She pushes open the door and turns on the lights. The space is large and open, encompassing the living room, which has two matching blue floral love seats, and the kitchen, complete with geometric-patterned Formica countertops and mustard-yellow appliances straight out of an episode ofThree’s Company. The walls are all logs and wooden planks, and the floor is covered with gaudy brown and green shag rugs tossed crookedly over the well-worn hardwood. It smells like dust and cedar and old books—exactly what I imagine the eighties would smell like.
In front of us is a wooden ladder leading up to a loft where I can barely see a bed, a dresser, and a closed door that I assume is a closet.
“Did we just enter a time warp?” Michaels asks, spinning around to take in the place. “This looks like my grandma’s house.”
Fiona smiles wistfully as she glances around. “It was my dad’s place. He brought me here sometimes.”
“I didn’t realize you knew your dad,” Michaels says.
“He left when I was five, but I have a few memories.”
Michaels walks over to one of the couches and sits, staring at the fireplace. He looks perplexed. “There’s no TV.”
Fiona laughs. “Do you think we get cable out here, B?”
“No, I suppose not.”
“I haven’t been here in a few years, but I assume everything still works,” Fi says. “So thank you for the ride, but you don’t have to stay, B. We’ll call the tow company in the morning and figure out my car situation.”
Michaels gives her a disbelieving look. “Why doesheget to stay? When you said you were leaving for a while, I thought you meant like a vacation, Fi.” His eyes narrow. “Are you guys seeing each other?”
“What?” Fi sputters at the same time that I say, “No.”
He sighs. “Then will someone tell me what’s going on? Because if your plan was to vacation in the Mount Baker wilderness in the middle of February, you’re severely underprepared.”
Fi looks at me, and I shrug, dropping the bags and folding my arms over my chest. “It’s your choice if you want to tell him, but if you do, he should probably stay here with us until this blows over.” I glance at the kitchen, thinking about the grocery run we need to do. “Not to mention, having a truck around is pretty handy in our current predicament,” I concede reluctantly.
Michaels looks at Fi imploringly.
She gnaws on her bottom lip and finally gives a tight nod before walking over to sit next to him on the sofa. “I’m running from Dennis.”
“Your stepdad?” Something about the way he says the words makes me think that he knows more about Dennis than I do. But they have history, so he probably does. Fi nods and thentells Michaels about how she’s been hiding from the creep for the past several months and about the assault. He doesn’t take it well.
“Jesus, Fi.” he grips her wrists. “You havegotto let people help you. I’ve been telling you that foryears.”
Her eyes flash, and she yanks out of his grasp. “I’m sorry, Brantley, but I stopped taking your advice when you called me a good fuck.”
My eyes widen.
Holy fuck. He did what now?
Michaels flushes, but his voice is still thick with frustration. “Fi, this is more serious than college when you wouldn’t let Charlie help you write a paper,” he grinds out. “You isolated yourself fortwo months, and when that prick tracked you down, you fled the goddamn country.” Michaels stands and shoves his hands through his hair. “Then, he found you again and sent you threatening texts, and youstillkept quiet about it until he assaulted you.”
Michaels is shouting now, and I’m honestly a little impressed with his tirade. I’ve been trying to say all of this to Fi over the past few days, and she’s done nothing but deflect my attempts. Maybe this will help. He obviously still cares about her. A lot.
“And even then,youdidn’t call the police.” He jerks his thumb at me. “Hedid.”
“I don’t like relying on other people, B.” Fi’s voice cracks, and the sound tugs at my heart. “You know that.”
Michaels’s eyes soften, and he sits back down heavily. “Fucking hell,” he mutters. “Tell me what the plan is now?”
“The Vancouver Police Department is looking for him. I have a direct line to one of their detectives. She’s the only person who knows where we’re staying.” Fi gives me a hard look. “The only reason I agreed to let Seb come is because he witnessed it, and he was too stubborn to let me hide out alone.”
I scoff. “I’mthe stubborn one?”
Fi glances between us. “Honestly, I don’t really want either of you here. It puts you on Dennis’s radar.” She shakes her head. “I hate that you’re both involved. I think I’d sleep better if you both just laid low somewhere else until Dennis is caught.”
“We can take care of ourselves,” Michaels says.
