“Good thing you don’t have too many responsibilities today, isn’t it?”
Fuck off, Autumn. I really don’t need to be making polite conversation with you when I’m hiding your best friend behind the door. Silently, I wished my sister would go away and leave me in peace.
“Did you say something about making eggs for breakfast?” I steered the subject away from anything which might relate to Sophie. “Really should have a full stomach to take on the day.” In fact, the churning in my stomach couldn’t think of anything worse right now. But I’d gladly force down any number of eggs to get out of this pickle.
“Yeah, we brought enough supplies for you. I’ll get a start on it, then wake up Sophie and Jodie. I don’t know why they aren’t awake yet.”
Oh, Sophie was awake. I could feel her eyes burning a hole in the back of my head.
“Good plan. I’ll be out in a minute. I, um, just need to sort myself out.” I pointed towards my crotch. I had no plans to do anything, but I needed to get rid of Autumn somehow.
“Oh, Max, that’s gross!” She wrinkled her nose and pulled the door shut. “Don’t be long.”
I hefted a sigh and leaned back against the door. Sophie appeared in front of me, clutching her arms around herself to keep warm. Although judging by the expression on her face, the boiling anger would be able to do that for her.
“Let me out,” she hissed.
I hated myself already for what I was about to do. “Sorry, I can’t. Autumn can’t know you were in here.”
“Then how do I get out?”
My gaze fell on the window. It was a ground floor room.
Sophie’s gaze followed mine. She shook her head silently. “No. Way. No. Effing. Way.” Her tone was dangerously low, full of anger.
“There’s no other option.” I reached around into my bag for a sweatshirt and threw it in her direction. “Here, take this.” Next, I kicked a pair of sneakers towards her. “And these.”
“Oh, such a gentleman.” She pulled the sweatshirt over her head and down her body, covering her ass.
It reminded me of the time she’d had a New York Giants shirt, so big it swamped her body. The Giants were my team, and I often wondered whether she’d worn it because I’d liked them. Now wasn’t exactly the time to ask her though.
I wrestled with the lock on the window and pushed it open enough for her to shimmy out of. She shoved past me, swinging both legs over the sill, her feet swimming around in the too large shoes.
“Let me help,” I said.
“You’ve done enough.” Her blue eyes fixed me with a hard stare. “More than enough.” Then she dropped to the ground.
“Go around to the front, I’ll let you in.”
I had no idea if she heard me or not.
Chapter Seven
Sophie
How in the name of all things holy had I ended up here?
Outside, wearing nothing but my nightclothes, Max’s sweatshirt, and sneakers way too big for me, on a freaking freezing cold November morning. I turned to the window to give Max a piece of my mind, but he’d already closed it and disappeared. Probably to get a warm shower and enjoy Autumn’s scrambled eggs and bacon.
Was he so ashamed to be seen with me that he all but tossed me out of the window?
He hadn’t even told Autumn I was in the room.
What the hell had I been thinking last night going to check on him? Now I had the mother of all bruises on my thigh to explain away. It hadn’t exactly been the most comfortable landing.
The sound of a twig cracking underfoot made me spin around. One of the Holiday Springs resort rangers appeared to be patrolling the grounds, no doubt checking up on the stupid women who had been locked out of their own cabin.
“You okay there, miss?” he called. “Everything okay?”
I shuffled uncomfortably, staring down at my toes, convinced they were starting to turn blue despite the sneakers. “Um, yeah, I, um, dropped an earring out of the window last night and wanted to see if I could find it in daylight.”
His eyes narrowed as he took in my sweatshirt clad body and feet shoved into sneakers four sizes bigger than I would normally wear, my legs starting to shake with the cold. “You could have put more clothes on? There are all manner of creatures out here.”
Shuddering at the thought of what might be hidden in the undergrowth, I bent down, pretending to have spotted something in amongst the dirt. “Found it! Thank God. My boyfriend would never have forgiven me if I hadn’t found it.”
Ha. Boyfriend. It certainly wasn’t Max Coady. At least I know where I stood now.
I held up a clenched fist with the pretend recovered treasure. As I waved it around, I thought how much pleasure it would give me to punch Max right now.
“That’s good. Now I suggest you get back inside, Miss. It’s not going to get too much warmer today.” He saluted me and went about his business.
My body felt chilled to the core already. I stomped around to the front of the cabin and turned the door handle. It wouldn’t open. Had we locked it from inside last night before bed? I smacked my forehead. Unless Max was the one to let me in, I would have some serious explaining to do. I rapped on the door.
“Hello?” Autumn’s voice filtered through the wood.
“It’s me. Can you let me in?”
While I waited for Autumn to open the door, I let out a hard breath, racking my brains as to what to tell her when she inevitably grilled me about being outside.
“Sophie! What were you doing
