MILLIE:Have you forgiven me yet?
ME:That’s a strong no.
MILLIE:Well, have you two at least kissed? It’s been almost twenty-four hours.
ME:I have a Christmas present that I forgot to give to you before I left. I will now be gifting it to myself. I’m planning to watch it with some gummy worms, Ghirardelli brownies, and a carton of Ben and Jerry’s ALONE. And I’ll be perfectly happy.
MILLIE:Changing the subject?
ME:…
MILLIE:WHAT is happening there? Did you two KISS?!
A knockat the cabin door had me jumping up from the couch and flipping my screen to black, as though Miles could suddenly see everything. I slid the phone into my back pocket and pulled on my coat and gloves. Ben and Chloe had taken their kids to the lodge for some coloring and crafts, which left me with some time to make the bed, do the dishes, and tidy up the cabin for Chloe so she wouldn’t have to worry about the house when she got back.
I tried not to look nervous opening the door for Miles, but I was thankful that my pounding heart was hidden beneath several layers of fabric.
“Planning to stay for a couple of months?” he asked, eyeing my luggage as he held the door open for me to step outside. Once I stepped out into the sunshine (which was misleading because the temperature hovered around eleven degrees), he reached over and took the suitcase and duffel bag out of my hands, pushing the extendable handle down so he could lift the suitcase.
“You should be grateful I left my library at home.”
He looked at me in surprise. “You didn’t bring any books?”
“Just my Kindle.” I decided to leave the two hardback classics I had brought out of this discussion.
“Oh, the famous Kindle. I’d love to take a peek to see what the prim-and-proper lit teacher reads in secret.” He gave me a pointed look. “I mean, I already know one special book on your Kindle that you took the time to read.”
I made a mental note to make sure my Kindle was nowhere in sight for the next five days in my new cabin.
We hemmed and hawed up the sidewalk, the snow making a crunching sound at our feet with each step.
“Whose house is that?”
Miles lifted his head and followed my point off in the distance toward a large, two-story, red farmhouse with a wraparound porch.
“That’s my parents’ house.”
I slowed my steps, suddenly feeling unsure about my stay in this cabin. It seemed odd to be so far from everybody else and so close to the owners’ home.
“Is this a joke or something? Do you really have a cabin for me to stay in?”
“Well, cabin is a loose term. It’s actually more of an underground lair I use for experiments.”
When I gave him a dark look, he chuckled. “Yeah, where do you think I’m taking you?”
“I’m not sure. This looks like a lovely place for murder. Why is this cabin so far away from the others?”
“My parents lived here for a few years before they built their big house. Then, they decided to add some more cabins but wanted them closer to the lodge to give them more privacy.”
“And this cabin still rents out?”
“People stay here all the time.”
“When the fireplace works?”
“Yup.”
We walked a bit longer on the sidewalk in silence. After we passed the lodge, I followed Miles to a road leading toward his parents’ house. Halfway up the road, he motioned me toward the left and onto a snow-covered driveway I hadn’t noticed. A small, wooden cabin sat in the distance, surrounded by trees, a trail of smoke puffing out of the chimney.