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“Not a chance, Steel,” I say. I’ll let it dry while it’s on my body. Besides, his coat protected me from the worst.
I sit down on the edge of the futon, and pull out my phone. But before I can start to scroll, Carter comes over and plucks it out of my hand.
“What the hell, Carter?”
“None of that,” he says. “We need to save our phone batteries until we’re out of here. Unless you’ve got a charger with you.”
I shake my head. “But it’s fine. My phone has plenty of juice left and we’ll be heading back into town later.”
“If we’re lucky,” he says. “There’s no telling how long the storm will last, but I think we’ll be here overnight.”
“Oh my god,” I say. “Dying from hunger with you is not the way I’d like to go.” I also suddenly become keenly aware of the fact that there is only one small bed, but I don’t mention that. That’s a problem for later. “Why can’t anyone from the town come get us?”
“Because this cabin is accessible from the woods only. There’s no road access. There’s no point in someone coming in to get us when they’d have to be on foot, and we’d have to go back in the rain. Neither one of us is injured.”
“Yet,” I say darkly, starting to shiver again.
“We’re going to be fine,” he says. “This is really nothing to worry about.”
“If it’snothing,why did our friends abandon us here in their haste to get home? They really couldn’t have waited for the rain to pass?”
Carter sighs.
“Don’t patronize me,” I hiss. “I’m allowed to be annoyed at this situation. Not all of us spend half our time frolicking in the woods and cataloging birds. I have a job and a life to get back to.”
“And so do I,” he says in an annoyingly calm voice.
“Why aren’t you more upset about this situation, then?” I demand.
“Because I can’t do anything to fix it.”
His response is annoyingly mature. But it still frustrates me. Why can’t he be weak for one fucking moment? Why can’t he be like everyone else? If he wasn’t so…so…him,I wouldn’t be this annoyed.
“You could try,” I say, pushing him. Because that’s what we do when we’re together: we push and we prod and we annoy until we can get a response. “Instead all you’ve done is give me a strip tease and tell me I’m not allowed to text anyone,” I continue. I know I’m being unfair, but I want to see him crack, just a bit.
“I gave you my coat, Ange!”
Bingo.
“I found this damn cabin,” he grumbles. “I might even share some of my food with you.”
“What? Beef jerky? I’ll pass, thanks. I have standards,” I say sarcastically.
This, out of everything, seems to finally land. He deflates a bit, though I doubt anyone else would notice the change in his demeanor. But I’ve studied Carter Steel for years and I can tell when he’s hurt. I’ve done my fair share of it. It’s all in his brows. If he’s upset, his brows will arch in ever so slightly, as if he’s starting to grimace. It’s barely even a movement this time, just a flicker, but I catch it just the same.
“Carter, I’m—” I start, trying to find the words to apologize, to explain that I was only pushing him, trying to see if I couldget a reaction out of him, if there was one tiny chink in his impenetrable armor. But no, that sounds insane. How could I explain that? “I’m sorry,” I say, trying again. “I’m used to being combative with you. We don’t exactly get along well, and we’re never in situations where we have to work together. I fell back into old habits.”
He sits there for a moment, absorbing my words. It’s the most honest thing I’ve said to him in years. But instead of acknowledging that, he just nods once, and says, “Okay.” Then he turns and busies himself with unpacking the rest of his bag.
I’m left feeling hollow and unsure. And wondering how I’m going to survive the next twelve to twenty-four hours with this man alone. While he’s digging around in his backpack and not looking at me, I snatch my phone off the bed, just to see what my moms texted back to me.
But there’s nothing, because I don’t have any service anymore.
I peer outside through the large window. The wind is blowing so hard that some young trees are bent over, and the rain has turned to a mix of slush and snow, falling from the sky in icy blobs. My heart sinks. There’s no chance of someone coming to get us now, so we’ll have to wait it out.
My moms must be a bit worried, especially if Harborview is getting the same storm. I hope my text puts them at ease. My mama, Donna, will be handling this calmly, and will reassure my other mom, Kate, who will inevitably start freaking out. She’ll likely call Cat a million times and ask her why she left me on the island, and that thought makes me smile. I’m still annoyed at our friends for leaving us, even if they truly had no choice.
I lay back on the bed and make a silent promise to myself that I’m going to be polite to Carter, but no more. If his barriers are staying up, then so are mine.
