Page 33 of Cabin Fever

It was wrong what I was doing, but something in my heart was happy. I was being selfish and almost said no, but then she brought up the sheep.

"The sheep and Kitty need someone to take care of them. You'll only be able to do so much. If you won't think of yourself, think of them."

Reluctantly, selfishly, and with a tiny curve of my lips, I nodded. "Okay. But only until the doctor gives me the all clear."

She held up her finger. "Pinky swear."

"And you called me a child." I twisted my finger to hers and we shook on it.

"No, you think I called you a kid. I was actually calling you a—"

"Never mind. Let's get back to eating. I'm hungry."

She nodded and pointed to my hot chocolate and wouldn't stop staring until I drank some. I played it off as if it wasn't that great, but she was right—hot cocoa on a cold day was amazing.

When the bill came, she tried to pay, but I refused. I snuck up to the cash register with the check before she realized that was how to pay here at Fire and Ice.

As she pretended to be offended by not letting her pay, I realized it felt good to have a friend.

ELEVEN

Olivia

"YOU WANT MONEY?" Istared at Carter as we stood in line.

He did his usual shrug when he didn't want to discuss something.

"How do you think I pay for groceries? Or gas for the truck?" he asked, staring straight ahead.

After having lunch at the diner, he mentioned that he needed to stop by the bank. I offered to drive him, but he pointed to the bank right across the street. He fell silent as we walked, which hadn't surprised me. It gave me a good opportunity to study the town.

It was cute, like something out of a movie. Snow heaps where people had shoveled bracketed the salt-covered sidewalk. Every twenty feet a brown tree free of leaves and dusted white separated the sidewalk from the street.

The row of shops and businesses looked like they had been here for two hundred years. Everything was brick with white-framed windows. Green wreaths were everywhere. Over shop doors, in display windows and a few places had them in each window of each floor.

It made me wish to come back here for Christmas.

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