“Always, Shay. You know that.”
“And don’t you forget it. Do you have enough suppliesto cover you both? You know how long it can take for that road to clear up.”
“I rotated and re-stocked the cellar last month.” I always keep six months’ worth of emergency supplies just in case. Living on a mountain doesn’t come without its risks. I knew that when I moved here, even if I didn’t particularly care about them. But no matter how little I cared for my own safety back then, I refuse to leave Shay an only child after everything. “I have plenty to get us through,” I promise her. “I don’t think Este’s going to be thrilled, but?—”
“Thrilled about what?”
I jump, my elbow slipping on the table. Este’s standing right beside me. Shit, she’s good at sneaking up on me.
“Was that her?” Shay asks in my ear.
“Yeah. Listen, I’m going to go so I can explain everything, but I’ll keep you updated.”
“You better. Love you.”
“Love you, Shay.”
I hang up and meet Este’s worried expression. “Is something wrong? Did something happen to my dads? Their flight?” Genuine fear fills her eyes. “Shit, my phone’s upstairs.”
She turns toward the stairs, like she’s going to run up and get it, but I close my hand around her arm. “Breathe, Este. Everyone is okay. The weather got really bad last night, so the airport’s closed. Their flight won’t even have taken off.”
I open my phone and scroll through my messages from Bryan until I find the link to the flight information he sent me. When I click on it, there’s a big red bar across the top:FLIGHT CANCELED. I show Este, and the relief is instantaneous. Her shoulders slump, the breath rushing out of her.
“Okay. So, they’ll be a day or two late. That’s not too bad.”
“The mountain road is blocked,” I tell her, trying to sound less to-the-point than I usually do. “So, even if they make it to Wintermore, they’re not going to make it up here.”
“For how long?”
“I haven’t called the rangers back yet, and they’ll have a better idea, but…”Rip the goddamn Band-Aid off, Nico.“I’ve never known the road to clear enough to drive on in less than two weeks. It’s usually closer to a month.”
Este’s brows knot together. “They can’t get up here for probably a whole month?”
“Right.”
“And if they can’t get up… we can’t get down. We’re stuck up here.”
I nod. She sounds less upset than I thought she would, but I don’t get the chance to speak again before my phone rings. “It’s your dad,” I say, glancing at the screen and answering the call. “Hey, Bry.”
“Hey! You probably already know because of you and Shay’s triplet thing, but the airport in Jackson’s closed. We can’t get in. And she said the mountain road is blocked? Do you know how long for?”
“Yeah, I just got off a call with her.” It would be helpful if “the triplet thing” were that detailed, but sadly, we still have to rely on mortal communication methods for the most part.
As I’m telling Bryan what I know, which is very little about our current situation, and mostly based on past road blockages, Este wanders off, heading upstairs.
“God, Nico. I’m so sorry. I know you’re not used to having people in your space, and Este being there for a month…”
“Don’t worry about it. Este’s great, and the dogs love her. I’m sure she’ll be bored out of her mind stuck here, but we’ll be fine.”
Bryan chuckles. “I’m not worried about her being bored. Give that girl her Kindle, and she could never be bored. It’s just…” He sighs. “Este’s had a rough few months, and she just kind of shut down. She hasn’t gone back to work yet, and she hasn’t been sleeping. She broke up with her boyfriend after everything, and the only person she really talks to is Sloane.”
“She mentioned the sleeping thing. And the nightmares. But she managed a solid six hours last night, and no nightmares that she can remember,” I tell him.
Bryan hums. “It might be good for her to be away from everything for a few weeks, actually. It’s just hard for us. I know we’re already putting you out since she’s going to be staying with you, but would you keep an eye on her for us, please? Check in with her if she seems like she’s overtired or having a rough day? It probably sounds like overkill—she’s an adult—but she’s our baby girl, you know?”
I don’t know. Not really. But I know how protective of Shay I am, and that has to be somewhat similar. Bryan put a lot of trust in me in even considering bringing his family around me, let alone being okay with Este coming herealone. He hasn’t seen me since we were in our twenties. He knows more than anyone, except Shay, how fucked up I am. And he still trusted me.
The least I can do is look after his daughter.
