AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Who knows, with her salty attitude, I just might want to before she leaves.
CHAPTERTHREE
FALLON
DAY 2
I wakefrom a dreamless sleep without an alarm. I’m not a morning person by any means—I actuallyhatemornings—but I’m an early riser. I swear my internal clock is synced with the sun no matter where I am in the world.
Once I slide out of bed, I open the curtain to see everything is covered with a blanket of white. If it weren’t for bad luck, I’d have none.
After I go through my morning routine and get dressed, I check my phone to see if Peggy responded to the strongly worded email I sent last night.
It sends me into a tailspin of rage when I realize she didn't. I’m tired of her making mistakes like this, especially ones that put me in a dangerous situation. Because of her, I’m now in an uncomfortable position with a strange man.
With my phone tightly in my grip, I go downstairs and call Peggy. I don’t care about the time difference. Not when she’s responsible for the predicament I’m in.
“Peggy,” I bark out when she finally picks up.
“You realize it’s four in the morning, right?”
“I don’t give a shit. Did you read my email?”
“Um…no.” I hear scrambling as if she’s reaching for her computer.
I groan and explain what happened. After she makes a few excuses and tries to get out of this being her fault, I interrupt her.
“I went to the website myself. It was obvious that it was a phishing site. Half the page was filled with ads and porn pop-ups. And now, I’m stuck staying at a strange man’s house in the middle of a snowstorm. Not to mention, my card has to be canceled. When I checked the statement last night, it contained several charges I didn’t make.”
“I’m so sorry,” she says. I know she’s being genuine, but this was a dumb mistake, even for her. “I looked everywhere, and that was the only rental available within a fifty-mile radius.”
I let out a long sigh, my heart racing over how worked up I am. “Take. Care. Of. It.”
Once the words leave my mouth, I end the call. As I set my phone down on the counter, I groan.
A chuckle rings out behind me, and I glare at Levi. His dog trots toward me, but I ignore him.
“Where do you keep the coffee?” I ask around a yawn.
“I don’t have any.”
“Seriously? Who doesn’t drink coffee? Or at least have some stocked for guests?”
He lifts his finger and points at himself, then gives me a smile, one I don’t return. “I didn’t realize I’d have an uninvited guest.” Before I can ask about getting some, he adds, “But I have hot cocoa and apple cider. That’s about it. Oh, wait. I might have…”
He moves past me and opens the pantry, then digs around. A few seconds later, he sets a rusted can on the counter. “This.”
I pick it up and read the label.
“This is instant, and it expired five years ago.” I blink hard, hoping I’ll wake up from this horrible nightmare.
“You do what you can with whatcha got. Enjoy.” He smirks and then puts a kettle on the stove.
I suck in a deep breath, then snatch up my phone because I won’t function properly without some caffeine. “Fine. I’ll just get some delivered.”
A roar of a laugh escapes him. “Sweetheart, there aren’t services like that out here. You’d be lucky to get a package from the post office on time. That’s small-town living and how it’s always been.”
“Yep. It’s official. I actuallyhateit here,” I tell him with my whole chest. “Can’t wait to leave.”
