Even if my stomach did tighten every time I saw Ace and Benji.
That was just nausea from their godawful sweetness. It was enough to give anyone a bellyache.
2
QUINN
I opened the pantry and grabbed a box of cereal. It was light in my hand, too light. Shaking it, I heard a few flakes rustle. I’d already killed off the last of the Pop-Tarts left behind from a previous trip. Jess was partial to the Special K I’d eaten, and Jonas loved the S’mores Pop-Tarts, because he was a giant child. But let’s be honest; I had wasted no time gobbling them down. Ken had said I could stay at the cabin, not that I should eat all their food, so I’d have to make a shopping run.
Ever since I’d arrived, I’d been reluctant to leave. My life had been a train wreck for a while—the upheaval of leaving school and moving across the country, the lies, the realization that my relationship was toxic—and the cabin felt like a safe haven. Dealing with the world again wasn’t something I wanted to do, though I knew it wouldn’t wait long. The Brookses would be here for the holidays, and I had a job interview in less than a week.
With a sigh, I reached for the container of oatmeal. I didn’t really care for oatmeal by itself, but my gaze caught on a jar of peanut butter and I grinned. “No-bake cookies for breakfast? Don’t mind if I do.”
I whipped up the chocolate-peanut-butter-oatmeal cookies, humming Christmas songs while I mixed ingredients and stirred them in a pan on the stovetop. Being up here alone was strange. It was nice to take charge of my life—if you could call crashing in someone else’s home taking charge—but this place was full of memories. Ken, Jess, and especially Jonas were all engrained in my feelings about being here. As much as I hadn’t ever wanted to be part of their family, it felt wrong not to hear the echoes of their teasing and laughter. The Brookses were a happy lot. I’d been the storm cloud in their midst.
The thought made me frown. I didn’t want to dampen their holiday season.
I’d been hiding since I got here, but I couldn’t keep that up forever. Clay wasn’t outside, or even in the state. He was back in Nevada, in that podunk town he’d dragged me to instead of LA, as promised, because he’d run out of money. The business opportunity he said he had waiting was a lie. The friend who’d help us get settled, the one who was interested in starting up an interior design firm?
More lies.
I’d known, deep down, it didn’t feel right. I’d convinced myself he loved me, that I wasn’t making the wrong choice. But every time I said I loved him, I also knew, in my heart, it just wasn’t true.
That made me the biggest liar of all.
As I spooned the cookies onto wax paper, I made up my mind to do better than I had four years ago, when I was here last. I wouldn’t resent the Brookses’ presence. Not this time. I’d be grateful for their support, which Ken had given without hesitating. I’d be nice, even if Jonas taunted and teased me.
And I could start with a trip to the grocery store so they didn’t arrive to cupboards bare of all their favorite foods.
JONAS
Colorado was gorgeous, and as I drove the curvy mountain roads with snow-frosted evergreens on one side and a sheer drop off on the other, a grin broke out on my face. I’d been driving a long-ass time and was running on energy drinks and adrenaline, my caffeine high long gone, but I was fucking glad to leave the flat plains of Nebraska for a view of the Rockies.
I’d never lived in Colorado, sad to say, but Dad had grown up there, and he’d bought a cabin near Lake Columbine when I’d been in fifth grade. We’d been coming out here nearly every holiday and summer vacation since then. I seriously considered going to school in Colorado too, but out-of-state tuition would have been a lot higher. I liked my little college in Nebraska, anyway. It was close to my family without being too close, and I’d always have Colorado waiting for me when I needed to get away.
I rolled down the window, and a blast of freezing cold air swept in, stinging my face and making my lungs burn. It woke me the fuck up, and I inhaled a few deep breaths, my hair whipping about my head, before hitting the button to roll the window up again.
I was in the final stretch now. The snow had gotten thicker the further into the mountains I went, blanketing the sides of the highways, weighing down tree limbs, and giving everything a sparkling, pristine look. But now I was hitting a stretch of roads that were covered in new snow, and I needed my full concentration to drive safely. I had chains on my tires and a vehicle that could handle the terrain. I should be fine for the short remainder of the trip, but flurries were coming down steadily enough to put me on alert.
My phone rang through the Jeep’s speakers. I pried a hand from where it was locked in a death grip on the steering wheel and punched the Accept Call button on the stereo display. “Hello?”
There was silence.
“Hello?”
The call disconnected. Shitty reception around all this rock. One downside to the mountains. The weather probably wasn’t helping.
The phone rang again, and as soon as I hit Accept, a voice came through. My dad. “…bad weather.” He was cutting in and out. “Not going…meant to…Quinn.”
My heart lurched. Quinn was the last name I’d expected out of my dad’s mouth. “What? You’re cutting out.”
I rounded a curve and suddenly his voice was clear as a bell. “There’s a big storm moving into Colorado. I checked to see if I could get out there ahead of it, but flights are already delayed. You should probably hold off on driving up tomorrow. The roads will be impassable.”
“I sort of already headed out,” I said sheepishly. “Had my last final this morning, so…”
“Damn. Are the roads okay?”
“Not great,” I admitted, “but I’m close.”
“Okay. Stay safe. I’m glad Quinn won’t be out at the cabin all alone in this weather. You may be snowed in for a while by the looks of things.”
Wait, what? My heart tripped. “Quinn? Why would he be there?”
“He asked…and I think he…so be nice to…”
“You’re cutting out again.”
Silence.
“Dad?”
Nothing. He was gone.
I cursed under my breath. Why would Quinn, a guy who hadn’t been in touch in years, ever since our family ties had disintegrated like he’d always wanted, be at the cabin now of all times?
I would have laid money on never seeing him again. My stomach tightened, and my palms broke out in a sweat. Looks like I was about to confront that old crush of mine, whether I was ready or not.
QUINN
A few small flurries drifted down as I left the grocery store and loaded the back of the Durango I’d rented with Brooks family favorites. What I could remember of them, anyway. Ken was a fiend for spicy food, so I’d grabbed some hot sauces for him, and Jonas had a sweet tooth, so I loaded up on cinnamon roll and brownie mixes. And more Pop-Tarts. I had a sweet tooth of my own, so more oatmeal, cocoa, and peanut butter had gone into the cart.