Page 36 of Snow Going Back

Wandering over to the island, she stopped beside his things and half turned away, drumming her fingers on the side as she pondered the opportunity to get a little petty revenge on theman, for all the horrendous things he’d put her through so far. It would be more than fair, really. But sheshouldn’t, she reasoned, as the angel popped up with some moralistic reminders. It would be wrong.Reallywrong.

She sneaked a sideways peek at the wallet. No, shecouldn’t. The devil and angel squabbled, the disagreement swiftly escalating into a full-on fistfight. They rolled around her shoulders, and Kate took a couple of steps away, then turned to walk back. The walletwasvery close to the edge of the island. And the bin was butted right up against that end. It wouldn’t take much… She tilted her head and arched an eyebrow. The devil pressed home her advantage, and the angel teetered on the edge.

Taking one step forward, Kate pressed her foot onto the bin peddle and eyed the bread ends and potato peels below. The creaking above her moved towards the hall, and before she could change her mind, she reached out her hand and swiped Sam’s wallet into the bin. She felt an immediate thrill of both alarm and deliciously naughty revenge.

Sam jogged down the stairs, and she darted back to the sink, just as he walked back into view.

He shrugged on his jacket and picked up his keys, still on the phone. Glancing over at her, he gave her one more smile clearly designed to tease, but this time it didn’t bother her.

‘I’m headed to you now, so I’ll stop at the store and pick one up on the way,’ he said, walking out of the house and closing the door behind him.

‘Good luckpayingfor that,’ she said quietly with a smile. ‘Because like I told you before – karma’s a bitch, Sam Langston.’

TWENTY

After a few hours spent sorting through another stack of basement boxes, Kate took a well-earned break and drove back out to Walmart to stock up on milk and a few other supplies. She rolled back up to the spot she’d claimed as her own on the road, just before the slope she couldn’t conquer, and turned off the engine. More practically prepared this time, at least, she zipped up her warm winter coat, pulled down today’s fuchsia-pink bobble hat then shrugged the backpack full of her purchases up over her shoulders.

Tramping up the slope through the snow, Kate breathed in the fresh air and looked around at the pretty street with a cheerful smile. A few of the houses had already begun to put up their Christmas lights, and those that hadn’t still looked wonderfully festive next to them, with every pitched roof, cosy porch and picket fence already decorated with the fluffy white blanket and glistening crystals of Mother Nature. Surrounded by all of this, it really was impossible not to be filled with a warm cheery feeling of anticipation for Christmas.

She reached the house and paused outside for a moment to catch her breath.

Two people two doors down were busy covering their roof with Christmas lights, and as the woman holding the ladder saw Kate there, she let go of one side to wave hello. Kate waved back with a smile as she opened the front door, but this swiftly turned to an alarmed grimace as the ladder wobbled and the man at the top grabbed the gutter with a yelp. The woman quickly righted it as he called out in panic, and Kate ducked inside with a cringe.

After closing the door, she quickly turned to check on them through the side window. The man had luckilynotfallen to his death due to her distracting his wife and had returned to decorating his roof.

She let out a sigh of relief. ‘Phew. I do notneedthatkind of guilt right now.’

‘No?’

The sharp question caught Kate off guard, and she jumped as she turned around.

Sam stared at her with a hard, accusatory glare. ‘Already got enough guilt weighing you down?’

Kate suddenly remembered Sam’s wallet, and she shook her head slowly, twisting her lips to one side as if thinking it over.

‘Mm, nope,’ she said breezily. ‘Can’t really think of anything.’

Sam stood in the walkway through to the rest of the house, his feet planted squarely apart and arms crossed tightly over his chest as he continued to stare at her. Kate squirmed, feeling a mixture of deep guilt at being caught out and gleeful amusement that she’d finally got to him.

‘Really?’ he queried flatly, his disbelief obvious.

‘Nope.’ She held his gaze and smiled, raising her eyebrows smugly.

Sam nodded, narrowing his eyes. ‘Nice. Well, you’ll be pleased to know my plans tonight are now cancelled, because after driving nearly thirty miles out and realising I couldn’t actually pay for the things I needed, and driving all the way backto discover my wallet’s suddenlymissing, I’ve had to waste time getting cash out of the bank so that I can start off all over again.Four hours later,’ he told her with only barely contained anger.

‘Ohno!’ she replied, feigning surprise. ‘Howterrible. What happened?’

Sam gave her a withering look before grabbing his jacket off the hook and walking past her to the front door.

‘You know, you really should be more mindful of things like your wallet, Sam,’ she said with fake concern. ‘I guess today really taught you that lesson, huh?’

Sam glared at her and opened his mouth as if to reply, then promptly shut it again with a small growl of frustration before walking out without a word.

Kate leaned over to peep through the window as the front door slammed shut, a wide satisfied smile on her face. ‘You’ll think twice before taking my milk again,won’tyou, Sam Langston?’ she said quietly.

As he backed off the drive, she turned and walked through to the kitchen, then hopped onto the counter and reached up to the space above the cupboards, retrieving the wallet she’d gone back and stashed there earlier. She hadn’t been able to leave it in the bin, with the risk it might actually be thrown out. She wanted revenge, but she wasn’tthatcruel.

Kate took the wallet upstairs and made a beeline for Sam’s bedroom. She could just leave it in the kitchen, but he’d banned her from entering his room, so the extra dig of leaving it on his bed was just too tempting. Walking in, she looked around with fresh eyes.

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