to hack your phone.
Isabel: *fist bump* Don't do anything I wouldn't do.
Molly: Who's Bauer? WHERE ARE YOU? WHAT DID I MISS? I hate traveling when exciting things happen *sad face emoji*
I sighed at the immediate barrage, tucking my phone away into the front of my backpack. "Don't worry, she's never actually killed anyone."
Bauer shook his head, pulling the gear shift into reverse. "You Ward women, you should come with a warning label, princess."
As we pulled out of the driveway and headed into the ominous looking storm, I couldn't believe it, but I was laughing.
Chapter Thirteen
Bauer
Someday, I might build a shrine to Agnes, commemorating the fact that Claire thought she was a sweet old woman stuck in a snowstorm as opposed to the devil cat she actually was, thereby granting me more time with Miss Ward.
But today would not be that day because when the drive to Scotty's cabin took almost three times longer than I expected, due to the combination of zero visibility, slick, icy roads, and blustering wind that even had me white-knuckling the steering wheel, I just wanted to get to our destination safely.
April.
It was fucking April, and I was not okay with the storm of the century hitting Western Canada while I had to be out on the roads with a woman I didn't really know, checking on a cat that I hated to the depths of my soul for the man who meant more to me than anyone else on the planet.
Claire was quiet in the passenger seat, and this time, I didn't push her.
I'd hit the irrational stage of driving about an hour earlier, where you turn down the volume on the music just in case it helped you magically see the roads better.
When I caught sight of the red mailbox signaling the turnoff to Scotty's place, I breathed out a huge sigh of relief.
"We're here," I told her.
She jumped a little at the sound of my voice. "Oh, good."
I glanced in the rearview mirror, and the swirling blanket of white that obscured my vision. It had been years since I'd driven in something like that, and it occurred to me, with Scotty's place close, that we'd probably be hunkered down for at least one night.
"You doing okay?" I asked her. If I was stressed ... I couldn't even imagine what she must be feeling.
Claire was quiet for a second, and then she exhaled shakily. "I don't think I breathed properly for a solid hour."
"We're almost there," I promised.
She nodded.
I smiled. "You can say it now."
Claire looked over at me. Her face was pale and drawn. "Say what?"
Lifting my eyebrows, I waved a hand at the windshield.
"Ahh." She cleared her throat. "I'll save the I told you so for when we're safely inside his place."
The back end of the Jeep fishtailed when I turned down the long driveway. Knowing not to overcorrect, because the last thing I wanted was to end up sliding off the drive and down the slight ditch that I knew lined the first fifty feet or so, I lessened the pressure of my hands on the wheel until the vehicle righted itself. Now that we were protected slightly by the trees that crowded Scotty's property, the visibility increased to something more manageable than it had been on the roads leading us here.
"You gonna miss anything important tomorrow?" I asked her.
She rubbed her forehead. "One class but ... I'll email my professor when we're inside." Claire groaned. "And my family because they are probably freaking out."
Visions of Paige bearing down on me had me shivering. But staying at Scotty's place and risking her wrath for one night was preferable to attempting any stupid-ass drive back down to Seattle too soon.
"I can't believe how fast this hit," I said. The peak of his A-frame cabin came into view, and the band of tension around my chest relaxed even further. All I had to do was navigate the long, slight curve to his driveway where there were no tracks to follow. Using the bend in the trees as my guide, I pushed us forward through the snow, easily six to seven inches deep given that it was untouched. When the tires, without snow chains, spun at my acceleration, I cursed. Mightily.
"I can't believe a world-famous snowboarder is afraid to drive in the snow," she teased unexpectedly. Amazing how it loosened our tongues to have shelter in sight, even if we'd be stuck with freaking Agnes, who'd probably claw our eyes out the second we