Page 10 of Aaron

Enzo: Enjoy your freedom while you can, Rece.

My heart sinks into my stomach, the coffee I had earlier is churning inside me like a vat of acid.

Cherise: What are you going to do? I’m totally safe.

Cris: I’m not so sure about that. We looked into the Gallants, and we have questions.

No. No. No. This can’t be happening. They are going to show up and ruin everything. I don’t want anyone to see my stupid brothers go all mafiosi. Our family may be mafia-adjacent, but they don’t act very adjacent. So far, I’ve been able to keep most of that from Jac, but she’ll see it firsthand if they come to the mountain.

And what will the Gallants do? They value their privacy; they might even have booby traps to keep people out. Cavolo! Why didn’t I think of that before? What if I blow myself up while trying to get to Jac? I wanted to surprise her, but maybe that’s a mistake.

Cherise: What does that mean? Why do you care about the Gallants, anyway?

Dante: Because you have interactions with them, even if you lied about working for them. It means we’ll be seeing you soon, Rece. If you’re lucky, we won’t tell Dad.

Cazzo!

Cherise: You can’t be serious. And please, please don’t tell Dad.

Enzo: We don’t say things we don’t mean, Rece.

Cherise: Fine. Whatever. You’re a bunch of jerk-burgers! You know that, right?

Matty: Wow, you haven’t called us that in a while. See you soon, pipsqueak.

Haven’t called them that in a while? How about every thirty seconds? Merda. Hopefully, I’ll get to the mountain before them and be able to warn everyone.

four

Cheri

“Is everything okay?”

I turn toward my seatmate. Concern fills his dark gaze.

“Yes,” I answer and blow out a breath. “Family sucks sometimes, you know?” I tuck some of my hair behind my ear and smile. I can picture my mother’s horrified expression if she saw me right now. I need to go to the restroom and fix my appearance. Good thing my brothers didn’t do a video call, then I’d have a lot more to worry about if they saw my outfit—it’s not even close to the usual princess look that’s required at home.

“I’m sorry to hear that. Sometimes, talking to a stranger helps. If you need to vent, I’m happy to listen. We weren’t formally introduced; I’m Harry.” He holds his hand out to me. I hesitate for a moment before placing my hand in his. It’s warm, dry, and soft. He squeezes it slightly before letting go with a smile. Oh yeah, he’s waiting for me to share who I am. Hmm. The truth is always iffy; depending on where he’s from, he might know my family, and that’s never a good thing.

“I’m Cheri. And I appreciate the offer, but it’s just normal brother/sister stuff.”

Harry tilts his head slightly as if analyzing me. “I’m familiar with that dynamic. My children fight all the time. I’d hoped they’d grow closer when they grew up…” He doesn’t finish his sentence and gets a faraway look.

“I’m sure they still love each other. I love my brothers, they’re just so bossy.” It’s more than I should share; my family is like the Gallants and keeps things as private as possible, but I can’t help feeling he needed reassurance.

“I think you’re right. Just a thought, if they’re bossy it’s probably because they care and want to protect you.”

Harry is right. I know he is, but it doesn’t make it easier to swallow when they are being total jerk-burgers. And it definitely won’t be easy if they show up at the mountain. I’d like to think they were messing with me, but, like Enzo said, they never say what they don’t mean.

This is not at all how I expected today to go when I woke up. Writing—that’s what I was supposed to do today. What I should be doing now. I glance at the laptop, and the document is open and waiting on the screen. Oh Merda. Big as life on the screen is the title Seth’s Baby Girl, Littles of Snowdrop Falls by Cheri Anderson.

Did Harry see that? Slamming the cover down, my face heats again. I swear you’d think I was in menopause with all the hot flashes I’ve had since I got onto this plane.

After tucking the computer into my pack, I unbuckle my seatbelt. “I need to use the restroom. Sorry to bother you,” I say to Harry as he looks up from his tablet. I can’t see the screen, but I pray that he’s not looking up my books. He wouldn’t, would he? Could this day get any worse?

“No problem, Cheri.” He releases his seatbelt and stands to let me pass

I drag my backpack with me and walk down the aisle to the tiny bathroom. Airplane bathrooms terrify me. I’ve had nightmares about being sucked into the air and falling to my death. That’s not dramatic at all.