Page 11 of Snow Good to Lose
Amari
Caden slid the gun into the back of his waistband. The weight of it made his board shorts droop.
I watched the indecision on his face as he paced back and forth.
“Maybe it was just a figure of speech.” I walked past him toward the house. He grabbed my arm and turned me around.
“He knew us. He was looking for us.” Caden squeezed. I laid my hand over his and spoke slowly.
“Caden, sweetie. Let’s think about this logically.” I slid my arm out of his grasp and laced our fingers. We walked up the stairs. I sat down at the table. Still holding my hand, Caden scanned the inside of our home for intruders. It was empty. I twisted around to look through the window. Dark shadows I never noticed made my heart race. I tugged his hand. He sat down next to me.
“After two years, how likely is it they found us?” I squeezed his hand. “And if they found us, why send that guy?”
Caden’s shoulders slumped, but not in relief. He always felt out of sorts when he wasn’t in control. I rubbed the back of his hand.
“Before we freak out and abandon our little hiding place here,” I waved my hand, “let’s check him out.”
“Check him out how?” His eyes narrowed.
“Find out who he is. He said he was staying at the resort.” I nodded.
Caden grabbed my face and kissed me.
“You are brilliant.” He stood up. “Let’s go to the resort.” He stalked inside.
I looked down the beach. A sense of impending doom made my head ache.
Caden stuck his head back outside.
“Let’s get changed.”
“Okay,” I nodded. “If he checks out, we’re fine.”
“And if he doesn’t.” His eyes darken. “We’re out of here.”
He didn’t wait for my answer.
I looked around at the little piece of beach we called home. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye.
I shook out my limbs and pushed the thought out of my head.
Caden was overreacting. A random guy wandering in the woods. No big deal. The quicker we found out who this guy was, the quicker Caden would relax.
The Christmas tree lights brightened as the sun set. I’d hidden Caden’s Christmas present among the branches. I plucked the green box with the red bow off the tree and turned it over in my hand.
I found the gift at a local shop in town. I thought it was perfect considering we had built a life together. The last time, we ran because we saw no other option. It was different now.
It had to be.
* * *
We walkedhand in hand down the trail toward the street. The same path Caden had described to our recent visitor. The sand-covered path was narrow. When we had found it was nothing more than a trail, local kids had carved out of the forest for easy access to the beach.
Once we moved in, Caden had placed a sign at the head of the trail stating private property, which kept most people off our little parcel of land. The surrounding forest wasn’t particularly dense, but Skip had been the first to wander onto our property.
I adjusted my bag on my shoulder and squeezed Caden’s hand.
At the street, we took a left. Sidewalks flanked the two-lane road. Resort guests walked and biked along the roadway during the day. It was quiet at this time of night. It was a ten-minute walk to the entrance to the resort.
