AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“They’ll do. You might need socks. It’s cold.”
“Socks with sandals?” Her face crumpled in shock like I’d asked her to parade in her knickers. “How awful.”
“This is not a fashion show. I promise not to look, and it’s getting dark. We need to get moving.”
She looked up at the sky and pointed. “Shit. It looks like it’s going to rain.”
Too caught up in the wardrobe drama, I hadn’t noticed. A blanket of darkness was heading towards us. “That came up suddenly.”
I looked back at the mansion, which, with the darkening sky, looked even gloomier.
“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.” She clasped her head. “I’ve ended up at the fucking Addams Family’s house. Only there are no weirdos for entertainment.”
“I don’t know. I can do a good Uncle Fester or Gomez after a few drinks.” I smirked.
She slapped my arm. “Stop making jokes.”
I hoped for a smile, but she looked long-faced and distraught, making me feel like shit again for fucking up.
“Why don’t we go inside and set up the place for the night? I’ll gather some wood. We can make a fire. I’ll dust and clean one room where we can sleep. That will be easy enough. We don’t need to inhabit the entire house. Do we?”
Her mouth made a tight line. “I guess not. What about food? I’m hungry.”
“Let’s go in and see what’s there. And first thing in the morning, I’ll get out onto the highway and try to sort this out. Okay?”
“I guess.”
Not letting her sulky attitude get to me, I carried her luggage back in.
I switched on the lights. “At least the electricity’s working. That’s something.”
She shivered. “Is there any heating?”
“From the looks of things, it’s the fireplace. But hey, I can get that going.”
She followed me to the back. “It doesn’t look like anyone’s been here for ages.”
“No.” I went to the larder and found lots of tins. I picked up one of braised beef and vegetables. “This will have to do for tonight.”
“Yuck.” She grimaced. “Is there anything to drink?”
I went to the sink and after the water ran for a while; it cleared.
“I think there’s a cellar somewhere. I remember playing there when I was young. We pretended it was a dungeon.”
I followed her to the back of the kitchen and found stairs leading down to a cellar. “Wait here,” I said. “The last thing I want is for you to slip and hurt yourself.”
I hurried to my car and grabbed a torch from the glove box. Still angry at myself. I didn’t normally forget important details like a spare tyre.
Upon visiting the cellar, I discovered—much to my relief—wine, whisky, and bottles of ale, and therefore, I brought up a bit of everything.
Savanah popped her head into the fridge. “Ew. There’s rotting meat in here. And to think my mother’s been paying a caretaker.”
“I’d say they’ve been doing something else with their time,” I said.
She picked up a bottle of Burgundy. “There better be a corkscrew.”
I pulled out my Swiss knife. “I’ve got one here. Why don’t we have a nip of whisky? It will warm you up quicker than wine will.”
