Warm air greets us immediately.
The cabin smells faintly of cedar and woodsmoke.
Home.
A strange thought hits me: I don't think I've ever brought anyone here before.
Not like this.
Not people who mattered.
The realization arrives quietly, then stays.
Jillie is already halfway through the living room.
"This place is AWESOME."
Her voice echoes through the cabin.
She disappears down a hallway.
A moment later:
"I FOUND STAIRS."
Another pause.
"I FOUND MORE CABIN."
I hear Sadie laugh behind me.
That laugh is becoming a problem, a serious problem.
Because I keep wanting to hear it again.
And again.
And again.
I take her coat.
Without thinking she hands it over. Without thinking.
Neither of us notices until I'm hanging it beside mine.
Then we both do.
Our eyes meet.
A little too long.
Just long enough.
Then Jillie appears again, saving us from ourselves.
"Can I see upstairs?"
"Yes."
