Page 8 of Scrooged for the Holidays
“Because I met her.”
We both straighten, but I speak up first. “She’s here already? Where? We should have felt her cross the borders!”
Remi places a calming hand on my shoulder. “No, not yet. I met her at Holly’s, and I have no doubt she’ll be here soon.”
I leave Remi and Sam, walking behind the bar. It’s unusual for one of us to meet someone we’ll help before they come to Elysian Pines, but it has happened before. Still, it’s rare.
I set out three glasses and fill them with the whiskey we all enjoy. They sit on the stools across from me and take their respective drinks.
“Do you know anything about her?” I ask, running a hand through my shoulder-length brown hair.
Remi takes a sip of the whiskey, looking at me over the rim of the glass. His eyes sparkle like they always have, but in them I see the same hunger that Sam and I tried and failed to ease.
“Not much. Her name is Greer.”
“Greer,” I repeat. I like the way it feels on my tongue. It’s not a name I hear often, but I like it. I’m already imagining what she looks like, even though I have no clue.
“And do you know why Greer is going to be allowed to find and enter Elysian Pines?” Sam asks after a long pull of his drink.
“And why you met her before she arrived?” I add.
Remi sets down his glass, the sound of it clunking through the air. “I do, and she needs us. She needs this place.”
I chuckle. “Obviously.”
“But why?” Sam reiterates.
“Because…” Remi looks between the two of us. “She’s a Scrooge.”
Chapter four
Greer
“Wherethehellisthis place?”
I left Garland twenty minutes ago, and my GPS is glitching. I swear I’ve been driving in circles. The snow is impossibly thick, and did I mention it’s dark? Stupid winter. Stupid daylight savings.
Thank god for four-wheel drive and properly fitted chains on my tires, or I’m sure I’d be in a snowbank by now.
“You should be there already. It was on the outskirts of Garland.” Avery’s voice floats through the car speakers.
“I still can’t believe you booked me a Roads Motel, it’s a one star,” I grouse. “I’m going to end up with bed bugs.”
“Oh, don’t be so uppity, Greer. I’ve stayed in them in a pinch before, and I remember staying in one when I went on a trip with you and your family, too. They’re fine—or at least this one is. It’s got good reviews.”
I grip the steering wheel. She knows I hate when she brings up my family or the past. This is the second time she’s done so today.
“You’re sure there was nothing else available?” Now I really don’t want to stay there. The last thing I want is to be haunted by ghosts of the past.
“I’m positive. Garland is a ski town that’s perfect for the holidays, and it’s three days before Christmas. I’m shocked I was even able to find this room.”
I don’t say anything because I know she’s right. But I’m debating if sleeping in my SUV would be better. I groan. That would be stupid—I’d freeze to death under a pile of snow.
I glance down at my GPS then out the window. When I look back at it, the Roads Motel is no longer on the map.
“I think I got turned around,” I say.
“What do you mean? There’s only one way in and out of Garland. If you followed the road out, you should have passed it on the outskirts. Did you turn somewhere you weren’t supposed to?”
