Aelin looked back up at the parking spots, her brow furrowing. "Mar, how many vehicles did you bring?"
"Just one. But the—” Her sister’s eyes widened. “Oh, shit, did you not see my text?”
Aelin frowned and pulled out her phone. She blinked at her screen. “Mariah?—”
“Our friends ended up bringing their teens. And a couple friends,” Mariah said in a rush, flashing an apologetic smile. “So we thought you two could . . . share?”
Chapter
Eighteen
The cabin wasevery bit as charming as Aelin remembered, and that made it frustratingly difficult to be angry. The dark wood floors creaked under her feet, and light filtered in through the picture window, making the whole living room look like it had been dusted with gold. The walls were covered in old photos of the lake, and the kitchen still looked like the seventies threw up on it.
She loved it. Every last avocado green appliance and laminate countertop.
It was cozy. Charming. And it was also small.
“Mariah, why the hell didn’t you give me a heads up? We could’ve brought sleeping bags or something,” she hissed through her teeth.
Mariah threw out her hands. “I only found out yesterday. It was a last-minute thing. I guess Bob texted Leo, and he said, “The more the merrier!”
Aelin crossed her arms over her chest, checking to see if Ryan or the girls were coming inside with their things yet. “More is not merrier in this particular circumstance. We have four people, Mar. There are only three beds.”
“And a couch.” She said it like a question and winced.
Aelin lowered her voice. “I don’t know him that well.” She scanned the room, trying to figure out a situation where she wouldn’t be leaving her daughter upstairs with her friend’s dad sleeping in the room below.
“I’m really sorry about this. I thought about other possible sleeping arrangements, but those kids are so much older than your two girls. That would be weird, and Leo would divorce me if I suggested he share a room with a random guy?—”
“No, I get it. I’m not saying we need to do something like that.” She pressed her hands into the counter. “It just would’ve been good to know before we left.”
Ryan didn’t seem like a dangerous person. But neither had Clark in the beginning.
“You could go to the store? I’ll pay for you to get some sleeping bags or?—”
Amaya and Bailey rushed in, their eyes lighting up when they saw the loft. Bailey found Aelin, her hands clenched with excitement. “Do we get to sleep up there?” She bolted up the stairs before Aelin could stop her, Amaya close on her heels.
“There are TWO BEDS FOR US!” Bailey sounded like she was at an Olivia Rodrigo concert.
Aelin blew out a breath. “Yeah. Looks like that’s not happening.” How could she tell the girls they were going to have to sleep on the floor? Or share the bed so she and Ryan could each take a tiny bed? She’d barely fit in those at sixteen when they’d come here for the first time, and Ryan was more than a head taller than her.
Ryan walked in carrying three bags and her laundry basket. Aelin rushed to the door to take something.
“You didn’t need to bring everything in at once.” She took the basket and set it by the door.
“More efficient.” He set the suitcases down, and Amaya’s footsteps pounded on the stairs as she descended to retrieve her things.
“Thank you so much for bringing us. Ugh!” She grabbed her small suitcase and hauled it back up to the loft.
Mariah looked between the two of them. “Think of it this way. You get to split the cost of the week. That saves you a thousand bucks?”
Aelin drew a breath and slowly exhaled. “That. Is true.”
“True enough that you don’t hate me?” Mariah’s face pinched.
Aelin grabbed her suitcase and slid it away from the door. “I don’t hate you.”
Mariah gave her a quick hug and patted Ryan on the shoulder like he was a puppy, then escaped through the front door.
