Page 62 of Hairpin Curves

Chapter Fifteen

Scarlett was acting weird. She’d been acting weird since the previous night, when Megan had found her sitting in front of the windows after sex looking forlornly into the snow. They’d had a leisurely morning together waiting for the storm to stop, but Scarlett had been more withdrawn than ever. Megan had thought it was about being stuck in the cabin and worried about the wedding, but it was probably something more. If she hadn’t known better, she’d assume Scarlett was upset about not sleeping together anymore. But Megan had been upfront the whole time about this just being fun and not having to mean anything else. It wasn’t Megan’s fault if Scarlett...what? Misinterpreted? Wanted something more? No matter what it was, a weird undercurrent of guilt settled on Megan’s shoulders. She hadn’t promised Scarlett anything, though. She shouldn’t feel guilty.

Scarlett’s funk persisted, even after they’d had lunch, even after the snow stopped and they got the car dug out. Now, with the two of them back on the road at dusk and a timeline of a late evening arrival in Quebec, Megan had hoped Scarlett would snap out of whatever blues she seemed to be wallowing in. Instead, she stared out the window and didn’t even sing along to the songs on one of Megan’s CDs.

“You got your passport?” Megan asked at last, interrupting a long stretch of painful silence.

“What?” Scarlett jolted out of what must have been a daydream.

“Your passport. We’re near the border.” Megan gestured to a sign indicating that they were going to be crossing into Canada very soon.

“Oh. Right.” Scarlett dug her bag out of the backseat and began rifling through it. “It’s right here.”

“Good. Hate to get stranded at the border.” Megan forced a smile. “Unless it would shake you out of whatever’s gotten into you today.”

Scarlett thumbed through her passport. “It’s weird to be almost there.”

“I know.” Megan was feeling a mixture of excitement and sadness. Whatever world they’d created together, it was coming to an end soon.

Not that soon, though. “But,” Megan added, “we do have the whole drive home.”

“That’s true.” Scarlett smiled. It didn’t reach her eyes, but it was at least a smile. “And we’re going to the wedding. I do love weddings.”

“See, that’s the spirit. Cheer up.” Megan reached across the console and gave her a playful shove.

“I could always tell border patrol that you’ve kidnapped me.”

Megan’s smile vanished. “Don’t you dare.”

That, at least, made Scarlett laugh. “Don’t worry. Somebody’s gotta drive me the rest of the way to Quebec.”

Their border crossing was uneventful, and as soon as they passed into Canada, Scarlett made them stop immediately on the other side. “You need a picture with the sign!” she announced, and Megan dutifully posed in front of the “Welcome to Canada” sign for Scarlett to fumble with the instant camera and get the shot for her scrapbook. They set the picture on the dashboard to finish developing and drove on.

Megan did the entire last stretch of the drive, since she probably owed it to Scarlett after Scarlett’s terrible snowstorm drive. When Old Quebec came into view, lit against the dark sky, Megan’s throat closed up with emotion. They were here. After all this driving, they were here.

The Château Frontenac was the most obvious landmark, but they still needed the GPS to guide them through a maze of narrow one-way streets and steep, winding hills to the parking garage. Then, it was a flurry of gathering their stuff, shoving loose snacks into bags, unloading, and then apologizing in broken French at the front desk while the immensely patient clerk found their room reservation information. Finally, at just past nine thirty, they unlocked the door to their hotel room.

“Wow.” Scarlett tossed her stuff onto the bed and immediately went to the windows, which gave a breathtaking view of the St. Lawrence River. Megan joined her. The riverbanks heaved with icy mountains on both sides. In the center, a tiny ribbon of moving water cut through the vast swaths of ice to wend its way downstream.

“It’s beautiful.” Megan’s voice sounded too loud in the stillness, even though she was whispering. The city was illuminated beneath them, spread out like a tapestry of tiny lights. A cathedral came to mind. This view felt holy.

And somehow, having Scarlett by her side felt like the most perfect way to witness it. Scarlett didn’t crack a joke about her sentimentality, or say it was only a city. Scarlett’s gaze was soft, her lips turned up in a tiny smile of wonder.

“I can’t believe we’re really here.” Scarlett turned to her, and for a moment, her gaze flicked to Megan’s lips at the same time Megan wanted to kiss her. Instead, Megan took a step back on shaky legs, and Scarlett turned away. “Maybe it’s all the time in the car,” Scarlett said, “but this is all making me really emotional.” She laughed, and that laugh came out as unsteady as Megan felt.

“Yeah.” Megan was relieved that her voice didn’t tremble. “Me, too.”

Scarlett started to unpack her bag onto the bed. “Remember to burn your candle.”

Megan had nearly forgotten. “Thanks.”

“What happens if you forget a day?”

Megan hadn’t asked. It wasn’t like her to forget anything she set her mind to. This was just another example of how distracted she’d been. “Maybe it doesn’t work.”

As Megan lit the candle, Scarlett’s gaze followed her motions. She hadn’t yet asked Megan what it was for, although Megan kept waiting for the question. It didn’t come.

“I should probably put it somewhere where it won’t set off any alarms, right?” Megan didn’t want to burn down the hotel, or trigger a sprinkler system.