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“How are you feeling? Besides being emotional. Have you been okay? What about morning sickness? Have you seen a doctor? Or a midwife? Oh crap, you’ve been under so much stress. That can’t have been good for the baby. Have you been eating properly?” she fires off without taking a breath.
On cue, my stomach makes a statement with a thunderous rumble. Rhia looks at me aghast. “You haven’t eaten, El?” she admonishes.
“Well, we were on our way to get some lunch when your message came in. You derailed us,” I reply, elbowing her playfully in the ribs.
“How about I get us some takeaway burgers from Mo’s?” Ade suggests. “I know you were craving their cheeseburger the other day. Then we could drive to the lake and have a picnic,”
“Can’t we eat in?” I ask, my heart warming that he remembered me raving about the gooey cheese and their homemade barbecue sauce. But then I shouldn’t be surprised—Ade always pays attention to everything I say.
“The three of us shouldn’t be seen together,” he replies. “Better safe than sorry. Plus, the lake is a much prettier setting.”
“True. But I’m starving. If we ate at the diner, I could snack on something,” I try to convince him.
He smiles at me and retrieves a paper bag from the kitchenette. “I’ve got you covered, Sunshine. Your favorite treats and a hot chocolate.” He waves the goodies from Joseph’s café, and my stomach does a little somersault at his thoughtfulness. “These should tide you over.”
“You’re the best.” I plant a peck on the cheek, and he gifts me with his cheeky wink. Seriously, it’s like a blowtorch to the icy walls I wanted to keep in place around him. But they’re a puddle around his feet… have been for a while.
“We also need to think about where we can spend the night,” Ade says, as he heads for the door.
“Why can’t we go back to our cabin? I’m sure Ian and Miriam won’t mind a visitor.”
Ade wraps his scarf around his neck. “That’s not the issue. The impending snow is. We can’t risk Rhia being stuck up on the mountain until spring.”I look to my bestie whose face has turned more serious.
“Yeah. As much as I want to run my business from here, I don’t think it’s doable,” she replies, sounding disappointed. “And Lex would have a fit if we were separated for that long.”
And she wouldn’t make it either. She struggles big time with being apart from him for a few weeks. She wouldn’t survive a few months.
“Plus, De Marco would be onto her when she returned to Dublin after the winter,” Ade adds. “Do you honestly believe he would hesitate to torture the truth out of her? We can’t risk it.”
Rhia and I both pale at the thought. Tiero would never hurt Rhia, would he?
The sad truth is, I’m not so sure about that. He’d go to any length to find out where I was.
The disappointment of having to say goodbye to Rhia soon brings tears prick to my eyes.
Oh no! I’m not going there again.
My eyes are still puffy and red from the last round. So I swallow the lump forming in my throat and will the tears away.
“I’m not ready to let Rhia go yet,” I say to Aiden, reaching for her hand. “I need more time with her. If we can’t go up to ‘Mountain Breath,’should we stay in the RV?”
“It would get too cold,” Ade points out.
He’s right of course. The temperatures have plummeted.
“There has to be a hotel or bed-and-breakfast nearby,” Rhia suggests, tapping her chin as she thinks. “This is a popular tourist destination, and at this time of the year we shouldn’t have a problem booking a room.”
“We need somewhere secluded. I don’t want Ella around people who could identify her,” Ade interjects. “Joseph has cabins by the lake and they’re currently not rented. We only spoke about it last week. I’ll ask him if we can use one.”
My face lights up. “That would be perfect.”
Rhia might be able to stay a few days. Spending time with my best friend is just what the doctor ordered.
“But if it starts snowing, we have to pack up immediately and head up the mountain,” Ade says sternly.
“Fine,” I agree, praying to the weather gods to hold back on the powdery substance for just a little while.
“Now that’s sorted, I’ll talk to Joseph and also get him to send a pigeon to Ian to let them know we won’t be back tonight.”
