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“There won’t be a ‘next time.’ You’re driving on the way back. I’ll be the one taking a nap.”
“Fine by me, princess.”
“Oh, that’s golden, coming from you,” I said. “I just turned onto Pine Street from the highway. Where to from here?”
He straightened in his seat and looked out the window. “See that large oak tree up ahead?”
“Yeah.”
“Make a right down that street.”
“Do you know the name of the street?”
“Nope.”
“So, what happens when someone cuts that tree down?”
“No one will cut a tree that size down.”
I shook my head and turned as soon as I passed the Oak. His directions led me down a narrow gravel path. Thick, leafy trees lined the path and I couldn’t make out any cabins for miles ahead. “Are you sure this is it?”
“Do you always question everyone as much as you question me?” he grumbled.
I thought about that. “No.”
Staring at the road, he sat up quickly. “Turn here.” He pointed to a dirt road immediately on my left. “Now.”
I swerved the car and just missed the ditch. “Um… a little more notice next time. What happened? Did they cut down a tree?”
His lips twitched, but he didn’t laugh. Good.
Finally, a red brick house peaked from behind tall branches. A large wooden deck wrapped around the cabin, and a lake jutted up behind it. It was beautiful.
I skidded to a stop in front of the porch, a cloud of dust rising against my window.
Luke got out of the car first as I craned my neck up to look at the two-story cabin.
“Let’s just get this over with so you can finish your audit,” said Luke. “And we can both be rid of each other sooner rather than later.”
“Finally, you’re starting to see it my way.”
As I walked up the wooden steps onto the porch, the scent of fresh pine and dirt tickled my nose. I wondered if I was allergic to the fresh air. I’d never been to the country, always stuck inside apartment buildings my whole life. There was a time we lived in a small house when my dad was around, but I was too young to remember it. The deck looked as though someone had stained it recently.
A soft curse turned my attention back to the front door, where Luke jingled a set of keys by the lock.
“You’ve no clue which key works. Do you?” I asked.
“If I did, I wouldn’t be trying all of them, would I?” Luke tried a different key and the door unlocked. “There.”
Opening the door wider, he motioned for me to go in first. “After you.”
I tried to smile, but it probably looked more like a grimace. I wasn’t buying Luke’s feigned chivalry. The fake smile died on my lips because when I walked in, it felt as though the outside was inside. Tall windows, at least twenty feet high, made up the back of the cabin. You couldn’t tell where the trees ended and the kitchen began. The walls were all wood-paneled and the doors themselves looked like tree trunks. It was sort of like living in a tree house, but with water and electricity.
“Wow, this place is amazing,” I whispered, mostly to myself, but Luke had heard it.
“It’s all right,” he said, dropping the keys on the kitchen counter and looking around.
A loud crack of thunder echoed outside and I jumped from the sound. Luke walked to the windows and tilted his head up toward the sky. “Looks like rain.”
