“What are you doing?” Jules asked, pulling her out of her thoughts.
Erin turned to her sister. “I’m thinking about going on this ride,” she replied.
“Are you insane?” Jules asked, wide-eyed.
“I don’t know. Erin, this ride is a little off,” Dianne added. The others nodded in agreement.
“I’ll go with you,” Nikki offered.
“Great. See? At least one person isn’t scared of a little adrenaline rush.” Erin smiled triumphantly.
“Erin,” Jules said, her eyes swimming with fear.
“Relax, nothing will go wrong,” she assured her sister.
Jules stepped away from her, her eyes still reflecting her concern.
Ten minutes later, Erin and Nikki were strapped into the seat.
“Are you guys ready?” the operator asked. Erin nodded eagerly.
Without further warning, Erin felt herself shooting up in the air at an insane speed. Her head started to feel heavy, and the pressure in her chest built up until her chest became unbearably tight. That was the last sensation she had before a pungent odor stung her nostrils. Her head reared back as she tried to get away from the scent. Her eyes flew open to see her sister and her cousins staring at her with worry.
“What happened?” she asked, sitting up on the bench.
“You passed out,” Jules informed her.
“You knocked right out when we made it to the top,” Nikki added.
“Oh,” she spoke, surprised. “I think I might have been a bit lightheaded as I didn’t eat anything this morning,” she played it off.
“I’ll go get you something to eat,” Amy offered.
“What were you thinking, Erin?” Jules chided. The rest of the group scattered, giving them privacy.
“Jules, relax. Everything’s fine,” Erin said, trying to calm her sister.
“It’s like I don’t even know you anymore.” Jules shook her head and turned her back to Erin as she folded her arms across her chest.
“I’m sorry for scaring you, Jules. It was not my intention.”
Jules turned to face her once more. “I feel like I’m losing you, Erin. What is going on with you.”
ChapterTwenty-Three
“So last quarter, we had a greater influx of guests, but I’m anticipating the numbers will go up this quarter.”
“And the reviews the guests have left on our website have been very good.”
“Yes, they have,” Marg confirmed, nodding as she and Cora sat going over the books and analyzing what strategies were working and which ones weren’t.
“That’s good. That means we’re on track for another successful year,” Cora spoke with a slight nod.
Marg noted the worry lines etched on her boss and friend’s forehead, and when she removed her glasses, closed her eyes, and pinched the bridge of her nose, she confirmed that something was definitely up with her. “Is everything okay?” she asked.
Cora’s hand dropped to her side as her eyes slowly opened, and her head came down to focus on Marg. She released a frustrated sigh. “I’m worried about Erin,” she revealed.
“Did something happen?” Marg asked, on high alert.
