Page 7 of Scoring with my Bestie's Ex

Ellen kisses my cheek. “You’re the best.”

Soon enough, we are ready to go. I drive, wanting something to focus on. The road from Castleton to the highway is long and winding, with tall pine trees growing on either side.

When we get about two miles from the highway, we come to the end of a long line of traffic.

I stop the car and crane my neck, trying to see how far the line goes. The road is straight for about two miles, but then curves again.

A slow stream of vehicles starts to pass us. As we wait, my fingers drum against the steering wheel.

“You want to listen to some music?” Ellen asks.

“Sure. Oh!” I sit up a little straighter. “It looks like someone is talking to the people ahead of us.”

A man in a white hard hat and an orange vest walks along the shoulder of the road. Ellen rolls her window down when he reaches us.

“Afternoon, ladies,” he says, nodding at us. “Hate to tell you, you’re going to have to turn around.”

“What?” I yelp. “Why?”

“All that rain we got yesterday caused a landslide. Blocked about four miles. We’ll be working to clear it up, but the hillside is still unstable and we’re going to have to work on it first.”

My stomach drops.

Ellen groans. “Was anyone hurt?”

“Nope. But there’s no getting out of Castleton for a few days,” he says, then nods again. “ will keep you updated.”

“Thank you,” I say.

He moves on, and I thud my head back against the headrest. Well, this day just keeps getting better.

“Hopefully we’ll be able to get our cabin back,” Ellen says, sounding despondent. Then she straightens. “But if we can’t get a cabin, then we can sleep on the beach. Use those extra sheets we bought to make ourselves a little tent. It’ll be so cute!”

I laugh. “Ah, Ellen. If there’s one thing I can count on you for, it’s to find the silver lining. Thanks.”

It takes us an hour to get through the lineup, but finally, we turn around and head back to the town.

When we get to the register office, though, we learn someone has already booked our cabin. There are no other cabins open, either.

“Great,” I groan as we head back outside. “Now what?”

Ellen combs her fingers through her hair. “Let’s go check out that hotel. And if there’s no room, there’s always—oh, boy!”

She grabs my arm, her eyes widening.

“What?” I start, turning.

“Bella!” A familiar voice says.

I freeze in place. This can't be happening. Is it too much to ask for a sudden sinkhole to swallow me whole?

Steven saunters towards us, a smirk on his face. “I was starting to worry that you’d gotten through. But I overheard you two. You don’t have anywhere to go, huh?”

“We’ll be fine,” I say stiffly.

Steven reaches for my arm. Ellen pulls me away before he can touch me.

“Why don’t you two stay with me in my cabin?” Steven says, glaring at Ellen now. “It’ll give you and me time to talk, Bella. We have a lot to work out.”

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