Page 1 of Her Grumpy Lumberjack

1

SIENNA

“I’m not sure about this,” Megan says for the millionth time, her eyes burning into me like lasers from across the kitchen. My sister is a pro at intimidation, but I won’t back down this time.

“You don’t have to be sure,” I tell her, slathering peanut butter onto two slices of bread. “I’m sure enough for the both of us.”

“Sienna, have you stopped to think about your job?” Megan asks, scowling at me as I slap the slices of bread together with a little more force than necessary. “You’ve only been working at Luminary for a few months. People will think you’re unreliable.”

“I’m only taking four days off! Just because you haven’t taken a day off for six years?—”

“Seven,” she corrects.

I sigh, knowing it’s impossible to argue with my sister. Megan is ten years older than me and ten times smarter too. At thirty-three, she’s the youngest ever editor-in-chief at Luminary Press. I recently landed an entry-level position at the same company, but I’m sure Megan pulled some strings to get me hired.

People at work are always shocked to find out we’re related. My sister is tall and slender with a closet full of made-to-measure pantsuits. Then there’s me: short and curvy with chubby cheeks and cotton-candy pink hair. We couldn’t be more different, and while I’m grateful that Megan got me a job at Luminary Press, the cutthroat world of publishing is her dream, not mine. My real ambition is to be an author. I don’t want to promote other people’s manuscripts; I want to write my own.

That’s why I need to get away for a few days. I need a place to clear my head and figure out my future. And now, thanks to Aunt Carol, I know exactly where to go.

“I don’t get you sometimes,” Megan continues, crossing her arms as I pack the sandwich and the last of my things. “Why are you wasting four paid vacation days just to visit Aunt Carol’s old cabin?”

“She left it to me.” I shrug. “The least I can do is check it out.”

When I received a copy of my aunt’s will last month, it was a total surprise. I only met Carol a few times, but without any kids of her own, she decided to split her inheritance between Megan and me. My sister got most of the money, but I got the cabin.

“It probably doesn’t even have running water.” Megan wrinkles her nose. “I doubt anybody’s been out there for years.”

“I bet it’s gorgeous,” I say stubbornly.

Megan snorts. “You’re forgetting that I’ve been there.”

I stop packing and blink at her, surprised. “You have?”

“Yep.” She inspects me over her glasses, arching a perfect eyebrow. “Dad took me when I was seven or eight. It’s a shack in the middle of the woods.”

I laugh. “You think everything that isn’t a downtown penthouse is a shack in the woods.”

She rolls her eyes. “I’m just saying you shouldn’t get your hopes up. I know you, Sienna. You’re probably imagining some pretty little cottage where you can dance around with the birds and rabbits like a Disney princess…”

“I’m not imagining that!” I protest.

I totally am.

“Listen, I’m not trying to crap on your parade,” Megan says, her eyes softening. “But if you insist on going, I don’t want you to be disappointed when you see the place.” She bites her lip. “I don’t like the thought of you being alone out there.”

That’s the thing about Megan: she’s bossy, domineering, intimidating…and she cares. A lot. She tries to manage my life because she wants the best for me. That’s why she’s here, standing in my kitchen at six in the morning to tell me that I shouldn’t leave. She’s a pain in the ass, but I love her anyway.

“You’re not going to change my mind,” I tell her as I sling my duffle bag over my shoulder. Then, before she can protest, I hug her. “I’ll be back in a few days.”

I pull away with a smile. Megan doesn’t smile back. Her features are pinched with worry.

“Be careful, okay?” she says. “Don’t get eaten by a bear. And don’t get lost in the woods. The cabin is right in the middle of nowhere, so make sure you take enough food. And a first-aid kit. And plenty of bottled water just in case.”

“Okay—”

“And try not to die,” she adds quickly. “I’ll be so mad at you if you die.”

“Okay, okay, I won’t die,” I say, chuckling. “Don’t be so pessimistic.”

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