellie, love, this isn’t the greatest weekend for me.” I eyed my computer, which I knew had a stack of unproofed documents waiting in my inbox. I loved my work as a copyeditor for textbooks, and I loved that I could work from home, but sometimes, the amount of stuff waiting to be done was daunting.
“But this is the weekend no one is using the cabin. Mark says his brothers have claimed it for a bunch of the following weekends. So it needs to be this one.” She made a soft noise, and I knew she was putting on puppy dog eyes, even though I couldn’t see. “I’ll take Friday off and we’ll make a three-day weekend out of it. What do you say?”
We both knew I would give in, so I sighed again, and did. “Yeah. Fine. Want me to pick you up?”
She hesitated for just a moment, which was weird, but then said, “Sure. That will totally work. Nine? It takes about two hours to drive there, and we can settle in before you make me lunch.”
“Oh, is that how it is?” I laughed, because between the two of us, I was the better cook. And she loved it when I cooked for her. At least she was nice enough to always do the dishes.
“I want lasagna.”
I made a noise. “No. Pick something else. It’s always lasagna. Just no.”
She laughed, a musical tinkling noise that made me smile. “Okay, fine. How about Chicken Florentine?”
I stopped dead, and sucked in a breath. I hadn’t made that in years. Not since…no. I wasn’t going to go there. Not now. Not after all this time.
“I haven’t had it in forever,” she wheedled. “And you make it the best.”
I swallowed hard. I wanted to say “no.” But she was my sister. My best friend and confidant. My rock and my support. Of course she could have the food she wanted.
“Yeah, okay.” My voice barely came out, but it was enough. She made a happy sound, then kissy noises.
“You’re the best little brother in the world. Thank you! I’ll see you Friday!”
We hung up and I carefully set my cell on the table. I rubbed my face hard, and blew out a breath. God, why that dish? I was pretty sure she knew what it meant, but it was possible she wasn’t thinking. I could have told her, reminded her, but she really wanted it.
I shook my head. I wouldn’t let it get to me. It was just food. I didn’t have to have a special memory attached to it. I could do it, and Ellie’s enjoyment would replace the old memories with a new one. And that would be worlds better.
I sighed again, then pulled up the grocery store app on my phone. With a few taps, I had the shopping list complete. Then I turned back to my computer. If I was going away in two days, I needed to get some work done.
* * * *
The groceries were packed in the car, and I was just grabbing my duffle when my phone rang. It was my sister’s tone, and I scrambled to swipe it.
“Don’t hate me,” she said before I could even utter a greeting.
“I could never,” I said fervently, then perked up. “The weekend’s cancelled?”
“No. Don’t be silly.” She made a whiny noise. “But there’s a couple of things I need to get done for my boss before I can go.”
“Oh.” I was both disappointed and relieved. In the past few days, I’d started to look forward to the weekend. “That’s fine. Just let me know when you’re ready and I’ll come get you.”
“Why don’t you just head up without me? I’m not sure how long it’s going to take me, so I’ll drive up when I’m done.”
“I don’t mind waiting. I can get some work done, too.”
“No, really. You go. Get settled and get cooking. Then I can have a nice, yummy lunch the moment I arrive. I won’t be far behind you. Probably just a couple of hours.”
I squinted, suspicion rising. She wasn’t that fond of driving, so I couldn’t figure out why she was suggesting I go without her. “Ellie, what’s going on?”
“Nothing, I swear.” She sounded a little too innocent, but my sister wasn’t a liar, so I took her at face value. “Just head on up, and I’ll be right behind you.”
Still, I hesitated. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.” She chuckled. “Besides, Mark is home today, so maybe I can get a little something something before I head out. To tide me over.”
I made a retching noise to make her laugh, then picked up my bag. “All right. I’ll see you in a while then.”
“Drive safely. I love you.”
“Ditto, Ellie.”
We hung up, and I locked my phone and shoved it in my pocket. For a long moment, I stood there, bag in hand, and tried to decide if I was going to call her back and insist on waiting until she was done. But I knew it would be pointless, so I headed outside and got in the car.
* * * *
It was mostly highway driving, so I set the cruise control, turned up the radio, and blanked out a little. For an hour, I let my mind wander, trying not to think too much about the food in my backseat. Instead, I focused on how much fun it would be just to hang out with my sister. We’d always gotten along perfectly. She was only two years older, and we’d been best friends since the moment I was born. We rarely fought, and even if we did, we couldn’t stay mad at each other for long. I’d lucked out when I’d gotten her for a sister.
After about another hour, it started to snow. Big fat flakes, lazily falling. I’d checked the weather before I left, and I knew it was going to happen. But it wasn’t supposed to be more than a few inches accumulation, and having lived in Upstate New York my entire life, I wasn’t worried about driving in it.
But the farther north I drove, the worse the snow got. I took off the cruise, and leaned forward so I could really focus. It still wasn’t terrible, but it required all my attention. Fortunately, my exit came up quickly, and I drove off the highway and onto the backroads leading to Mark’s family’s cabin.
“Cabin” really was a misnomer, though. It was more like a log house. It had four bedrooms, two upstairs and two down, a full bathroom on the second floor and a half bath on the first. I’d spent many a weekend there hanging out with my sister, her husband, and various members of his family. It was nice and quiet, the cabin surrounded by several acres of national forest.
Finally, I pulled into the long private road, and thankfully I had four-wheel drive, because there was at least four inches of snow piled on it. I slid a little when I made it to the end, but managed not to crash into the porch. I breathed a sigh of relief, turned off the car, and shook out my tense muscles. I hadn’t realized how tightly I was gripping the steering wheel.
I grabbed my bags from the back and waded through the ankle-deep snow to the front door. The lock box had a number pad, and I fished out my phone to get the code from my sister, only to find a text with the code already waiting for me. I chuckled, punched it in, and pulled out the key. The door unlocked easily, though the hinges creaked as it swung in, and I gratefully got out of the frigid air.
It wasn’t much warmer inside, but I found the thermostat and turned it up. Almost immediately, it clicked on. I left my bags in the entryway, divested myself of my outwear, texted Ellie that I’d arrived safe and to drive carefully, then lit a fire in the fire place. I knew she’d take her time, but I was worried anyway.
With all that done, I dropped my duffle in one of the bedrooms on the first floor, and set about unpacking the groceries. I’d planned carefully, knowing I’d be doing the cooking all weekend. It didn’t take long to get everything stored away, and when Ellie texted a few minutes later that she was finally done with work, I started the Chicken Florentine, resolutely ignoring any feelings or memories that wanted to surface.
After two hours, I started getting concerned. Ellie hadn’t answered my texts, and I hoped it was because she was driving slowly and carefully. I kept glancing out the window and watching the snow get worse. At three hours, I moved from concern to full-out worry. Lunch was done and staying warm in the oven, and Ellie still hadn’t arrived. I’d tried to call, but it went straight to voicemail. I went out and shoveled the steps and the walk, all the while glancing down the drive and expecting to see Ellie at any moment. It took me almost an hour, and by the time I got back inside, I was heading into full-out panic.
I was just trying to decide if I should call Mark when I heard a clomp of boots on the steps outside. I whirled around, and the door opened as I blew out a relieved breath.
“It’s about time! I was wor…ried…”
It wasn’t my sister. It was a yeti. A big, hulking yeti covered in snow. I squinted, because I knew that shape. Those shoulders and those legs. Even after three years, and under layers of winter wear, I knew his body.
The yeti whipped off his hat, sending snow showering down, and my worst fear was confirmed.
Captain Adrian Cooper.
My ex.
The man who broke my heart.