Page 17 of Accidentally Under Your Tree

"Text her," Rose directed, sliding into the driver's seat of our rental.

"And say what?" I lifted my hips to pull my phone out of my back pocket.

"I don't know…"

While Rose executed a three-point turn as if we'd stolen the car, I glared at my phone and settled on,Please let me explain.

When there wasn't a response, I sent additional texts attempting to explain. It wasn't surprising that they all went unanswered.

"Has she responded to you?" I asked.

Rose turned from her parent's street onto the main road into town. The glow of streetlights a mile away was bright against the dark winter sky. "I haven't texted."

She was sensitive about her sister, so much so that I didn't know the full story of what happened between them. The few times that I'd asked a probing question, Rose had tossed a flippant remark and blown me off. It wasn't the only subject she didn't want to talk about. It was clear that it hurt her more than she was letting on.

I hesitated before asking, "Do you have her number?"

Biting her thumbnail, she scowled at the road. "Of course. You know, in case of an emergency with Mom or Dad.”

The click of the blinker banged through the car like a gavel. She took a right to head away from town.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"She'll be a Shay's."

A few minutes later we parked in the driveway of a simple farmhouse that even in the dark, I could see improvements—newer siding, fresh front porch, updated windows. Details that I noticed subconsciously because of the work Rose and I did.

Lights floated out of the first-floor windows, but I didn't see any movement. We both sat still. Rose's tension mixed with mine.

I shoved my hand through my hair. "You okay?"

She sucked in a breath and held it before blowing it out in a whoosh. "I…I just need to talk to her."

The hinges creaked as Rose pushed the car door open. She was halfway up the walk before I'd even gotten out of my seat. Now that her decision was made, there was no slowing her down. She'd have this talk done and under control. She wouldn't stop pushing and pulling until the situation succumbed to her will.

It was her way.

Her tenacity was truly a beautiful thing, but it could make for certain challenges. Seeing the parts of her personality that fit into place with Lizzy completed a picture I'd only seen half of.

Rose banged four times on the big wooden front door as I bounded up the porch steps. The drone of a grinder went quiet and then heavy steps neared.

Her face went slack and stricken. "Oh, shit."

"What?" I demanded, wondering how anything could get worse.

The door swung open and a tall man in a baseball cap, safety glasses, and a dirty T-shirt stood on the other side.

His eyes widened, and he fell back on his heels as if pushed. "Rosie," he breathed.

Rose's face had gone suspiciously blank, and her voice came out flat. "What are you doing here?"

The smell of sawdust and power tools wafted out with the heat. I peered around him, but instead of seeing signs of Lizzy, there were only a tarp and clip lights hanging around the fireplace.

He lounged against the doorframe. "Workin'. What are you doing here?"

"Looking for Shay and Anne. Are they here?"

"Been a while since you came looking for them." He lifted the neck of his shirt to wipe sweat from his brow. I didn't miss the way Rose's eyes dropped to the skin that showed under the lifted hem. I didn't think he missed it either.

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