“If that’s what you really want, the cabin it is. If not, I’ll drop you off on the side of the road and you can find your own way to a hotel. I’ve wasted enough time already.”
Well, what kind of reaction did I expect? I have dragged him into my problems.
The cabin is far from lying on a white, sandy beach with a mojito in my hand. Although, it is a place where no one can find me and I can take the time to nurse my wounds. Sort my feelings out and heal my broken heart. Except, at the moment, I feel more furious than heartbroken. Darren embarrassed me in front of millions of people. How could he do that? So, if sharing a cabin with Lucas is what I need to do to sort out the emotions swirling through me, then so be it.
“I’ll stay at the cabin.” The Alessis are rich. It’s probably more a mansion than a cabin. If I stay in my own room and keep to myself, we won’t have to be in each other’s space much. Right?
Chapter Four
LUCAS
After six hours of driving, which included Penelope needing three bathroom breaks and a stop for snacks, we finally arrive at the cabin. Thankfully, for the last two hours, she’s been sleeping, and I could try to pretend she wasn’t in the car. Except the soft rose and vanilla scent of her perfume drifting toward me wouldn’t allow me to.
What have I done? Last night’s events have snowballed into something I never thought possible. Helping Penelope and taking her to my cabin is the last thing I’d ever imagine doing. Years of resentment toward her is coiled in my gut. Yet I’ve pushed it aside to get her out of the shit she’s fallen into. What the fuck?
Pulling up in front of the cabin, I turn off the engine and nudge Penelope’s shoulder. “Wake up.”
She doesn’t move. This woman really can sleep, even without alcohol.
I try again. “Wake up. We’re here.”
Her eyes blink open, and she stretches her arms out wide. I dodge a fist that is heading toward my face. Wouldn’t surprise me if she did that on purpose.
After rubbing her eyes, she glances out of the windshield, looking confused. “Where are we?”
“The cabin.”
“This is your cabin?”
“Yes.”
“It’s so…small and…old.”
“What were you expecting, the Taj Mahal?”
“No. Something…else.” Worry lines crease her forehead.
If she’s changed her mind, she can find her own way back. I’m not spending another six hours trapped in a car with her again. Once is enough.
“Well, this is it,” I say. “Sorry it doesn’t meet your standards. Are you coming inside or staying here?”
She nibbles on her bottom lip with indecision. As she decides, I get out and head around to the trunk to take out my bag.
What was I thinking bringing her to the cabin? Obviously I wasn’t thinking. The place isn’t big enough for the two of us. The last thing I need is to be cramped with her in a tiny room.
Penelope must have decided, because she gets out of the car and takes her luggage from the backseat and follows me.
“Careful of the top step. It wobbles,” I warn her.
The cabin needs a few repairs. It’s never bothered me before; I spent my time hiking or fishing. Now with Penelope here, and the way she’s cautiously scanning the cabin, those necessary repairs to the log shack are glaringly obvious. The porch sags, and the timber stairs are rotting—it’s only a matter of time until my foot breaks through one. The support beams holding up the awning look like they can keel over with a puff of wind. And Iknow there are shingles missing from the roof. There are buckets inside in case it rains.
Maybe I should have warned her about the cabin’s condition before I offered her a place to stay. Oh well, it’s too late now.
As I open the door, her eyes widen with surprise. “It’s not locked?”
“Don’t need them. I’m the only one who comes here.”
Penelope is standing on the rickety porch like she’s too scared to go any further. “What if someone does?”
