Page 10 of Cade

As darkness fell, she was wondering just how much longer until the cabin would pop into view. The roads were slick, and snow was falling again. There were a few places off the road with their lights on, but she didn’t want to have to stop or ask for help. Never ask for help.

“You have arrived.” The nice GPS lady announced.

Cassidy pulled the small rental car into the gravel drive of the cabin. Fresh snow had made the drive treacherous, but she was finally here. She wouldn’t be here for long, but at least she’d save her family the pain of watching her leave this world. Pain that had consumed her every thought. She was drowning in it, and no one could help her now.

Putting the car in park, she opened the trunk and grabbed her bags. As she opened the cabin door, she frowned, seeing that there was a blazing fire. Maybe Mr. Gus sent someone to open the cabin up for her. She set the bag down and then realized that she smelled cooked meat.

“There you are,” smiled the man coming out of the kitchen. She squealed, jumping back as she grabbed her chest. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you. I was just getting worried about you.”

“Cade! What the fuck?”

“Hello to you too, sunshine,” he said, bending down to kiss her forehead. “Just thought I’d get here and make sure the fire was working and start some dinner. I mean, we’re pretty far away from town, so I brought groceries for the week.”

“Cade…”

“I figured tomorrow we could take a hike up that mountain and see the sights. I know you can see the whole valley from here. Then we can go into town and see how much we can burn up on my credit card, maybe do some shopping for my new cottage back home.”

“Cade…”

“I don’t know if you ski, but I brought ski equipment just in case, and Gus said they’ve got some sleds and toboggans around here somewhere. Anyway, I have chicken roasting in the oven right now, but it should be ready soon. Get your bags into your room, and…”

“Cade!” she screamed.

“What?”

“What the fuck are you doing here?” she asked with a furious expression. He set the spoon down on the counter and walked toward her, stopping just in front of her. He bent at the waist, kissing the tip of her nose.

“Me? I’m here to stop you from killing yourself.”

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