“You shouldn’t smoke.”
“Oh, you’re right,” Daphne said sarcastically. “Let’s stop by the nearest gas station and I’ll ask where I can score some rock instead. Leave me f**king something, Audrey. All right? You can nag me about the other shit but smoking is off limits.”
Wordlessly, Audrey handed her twin the new pack of cigarettes. “Just promise me that this vacation is going to be about you and making healthy choices for your life.”
“I promise,” Daphne said, shoving a cigarette between her lips and punching the car’s lighter in. “You know what’s different this time? I want it for sure. This time I mean it.”
You say that every time, Audrey thought with a sigh. But she couldn’t help but feel a little flutter of excitement in her belly. Cade Archer was going to be spending the next few weeks with them. Sweet, caring Cade Archer. He’d gone from a considerate, thoughtful, handsome teenage boy who she’d had a crush on to a gorgeous and near-perfect billionaire with a kind heart. And she was still ridiculously in love with him.
Self-consciously, she flipped down the mirror on the passenger side and checked her hair. She wished suddenly that she’d worn something a bit more exotic than a plain black sweater over a purple tank top and jeans. Since she was on vacation, she wore no makeup and her hair was pulled into a loose, carefree ponytail. Too casual. She wanted to look good for Cade. After giving her twin another frown as Daphne chain-smoked her way down the highway, Audrey relaxed and tried to think of what she could say to Cade to make it seem like a wonderful surprise to see him.
If she rehearsed, maybe she wouldn’t blurt out her love for him as soon as he came into sight.
***
While their family had a modest cabin on a bit of lakefront property as a timeshare, Audrey had to admit that if they wanted privacy, Cade’s hunting lodge was the way to go. She didn’t think he actually hunted, but the name had stuck. It was in a remote portion of the Adirondack Mountains off a heavily wooded road. It backed up to a lake, but the difference was that their parents’ cabin shared the lakefront with dozens of other small cabins. This lake and all the surrounding property had been bought up by Cade, and it was isolated and quiet.
Perfect, really, Audrey thought. She’d been to the lodge once, and only for a short period of time. She hadn’t been invited—rather, her boss, Logan Hawkings, and his buddies had a weekend getaway and she’d had to bring some work for him. She’d glimpsed the cabin, admired the scenery, and then drove straight back to the city.
But it was clear from Daphne’s knowledge that she’d been here before. Audrey cast her twin a suspicious glance. She hadn’t needed the map, and she’d clearly been in contact with Cade for quite some time. Exactly how many times had Daphne been to this cabin without letting Audrey know about it? A flare of hurt rose through her that her twin would be so secretive. Once upon a time, they’d shared everything. It just reinforced that Daphne had turned into someone who Audrey no longer knew.
“Huh,” Daphne said as they turned down the long, graveled driveway and the lodge came into view.
Audrey glanced up, her train of thought disappearing. “What is it?”
Daphne nodded ahead. “That. He’s here already?”
There was a sleek, shiny Lyons convertible in the driveway, cherry red with tricked-out rims and a personalized license plate. A little ostentatious for Cade, Audrey thought with a wrinkle of her nose. Maybe he liked a little flash with his cars? Anything was possible. He was a generous, low-key man, but perhaps he had a weakness for finely tuned, expensive cars. Lots of men did.
The lodge itself was nothing short of spectacular. Built in an A-frame style, it nestled amongst the trees on stilts, a curved wooden deck flowing around the exterior. The front of the lodge seemed to be made entirely of windows to let the light in, and smoke curled from the chimney.
“Someone’s definitely here,” Audrey commented, heading around to the trunk of Daphne’s car to grab their bags. She pulled out her overnight bag and turned to hand it to her sister.
But Daphne had wandered away, holding her cell phone up into the air, trying to get reception.
“Daph?”
She glanced back at Audrey, then put the phone to her ear, waving a hand at her. “You go ahead. I’m going to make a call.”
Audrey gave her an exasperated look. “Please don’t tell me you’re calling someone about drugs already.”
Daphne made a face. “I told you. I’m fine. And I’m not calling about drugs. I just have to make a call, all right? Get off my back.” She made a shooing motion with her hand. “Why don’t you go say hello to Cade? I’ll be in in a minute.”
Audrey hesitated, but when her twin continued to ignore her, she shouldered the bags and headed up the steps. She couldn’t watch Daphne every minute of this vacation. If her twin was calling for drugs, there’d be no saving her. As it was, she had to have a little bit of trust for her sister.
And she did want to see Cade.
The front door to the cabin was unlocked, and Audrey knocked as she opened it. “Hello?”