Page 14 of Clashing Moon

“Well, let’s say a cheer for a secret stash. Comes in handy during a snowstorm.” He held up two bags of chips. “Plain or salt and vinegar?”

4

RAFFERTY

Imade us drinks with orange soda and vodka and brought them to our puzzle table. A quick glance out the window didn’t give me any hope of getting out of here any time soon. Not only did the wind and snow continue, it was growing dark. With one cot and one sleeping bag, one of us would be sleeping on the floor with just their jacket for warmth. Of course, I would insist it be me. Mama raised me to be a gentleman. One night on the floor wouldn’t kill me. I just hoped it would only be one night. If we were trapped in here for days, our families would be worried. In addition, Arabella was understandably fretting about the well-being of her father.

I hadn’t let myself think about him too much since we’d gotten here, mostly because I assumed the worst. If he had been caught in this storm, we would not find him alive. The only hope was that he’d ducked inside the barn or back into the house. However, he’d deteriorated rapidly in the last few months. He may have been too confused to act quickly enough to get back to the house.

Arabella took a sip from her drink and smacked her lips appreciatively. “I forgot I even had this up here, but I’m glad I did.”

“When was the last time you were here?”

“It was right before Christmas. My dad had had a rough day and was lashing out. I finally had enough and called a caregiver to stay with him overnight so I could have a break. I came up here and drank and read a romance novel and felt sorry for myself.”

“You need help with him.” It was out of my mouth before I could stop myself.

She set aside her drink and looked me in the eyes. “I know that’s what you think. I also know I can’t afford to. There’s nothing in his savings. God knows I’m in debt up to my eyeballs from school.”

I had an awful thought then. Wouldn’t it be better for her if her father had perished in the storm? The moment I thought it, I pushed it out of my mind, feeling ashamed of myself. But the man was mean as a snake. From their interactions during our appointments, I could see pretty clearly how he treated her. It was no less than abuse.

“Do you think your family’s worried?” Arabella asked. “Will they know you didn’t make it to work?”

“Yes, and so will all my patients. I did talk to Mama on my way out the door this morning. She knew I was stopping by to check on you. She probably assumes I stayed at your house and am fine. Other than she won’t be able to get me on my phone.”

“I’m sure they’ve canceled school,” Arabella said. “No one will be out in this looking for us. Hopefully, your mother won’t be too worried.”

“She probably will.” I smiled, thinking of my beautiful mama bear. “No matter how old we are, she still worries about us.”

Arabella nodded but didn’t comment further. A sad, slight frown turned her mouth downward. She had a nice mouth: full, firm lips and straight white teeth. I’d noticed before, of course.But sitting here with her now, really looking at her, her beauty took my breath away.

I’d already gone through my bag of chips by then and got up to grab a few more. When I tried to hand one to her, she shook her head. “I shouldn’t.”

“This is an unusual day, so I think it’s all right.” I tossed the bag over to her.

She laughed. “Fine, but don’t tell my doctor about my weaknesses.”

“We all have them. Things we can’t resist.” We locked gazes for a moment. Something passed between us, like an electric charge. Even the air itself seemed ripe for trouble.

I looked away first. Flirting with the enemy? Was that a condition brought on by extreme weather? A hike that almost killed us? Or maybe it was the vodka.

Yes, that was it. We weren’t attracted to each other. We hated each other.

Wasn’t that the story we’d believed for so long?

“Why did we dislike each other so much?” I asked out loud.

“I’m not sure we really did. We were just supercompetitive with each other, which led to animosity.”

“I wonder if we would have been as successful had we not had each other to push us?”

She rested her chin in one hand, clearly thinking through what I said. As much as she’d irritated me over the years, I’d never doubted how fine her mind was or how thoughtfully she considered things. Jealousy had sometimes clouded my perception and convinced me that she was annoying when, really, down deep, I admired her.

“I don’t know that we would have,” Arabella said. “Maybe we owe each other more credit than we would have thought.”

“What did you think of me back then? In high school, for example?”

“I thought you were amazingly smart and articulate.”

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