Kaylee laughed. "Aunt Faith! There's no such thing as monsters!"
"Let's see, now," Faith said. "Which room do you want?"
Kaylee raced in and out of the bedrooms and finally picked one with two beds and the afternoon sunshine pouring into it.
"These are the best quilts here!" Kaylee declared. Faith grinned and had to agree. They were the ones she and Crissy had slept under themselves when they were kids, both made of soft pink and yellow and blue squares, seemingly stitched together at random. They looked like they had once been several other blankets or sheets that had been cut up and recycled into quilts by someone's grandmother.
That was likely exactly what happened, in fact. Faith's grin turned into a small smile as the faint memory of her grandmother bustling around the kitchen here, whipping up cookies or muffins or something with a small smudge of flour on her cheek. This cabin held so many wonderful memories.
"Well, whip those quilts off there, girl!" Faith shook herself out of the memory. "We have sheets to tuck and pillows to case and monsters to rent space to!"
Kaylee giggled and did as she was directed, and the rest of the afternoon turned out to be one of the best Faith had in recent memory. They really had to get up here more often.
2
Faith had trouble remembering why they hadn't prioritized coming out here. Sure there had been reasons, but it felt now like they had been making excuses. It was bittersweet to think about coming here without their parents, it was true, but the good so greatly outweighed the bad in Faith's mind. It felt like Kaylee was blooming before their eyes after even just one day in the woods.
The weather was perfect, seemingly just for them. Hot enough to make swimming in the small creek the ideal way to spend the afternoon, but cool enough that hikes and picnics weren't uncomfortable. The rain held off on their third day until they were safely inside for dinner, then provided a glorious summer thunderstorm that they could sit on the porch with s’mores and enjoy watching. Even Kaylee loved it, despite the thunder.
That evening, after Kaylee had passed out hard in her bed, freshly washed and wrapped up in the cozy quilt but somehow still smelling of sunshine and creek water, Crissy flopped down on the old sofa with a bottle of wine and two plastic tumblers.
"Classy!" Faith grinned over at her sister. "Plastic souvenir cups for the wine. I feel romanced already!"
Crissy threw a pillow at her. "Bite me," she said, faking a grumpy attitude. "You want to bring cut crystal goblets to the cabin, you go right ahead."
"Nah," Faith laughed. "Frank's Fried Fish and Bait Shack's line of fine dinnerware is good enough for me."
They both smiled and laughed while Crissy poured a surprisingly decent white wine into the cheap cups.
"I'm impressed with the wine selection out here these days," Crissy said, sinking back into the lumpy cushions with a satisfied sigh. "Not that I was paying much attention to it when we were kids, I grant you, but still. I can't imagine there was the same variety. There were some good beers there, too, but tonight felt like a wine night."
"I'll allow it," Faith agreed. She sipped her wine and enjoyed the crisp coldness for a moment. "So, what's had you so tense these past couple of weeks? Don't think I haven't noticed. And this trip was somewhat abrupt, not that I regret coming out here in the slightest."
Crissy sighed. The stress immediately returned to her posture and her shoulders tightened.
"I've been getting creepy phone calls lately. Just some jerk who got my phone number and calls to breathe heavily at me. So stupid and last century, but still gross. And there's been a guy hanging out near Kaylee's preschool. And another guy with the same vibe was hanging around the neighborhood. Neither of them have talked to us or anything, but the way they watch us..." Crissy shivered and that conveyed her thought on the subject just fine without the words. She shrugged. "I guess I hoped that if I blocked the number and left town for a bit, it would all blow over, you know? Seems okay so far."
"Well, if you did block the number," Faith pointed out. "You might not know if it blew over."
Crissy shuddered. "Thanks. I feel much better now." She shot Faith a flat stare.
Faith shrugged. "Sorry, but it's true. Where do you think the creep got your number?"
"No idea. Probably the internet. God knows you can find anything on the internet," Crissy seemed to deflate. "I just didn't want it affecting Kaylee, you know? She picks up on things so damn fast. And I haven't seen anyone here in town."
"So, you're up here to get loose of a stalker. Thanks for the warning, sis," Faith kept her tone joking to keep the tension from creeping back.
"I'm not sure I'd elevate him to 'stalker' status, but yeah. Basically," Crissy shrugged again and took another sip of her wine. "Damn, that's an empty cup!" Crissy grabbed the bottle and refilled her drink.
Faith nodded. She understood Crissy’s attitude. For a kid, Kaylee was remarkably sharp. She paid attention to the people around her and how they were doing. Faith had the feeling that Kaylee was perfectly aware of her mom's stress, and also of her mom's reluctance to talk about it.
Kaylee also had an excellent sense of who was trustworthy and who wasn't. She
