Page 13 of Rekindled

Six

The moment I stepped out of the black SUV, the bottoms of my boots sunk into the pure snow. There was snow everywhere, capping the tops of trees and parts of the one-story property. I took one look at the cabin and smiled widely.

This place held so many memories, wonderful memories, that all came back to me like a sugar rush.

"My God," I whispered to myself as I stretched my limbs and made my way to the trunk of the car.

The cab driver handed me my bag. "Here you are."

"Thank you so much." I turned to head toward the log cabin.

Snow capped the roof and outside the property. Tiny drips of water frozen in time framed the arch over the door. The entire front part of the house was glass and although it was still early, I saw a few lights on inside.

I put a little more speed in my step to get to the front door, so eager to reunite with my bestie.

Apparently, she was just as eager as me because I didn't even have to knock. She’d opened the door before I arrived in front of it and was waiting for me with a closed-mouth smile. For as long as I've known Journee, I've known her to smile with all her teeth. And the times when she offered what she was giving me at the cabin's threshold, something was always wrong.

I cocked my head to one-side as I slowed my pace. Like I said, I knew that look well. Something was up.

"Hey!" she greeted, her voice higher than usual. "Girl, you are wearing that coat."

"And you arewearingthat smile that always forewarns me of trouble."

Her smile fell instantly.

I stopped immediately, feet away from her. "What's going on?"

"Let's not concern ourselves with that right now. Come here, come here!" She stepped out of the house to meet me. Journee wrapped her arms so tight around me, I couldn't help but to return her embrace. Her bevy of bouncy black curls smelled of wood fire, and I smiled at the scent. Christmas in Aspen was such a vibe.

"I can tell the fireplace is already lit." I stepped out of our hug to head toward the opened front door. "I can smell it all over you."

"Well, you know I had to have the fire blazing in time for your arrival." She giggled nervously while straightening the collar of her gold chunky knit sweater. "What's Christmas Eve at the cabin without an open fire?"

A part of me wanted to probe. Needed to understand what her energy was trying to tell me, but wanting to get inside trumped all that.

Journee followed close behind. "So, I need to talk to you about something real quick."

Her words went in one ear and out the other. The second I crossed the threshold, I closed my eyes and inhaled the air. Heated wood surrounded me and wrapped me in a familiar hug, warming me up. Nothing had changed about the one-story cabin. Wooden barreled ceilings shaped the space overhead. The crackling of the fire dancing over charred logs in the wood-burning fireplace was audible over the TV. I turned to the bay windows and caught the view of the rocky mountains in the distance. That view appeared everywhere in the cabin, wherever there were windows. A hulking Christmas tree draped in all things red and gold decorated the living room floor. Journee and her boo piled more than a few gifts under it. This was my girl's first Christmas with her husband, so I imagined they were going to go all out.

I balanced my roll on, on its wheels and shrugged off my brown double-breasted teddy jacket, draping the jacket over the couch. "I need wine."

"Yes, you do." Journee quickened her steps to the wine fridge in the kitchen. "Let me get that for you right now because I really need to run something by you ASAP."

I twisted around again to approach the bay windows, needing to steal another view of the mountains in the daylight. "God, it still is so beautiful out here. I swear every time I visit, I'm put in a happy place that nothing can take me out of."

"Hey family," I heard at the front door.

The familiar bass in his voice stilled me but increased the hammering of my heart.

My smile was the next thing to slide right off my lips. If it had the power to, it would have fallen to the wood floors with a loud thud.

I jerked my head back at the same time he did the moment we locked eyes.

"What are you doing here?" he and I asked at the same time while pointing at each other.

"Kai!" Zyair, Journee's husband, greeted, emerging from a room in the cabin. Zyair's eyes switched over to me when he did a double take. "And Maven!"

I turned to Journee to see her hurrying toward me.

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