Page 14 of Secrets on Ice

“You look like shit.”

She turns her head slowly. “So do you.”

“My head hurts.” I groan.

“My entire body hurts.”

I reach blindly for my phone on the nightstand and the screen lights up. “Shit.”

“What?”

“It’s ten.”

“In the morning?” Cass asks.

“Yeah. I can never sleep in this long.”

“Me either. Wow, we needed it.”

I sit up slowly, every muscle in my body protests. “We should get up.”

“Why?” Cassidy moans as her stomach groans, making us both laugh.

“Because I’m starving and you are too.”

“Looks like I am.”

Eventually, we drag ourselves out of bed. Cassidy follows me into the bathroom and uses the other toothbrush Jo left on the counter. We brush our teeth side by side without talking. I look in the mirror and wince. My eyes are swollen, my skin is blotchy, and my hair looks like I’ve been electrocuted.

Cassidy catches me staring. “We look like shit, but this will be temporary,” she reassures me, and she’s right.

We wash our faces and stumble into the hallway. The apartment is quiet, there’s no television, no voices. Where is everyone? I shake my head as I need a coffee to start the day and feel human again.

“There’s a note,” Cassidy says as she enters the kitchen. She picks up the folded note and reads it.

Morning, girls.

Jo’s gone to work, and I’m at the gym with Sully. We’ll bring breakfast back. Help yourselves to anything.

Em.

“How long ago do you think they left?” she asks. I shrug. “Because I don’t understand the coffee machine.”

“Neither do I,” I tell her.

“We designed this kitchen.” She smirks.

“We didn’t pick the appliances, he did.”

“Good point.” She nods.

Before we can work it out, the front door opens. Emmett walks in carrying a cardboard tray filled with coffees, and Sully follows with two large paper bags. Oh, thank goodness.

“Good morning,” Emmett says.

Cassidy squints at him. “Is it?”

He looks between us. “You both look terrible.”