Chapter 1
Addison
As I turn off the four-wheeler, the first thing I hear is exactly what I expect from my two older brothers—Cody cursing and Jesse laughing.
It’s a whopping ninety degrees. The sun is hot, but the breeze is nice. It’s a little warmer than our typical July in North Dakota, but it’s manageable for me. Unlike these two, I wouldn’t have decided to build another deer hunting shack during this so-called heat wave.Iwould’ve waited until this weekend, when it was over.
They’re both too stubborn, wanting things done differently, their own way. You should’ve heard them giving each other grief over Sunday dinner, discussing where they were gonna put it. Jesse wanted it behind his cabin, and Ella, his wife, agreed. Cody wanted it behind his house because he’s on the other end of the property, closer to the farm next door. Mason, my other brother, didn’t really care where they put it, because either way, it’d be closer for him than driving all the way out to the one behind the Big House. It was just a mess. I guess that’s what living on a family compound is like sometimes.
I suggested everyone build their own hut where they wantedit, but they were quick to remind me that these things aren’t cheap, and outfitters aren’t rich by any means.
Cody throws his tattooed arms up, sweat flying, his tone frustrated. “Are you even measuring?!” His entire body is tense.
Jesse steps out of the hut, wiping sweat from his forehead. “What do you mean?! I cut exactly what you wrote down!” he retorts, his chest glistening with sweat too.
Cody takes his hat off and rakes a hand through his damp hair. “There’s no damn way.” He flips his hat backwards and pulls his tape measure off his belt.
I carry the small cooler over that I packed for them. “Brought you guys lunch,” I announce. They stop bickering and come over to grab a sandwich.
“Thanks,” Cody grumbles.
Jesse takes a bite. “Yeah, thanks.”
Nobody speaks for a minute and I start to smile, watching Jesse glare at Cody, who chews his sandwich vigorously.
“So,” I say, overly bubbly, “how’s it going?”
“Just great,” Cody says.
“Mom said you guys couldn’t figure out the door?” I say and walk over to see for myself.
Jesse follows. “Yeah, I don’t know if we need a new seal or what, but it isn’t shutting right.”
He climbs into the hut and I follow him. Cody comes in behind me and Jesse shuts the door to show me what he’s talking about, pointing to the issue. I don’t really see anything, but I stand there and act like I know what they’re talking about.
“Maybe it just needs more force,” Cody says and proceeds to slam his boxy frame into it. A cracking sound reverberates in the shed.
“Uh…” Jesse says, reaching for the handle. It falls off when he turns it.
Cody’s jaw tightens. “Oh sh—”
“Dumbass!” Jesse slaps him across the back of the head.
I start laughing, but when I attempt to open the door, it’s jammed shut. I eye the edge of the door that they claimed wasn’t sealing right, and it isdefinitelysealed now. There’s no way of pulling it open.
“How about the windows?” I turn around and observe the other escape options, but there’s only one window cut out so far and it’s too small for even me to fit through.
“Good luck with that.” Cody huffs, pulling his phone from his pocket. “And we don’t have service down here. Great.”
Jesse rummages through the tools on the floor.
“Can’t you just cut the window bigger?” I ask.
“With what? A screwdriver?” Jesse argues. “All that stuff’s out there.”
“Nah. There’s gotta be something.” Cody bends down and digs through the tool bag. He pulls out a flathead screwdriver. “We can try and pry it.” He switches spots with me and gets on the floor, wiggling the screwdriver through the crack. Jesse and I watch and I’m suddenly hit with an epiphany.
“Oh my gosh, it’s like thatDrake and Joshepisode!” I playfully hit Jesse on the arm, but he doesn’t bat an eye.
