Page 40 of Cabin Fever

"No, his arm's fine. Healing. It's his—"

"Tyler, your usual?" Debbie returned with two bags of coffee and dropped them onto the counter with a thud.

"Yes, Deb. Thanks so much. Have you eaten, Olivia? I'd love some company."

I gnawed at my lower lip. For some reason, I felt that Carter wouldn't approve of me having breakfast with Dr. Ferguson. Which was silly because it's not as if Carter's my boyfriend, or that Dr. Ferguson has anything dirty in mind. It's only breakfast in a public place.

"Sure. Sounds good. I'll have a cup of your wonderful hot chocolate, Debbie."

She rang me up for the coffee while Dr. Ferguson found a table. When I joined him, he had been typing away on his cell phone before he put it away.

My heart soared. "I'm jealous."

His head tilted. "Jealous?"

"Of your phone. It's been two-and-a-half weeks without a cell phone . . . I hate to admit it, but I've come to realize how much I miss it. I know I would have talked to my sister by now."

"Here's your hot chocolate. I thought I heard you mention your sister. Did you get a chance to call her?" Debbie placed the large bowl-like cup in front of me.

Cringing, I shook my head. "No, not yet."

That wasn't like me. I talked to Bea every day of my life. Even when one of us was traveling, we still called each other. She's my twin, and when I didn't hear her voice, I felt broken.

But, for the first time ever, I was afraid to call her. And I knew exactly why.

"Did the phone line go out again up at Carter's?" the vet asked.

"Yes," I lied.

I would rather lie to the people who've been kind and helpful to me than admit the truth. Which was that I was afraid of the mess I'd made by running away. My decision hurt my family, and I didn't need a phone call to know that.

Maybe if I stayed here, up on Fire Mountain, I would never have to deal with the jilted fiancé who turned out to be more of an evil villain than a prince charming.

"You can use the diner phone. I told you if there was anything I could do to help, feel free to ask." Debbie's hand clasped my shoulder.

"Oh, I couldn't ask you to—"

A cell phone slid toward me on the table.

"Use my phone. I have to use the restroom anyway. Give you some privacy."

The vet didn't give me a chance to respond. He stood and moved toward the back hallway. Debbie gave my shoulder a squeeze for encouragement before she let go and headed back toward the kitchen.

I stared at that black, shiny phone. It glared at me, taunting me to make a move toward reality. I picked it up, surprised at its weight. Taking a deep breath, I turned it on and mentally chided the doctor for not having a password.

"Here goes nothing."

Swiping the screen, I pulled up the phone app and began to tap in Bea's number. I'd studied it so much the past four days that I could recite it in four different languages.

"Hello?" Bea's voice crackled slightly over the phone.

"Bea? It's—"

"Ollie! Oh my God, where are you?"

I couldn't respond to her question as my throat closed up. My face burned, and I covered my eyes with my hand, willing myself not to cry. But my will was weak due to days of hard labor and early mornings.

"I'm . . . I'm still on Fire Mountain."

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