Page 106 of Snowed In
Only when he pulls to a stop a few steps away, do I see whose car it is.
I spot Sophie first. It’s hard not to with the shock of red hair under her hat. She gets out when we stop while one of the figures at the back straightens with a wave.
Cormac. Great.
“I’ll stay here,” I mumble, and Aidan sighs but thankfully doesn’t push it.
“Two minutes,” he says. And then, to the others, “Need a hand?”
A blast of cool air hits me as he gets out of the car before the outside world muffles as the door slams shut again. I turn off the music, feeling awkward as I watch them talk. Sophie glances over more than once but doesn’t make any move to approach, and I don’t want her to. I should have listened, and we should have kept going. I can already feel my spirits start to fall the longer I sit here, my good mood deflating like an old balloon.
And then it gets worse.
Isaac.
I freeze, watching him in the rearview as he dusts his hands free of snow and heads toward the others. He stills when he sees Aidan and then immediately looks to the car, meeting my gaze.
I fight the urge to duck down like a child, watching instead as he exchanges some terse words with my brother…
Before making his way toward me.
I groan softly, wishing I hadn’t played the good Samaritan card because this shouldnotbe my reward, but I get out, meeting him with a polite smile.
He looks hungover.
The skin around his nose is an irritated red like he keeps rubbing it, and there are dark circles under his eyes. Maybe he didn’t go to sleep last night.
Aidan doesn’t move from where he stands with Cormac and Sophie, but nor does he take his eyes off me. It’s only when I give him a nod that he leaves me be and, while he doesn’t look happy about it, goes to help Cormac give the car another push.
Isaac watches them only briefly before focusing on me. “Can we walk for a bit?” He points to a small gap in the wall, one that leads to one of the many walking paths that dot the countryside around here. “Just for a second.”
I don’t want to.
I really don’t want to.
But the others are doing their best to give us some privacy…and Isaac’s already walking off, not waiting for my answer.
And just like I always used to do, I follow.
The ill feeling gets worse with every step, and the tips of my toes quickly get wet in the snow, but we don’t go far, just a minute down the path toward the old castle ruins. It’s usually a popular place for walkers, though today it’s empty with the weather, leaving us alone.
“I’m sorry about last night,” he says when we reach the stone walls. “You were right to be, but I didn’t mean to make you upset.”
“That’s okay.”
“Aidan said you guys needed to get going, but I was actually going to swing by your house later, so this saves us both some time.” He smiles at me, a polite, patient smile. “I wanted to make sure we were on the same page. About Natalie.”
“What do you mean?”
“Just that…” His tone grows rueful. “Look, I’d had a few drinks. I was feeling particularly sorry for myself. I wanted to tell someone. Anyone.”
“I get it,” I say awkwardly. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Her dad’s sick.”
“Yeah, you said.”
“Right. I just wanted to remind you in case…” He pauses like he’s choosing his wordsverycarefully. “In case you were thinking of sharing it with others.”
