“So, I just stay here until then? It’s generous of you. I feel bad, though,” I laugh.
“Don’t worry about it,” he mumbles. I think he’s being sincere, but I bite the corner of my lip anyway. “Maybe I’m the one that should feel bad since you’re stuck with me. I’ve never been accused of being the most friendly guy in the world, but I’m a lot nicer than that storm out there at least.”
“Are you?”
“Am I what?”
“Nice?”
With no immediate response, the silence stretches between us. I challenge him with a look and crossed arms, daring him to be honest.
“I can be nice.” He shrugs, finally taking his hat off and placing it upside down on the kitchen island counter not far behind him. “When I want to be.”
I eye him skeptically. “Are you a convicted felon?”
“No.”
“Do you return your grocery cart before you leave the parking lot?”
He twists his expression. “The hell does that have to do with anything?”
“Yes or no?”
“Yes.”
I smile and nod. “Okay. I can work with that.”
He shakes his head with a chuckle. So, hecouldbe a liar. And my questions aren’t exactly going to give me any scientific evidence on whether or not he’s a bad guy. But after quizzing him a little bit, I don’t get the intuition that I should have my guard up. With a deep breath, I decide I’m going to roll with the punches and try not to make a bad weekend worse.
I meet new people on almost a daily basis. In the time I’ve spent traveling, I’ve developed a keen sense of character. While Ledger isn’t exactly easy to read, something about him makes me breathe easy instead of wanting to hold my breath.
“Alright, well . . ..” He clears his throat to tear me away from my thoughts. “I’ll put your stuff in my room.”
He moves to reach for the bag closest to me, but I block his hand. I’m feeling more myself now that I’m inside the cabin and I’mprettysure this man isn’t going to slice my throat for fun. In truth, I was scared at first to get in his vehicle, let him take me all the way up the driveway, and step into his house. But I’ve accepted the fact that this is where I’ll be staying for a short while with no other options. Maybe we could even become friends during my stay?
“I’ll be fine here.” I gesture to the leather sectional that takes up ninety percent of the living room. “I don’t want to kick you out of your room. That seems rude.”
He shakes his head and reaches around me to grip the handle of the bag anyway. “It’s not a big deal. I fall asleep on the couch most nights anyway.”
I hate the idea of taking over his entire space.
“It’sfine. Really. I’ll stay out here, and you keep your room.”
Glancing at the couch again, I predict it’ll be pretty comfortable anyway. Several pillows and folded plush blanketsare scattered across the cushions. There’s no coffee table blocking the view of the fireplace, and if I wasn’t in the house of a total stranger right now, I bet it’d be the best sleep of my life.
I pull at the hem of my sweater as a loud ring sounds from the kitchen. Ledger walks toward the counter, stopping in front of a drawer next to the sink. It rattles from what I’m guessing is a vibrating phone as he pushes some things around in the drawer to find it.
“Hello?” he says, once he finally fishes it out and puts it up to his ear. “Uh, yeah. Is the pass closed yet?” He speaks quietly and looks over his shoulder, making me feel like I’m invading the privacy of his conversation.
To appear busy and like I’m not paying attention to him, I pick up one of my suitcases to move to the couch and unpack a few things. If his voice wasn’t as deep as it is, it’d be easier to ignore.
Even with his hushed mumbling into the phone against his ear, his voice echoes off the walls, sending a chill down my spine. I think I’ve been staring at the contents of my bag for at least a minute when I catch a clearer sentence from him.
“She’s going to stay here, actually.” He pauses while listening to the other person’s response. “Izzy,” he adds.
My head snaps up in his direction. He’s holding the phone out in front of him, toward me. I point to my chest with a quirked eyebrow, questioning if he wants me to take it or not. He nods, and I step around the couch to retrieve it.
“Hello?” I’m not sure why, but I keep my eyes locked on Ledger’s as I speak into the phone. He leans his hips back on the counter and crosses his arms.
