Page 76 of The Invitation
“I told you it was going to rain,” she yells. “Don’t you have an umbrella in that backpack of yours?”
“No.”
“Figures.”
We slide partially down a small hill, holding hands as we go. Droplets stream down my face, making it hard to see, so I run my hands over my head to push my soaked hair out of my face.
“Careful,” I warn. “Don’t grab those branches to keep you steady. They’ll snap off.”
“Ugh.” She looks at me with melted mascara around her eyes. “Will you carry me?”
I laugh. “No, I will not carry you. I’m barely not wiping out on my own.” I shake my head, blowing water off my lips. “Why are you like this?”
“Because I’m a Taurus!” she shouts. “I love creature comforts and solitude. This is neither of those.”
“Oh, sure. Blame it on astrology.”
She shoots me a dirty look, which is impressive considering the situation. “Take your Scorpio tendencies elsewhere. This is not the time.”
I’m a Scorpio?“There’s the cabin. To your left.”
“Thank God.”
We step across a washout on the trail and hop to the other side. An unkempt pathway leads to a porch that has seen better days, but we climb the rickety stairs, Georgia shivering at my side.
The sky lights up with flashes of lightning that seems to last forever.
“That rain is so freaking cold.” She trembles. “What if we can’t get in? We’re going to die out here in the wilderness, all alone, and hungry?”
I try my best not to laugh, but a small snort escapes before I can stop it. I get another dirty look in return.
“They usually leave these places unlocked in case of emergencies,” I say. “I promise you that you won’t die.”
“Is this an emergency?”
“Did you or did you not just express a fear of dying in the wilderness?” I ask, teasing her.
“I mean, that might’ve beena taddramatic.”
I look down at her and grin. “Do you want to try to make it back to the car?”
“No.”
“Then it’s an emergency.”
A tree snaps behind us as a flash of lightning brightens the sky. The sound of the wood hitting the ground roars through the forest.
I open the screen door, which creaks as it swings free, then I try the handle on the innermost entrance. Thankfully, it, too, opens with ease.
“After you,” I say, motioning for her to enter.
“If we get arrested for this, I’m blaming you.”
I smile. “I’d expect nothing less.”
She goes in first, and I follow.
Chapter Twenty
