“Me too.” Adria looked at her sister, she saw the glaze of unshed tears in her eyes and smiled slightly. “Don’t cry, because if you cry, I’m going to cry and then we might end up crashing into something. Does anyone know where you're going?”
Becca laughed a little. “No, I didn't want anyone to bother us.”
“And yet you were thinking about men. Wasn’t the last one, what was his name, Ken…oh wait that’s Barbie’s husband, sorry, Jake? Didn't Jake stomp on your heart enough?”
“I guess not.” Becca bit her lip, irritating Adria.
“Don’t do that. Forget men for this trip, it’s you and me. This is our last Christmas at the cabin before we sell it. Let’s make the most of it.” Becca stuck out her tongue which Adria found pretty amusing considering they were in their forties.
Becca was a famous fashion model and her face had graced the covers of numerous magazines over the years. Even in her forties she still had perfect porcelain skin, and eyes that could captivate anyone.
Since they weren’t identical twins, Adria had the luck of the draw. Their hair color was the same, a soft, cool blonde, and their eyes matched their mother’s green eyes, but beyond that, they were different. Where Becca was gorgeous, Adria was well ordinary, at least she believed that, anyway.
Becca mingled with the elite, famous people in Hollywood while Adria spent her days and nights with animals. It was mind-blowing, and at times she wondered who their father was just so she could know where she got these differences from.
“I think it was a good idea to use the cabin as an Airbnb. For the last couple of years, we’ve made a ton of money using it that way, and I never had to set foot in Michigan to do it thanks to online booking. Once we sell it, we should buy a house on an island together and use it when we have free time and for the holidays. Mom would want that.” Becca said
“I don’t want to think about that now. I just want to go home, make cookies, decorate the tree, string lights, bake a ham and wrap your gifts.”
“If you so much as make me go sledding if it snows, I’m going to toss you in a snowbank. Skiing, definitely, ice skating, maybe if I have a cute outfit. Snowboarding I like, but sledding,no. That’s childish.”
Adria tossed a cracker at her sister for good measure, just to temper her serious if not a little uppity personality. “Here, I have a cracker. Mom always thought you didn't eat enough. In fact, I’m going to fatten you up for New Year’s. By the time you get back to New York, they won’t recognize you. What would happen then?” She started laughing just thinking about it.
She loved her sister dearly, with all her heart but her career had always boggled Adria’s mind. To be beautiful was one thing, and Becca certainly was that, but to get paid a ton of money to set an image thatno womancould barely ever meet in their life was ridiculous.
Still, she was happy her sister was able to maintain such a high-profile career and make a fortune with just her appearance.
“You’ll do no such thing. My trainer would kill me, and I’d have to go on some crazy diet, not to mention, I’d have to hide away for a few weeks until all the weight was gone. One of those suitcases contains my breakfast and lunch items.”
Adria rolled her eyes, realizing it was a lost cause.
* * *
It was snowing like crazy in Seneca Falls, not something entirely unusual, but there had been no online alert or information. It was like the storm came out of nowhere.
Devin was determined to get home before it got out of control and he was forced to sleep on the office couch, he drove his pickup truck through town, which was pretty much a ghost town at this point.
As the town's only attorney, he knew everyone by name and face, and knew more about their business than they did. He’d grown up in Seneca Falls, and he’d be perfectly happy if he died in Seneca Falls. There was no place on this earth he’d rather be than his childhood home.
He made it home in a few minutes but the storm was determined to be massive, with large snowflakes floating down from the sky as his dogs Cindy and Candy greeted him at the door. They were both mixed-breed dogs from the local shelter.
“Hey, how are my girls?” Devin bent down to give each a good scratch and share some treats that were always at the front door for coming and going. Both dogs happily gobbled up the treats, nuzzled his hands for a few good scratches and then took off for the back door. “I’m coming. I know you want to go out.”
In a few long strides, Devin was at the sliding glass door that led out to his backyard. Both dogs went running, falling into the snow, rolling around and barking. Devin smiled. “My girls.” He thought of his daughter Virginia off at college in Washington State. He missed her so much.
When the dogs went running, they headed towards the road. Devin’s only hope was they weren’t headed to Ms. Smith’s house for treats. Thankfully, she had the good sense to go on vacation for the holidays.
The chilly air was blowing through the door and shaking the ornaments around on his tiny tree, so Devin quickly closed it and grabbed a drink. This year had been the first holiday he would spend alone now that his divorce was final and Virginia was off to college.
It had been a hard road, being married since the age of twenty-three and then losing it all. He’d been devastated, but as an attorney, he knew how to make things as simple as possible for everyone’s peace of mind. When it was done, other than his work, Devin was a mess. He wore a cheerful face for his clients, but behind closed doors, he was a train wreck.
Still, he was determined to make the best of it. He adopted his two rescue dogs right after which made Virginia happy, but when she went off to college, something else died in him, his youth. Until that moment, he had never paid much attention to it, but knowing his only daughter was all grown up and moving away was humbling.
The dogs were barking again and Devin threw the door open with a towel in hand ready to dry them off before the entire house was ruined. Neither dog moved, but they kept barking. “What? What’s the matter?”
They barked and barked, as if trying to tell him something. The last time they’d done that Mr. Carlton had been lying on the ground outside his small house after having a heart attack while raking leaves. Thanks to the dogs, Devin had got there in time to call the ambulance and Mr. Carlton made it.
“Alright, give me a second.” He tossed on his coat and followed them out the door. “You’re determined I freeze to death.” He followed them a few paces and saw a car stuck in the snow on the road. Quickly he approached, the dogs were barking wildly at him. He knocked on the window and he saw a gorgeous blonde woman arguing with the person next to her. “Are you okay?”
