I took a tissue from the box and dabbed my eyes before walking to the door. I pressed my cheek against it. “Gabe, go away.”
His voice was frustration. “Fern, let me in. We need to talk.”
I needed out of the house before anyone downstairs could put this disastrous puzzle together and hope Ed could keep his mouth shut. “Please, go downstairs. I don’t want to talk to you, and I don’t want a scene.”
“Come on, Ed was confused, and now you are.”
Yes, I was more confused than a chameleon in a bag of Skittles, but I channeled the tough girl I wished was me at the moment. “Listen to me. Let me get out of this place now. Do not get in my way. Do you hear me?”
“Fine.”
I heard him walking away down the hall. Anything but relief filled me. I went to the mirror, grabbed my purse, and applied some concealer. It’s what I’d normally do if my heart hadn’t been smashed into a million pieces by a possible obsession with the deceased Amy so I was going with it.
Excuse me, Universe, can you tell me exactly which level of Hell this is?
I grabbed my suitcase before quietly saying goodbye to the room that taught me what it felt like to be wrapped in the arms of the sweetest, funniest, sexiest man I’d ever known. Great, I now needed more tissues and concealer.
I was relieved to see the hallway empty. The end game was to get the hell out of the cabin and shove this entire weekend deep, deep down and deal with it never. I realized today was the day I would answer every question with the middle finger.
I could get through this. I needed to detach from my brain so my body could get out of the cabin. I needed to just let my mind go to a happy place where I’m allowed to punch people in the throat, and there are little kittens and cupcakes while my legs got me away from here.
Once down stairs, I put my suitcase by the others just inside the door before entering the kitchen. I could see Gabe out of the corner of my eye, but would NOT make eye contact with him. Nope. Nothing. It was done.
Everybody was at the table eating and talking as Liv was flipping bacon at the stove. It was too loud. It was too happy. I wished more people were fluent in silence. I walked over to Katie. “I’m ready, and thanks for letting me ride back with you and Andrew.”
Andrew stood up. “I’m ready too.”
Katie giggled which was suddenly as annoying as nails on a chalkboard. “Well, there’s still some eggs on my plate. I hate to waste food?—”
Without a thought, I grabbed her plate and shoveled the eggs into my mouth with my hand like an animal. “There you go. All gone.” I was talking through the eggs and quickly swallowed. “No wasted food.” It was then that I realize all eyes were locked on me. “So Katie, are you ready?” My mouth felt like it was filled with cotton while queasiness hit my stomach.
She stood, walked over, and hugged Gabe who I was still not looking at BTW. “Thank you for a wonderful weekend.” She pulled back. “Is the ice shack unlocked? I left my gloves there the other day.”
“No, not locked,” he muttered.
It was the voice that sent complete sadness swimming through me as my heart leaped from my chest and threw itself out the window over the sink.
“I’ll get them.” I hauled ass out the back door, through the four-season room, through the snow, down the hill, and to the ice shack, my escape from everyone if only for a few moments.
Once inside, I closed the door, unprepared for whatever the hell emotion that wouldn’t leave me. I found Katie’s gloves next to the fireplace, the one that lit up my heart just days ago. No!
The door whipped open, and the green-eyed monster entered, reawaking my trembles.
“Gabe, I’m so out of here. This whole weekend was a mistake.” I pushed out a strong voice. “Thank God it’s over.” I stormed past him and pulled the door open, and he slammed it shut.
“This is a hell of a lot more than a weekend.”
“No, it’s not.”
“You can’t shut this down after all that’s happened.”
“Oh, I can.” I pulled open the door, and he pushed it shut again. “Are you serious?”
“What you heard in there?—”
“Stop. I don’t want to hear anything. This is all weird, and I don’t want to talk to you.” I pulled the door open, and he slammed it shut again. “Come on! The human body has seven trillion nerves, and you are managing to get on every single fucking one of them! Leave me alone!”
I pulled open the door, Gabe pushed it shut, but this time he gave the doorknob a forceful twist. A second later, he stood with the doorknob in his hand.
