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It was bossy and irritating, and I considered pretending I didn’t hear him. But trying to be mature, I got to my feet and sprang for the door, holding it open so he could get inside.
He didn’t say thank-you. He just dropped the wood down by the fireplace and pulled off his gloves. “Might want to take a look at the weather. Seems like a storm might be coming.”
I looked out the window and indeed, snow had begun to fall. “Shit,” I said looking at Lexi. Lex had her face in her phone again so I shouted to my brother. “Dean!”
Dean came out of his room and looked at me with mild annoyance. “What?”
I pointed to the window where a light frost was beginning to build. Dean made a face and looked at his watch. “Let’s check the TV. Maybe this will pass over.”
“Maybe,” I said sarcastically. I could see the clouds from where I stood. The chance that they were just gonna “pass over” was about as likely as Gabe and me becoming friends during this trip.
Dean turned on the satellite TV and flipped it to the weather channel. Sure enough, the weatherman was talking about record-breaking snow right where we were currently sitting.
“Shit,” I said again. “We haven’t even gone into town to get supplies yet.”
Gabe and Dean exchanged looks and then Dean grabbed for his keys, which were hanging on the wall. “We will go now. We won't be that—”
“You’re gonna leave the girls here alone?” Gabe said.
I turned to look at him and raised an eyebrow. “You don’t think we will be okay on our own?” I asked.
Gabe shrugged. “I know how to prep a house for bad weather. Your presence doesn't change whether I’m able to do that, but I think I should be the one to do it.”
I hated how reasonable it sounded when I was so ready to jump on some chauvinistic shit. “I’ll go with you,” I said to Dean. But as I stood and reached for my coat, I wobbled. Apparently, I’d had more to drink than I thought I’d had.
“You’re staying here,” Lexi said, turning me to sit down once more. “I’ll help Dean.”
I shot daggers at my friend at the implication that she’d be leaving me here with this asshole.
“That’s fine with me,” Dean said. “We won't be gone long.”
“Dean…” I said, begging my brother not to leave me here with Gabe.
“You’ll be fine,” he said out loud.
I saw Gabe turn away and go back to watching the TV. I had the decency to feel slightly embarrassed. He was our guest, after all. “Fine,” I said. “Hurry back, okay? And drive extra safe.”
Lexi and Dean grabbed their coats and bopped out the front door. I wondered to myself what in the world the two of them would talk about. They had absolutelynothingin common.
Gabe followed them outside and I could hear him and Dean having a hushed conversation in irritated tones. But I had bigger problems to deal with here. And the main one was talking to my brother right now.
Gabe stomped back in, and I heard Dean’s truck pull away. Mr. Grinch sat down in front of the TV again, turning his back to me.
“So…” I said, trying to start a conversation. “You work in finance.”
Gabe looked at me like I was an idiot and went back to the weather without a single comment.
I pulled my hot cocoa back to my lips, taking a big, rum-laced swig. I was really going to need it if I had to spend more than ten minutes with this guy.
I wondered why he and Dean were friends. All in all, my brother was one of the friendliest guys I knew, and he was my brother so you could be sure I’m not biased. This guy was like a cactus, prickly and inaccessible.
“Do you have a portable radio here?” Gabe asked all of a sudden.
Did they have a portable radio here? The concept seemed so outdated it was hard to picture. Have I ever seen a radio here at all?
“I’m not sure,” I said, still trying to rack my brain for the location of such a thing. “You’d think so. Since there are storms and stuff.”
Gabe gave me a deadpanned look and I really couldn’t blame him. “Storms and stuff.”Nice one, Jenna.
