“Maybe.” She took a deep breath, then stood up. “Do you want to shower? Change?”

“Do you mind?”

“Of course not. I want to, too.” She motioned to the bathroom. “Use ours. Each room up here has a private bath. I’ll use my grandparents’ room. They won’t come until Friday.”

“Okay.” Then Nic smiled. “Is it bad that I’m looking forward to meeting Holly?”

“Well, the way my luck runs, you’ll probably love her. Everyone else does.”

Nic stared at her “I won’t love her, Abby. You can count on that.”

Chapter Seventeen

Nic stood at the window, looking out at the expanse of snow. It was a scene she was trying to imbed in her memory, and she wasn’t quite sure why. She was here playing a part, that’s all. She didn’t imagine there’d be much about this trip that she’d truly enjoy. She smiled at that thought. Well, she could think of one thing, perhaps. What surprised her was how much she’d enjoyed Abby’s company on the ride up. She’d found her pleasant and, well, engaging. Spending ten days with her wasn’t going to be such a chore after all.

She slid her gaze to the white SUV which had pulled in a few minutes earlier. It nearly blended in with the snow, but she’d watched as a man and woman—Aaron and Holly, she assumed—got out. She hadn’t paid much attention to him as her gaze was locked on the woman. Thick brown hair reaching past her shoulders, the woman paused to flip it back from her neck as she surveyed her surroundings. She was in tight black jeans and a red Christmasy sweater, and she appeared—at least from this distance—to be quite attractive. She’d watched them until they disappeared from her view. Now, though, she was simply enjoying the landscape, her eyes darting over snow-laden trees, then to the Christmas decorations, back to the trees, then farther still as she looked into the thick forest. All so different than anything she’d ever seen before.

She turned around quickly when the door burst open. Abby, looking a bit frantic, closed and locked it, then leaned back with a sigh.

“That was close.” She pushed away from the door. “I heard their voices right when I came out of my grandparents’ room.”

Nic pointed out the window. “Yeah, I saw them drive up.” She smiled at her. “Holly is attractive, yes.”

“She’s also evil.” Abby put an armful of clothes on the bed. “You look cute.”

Nic looked down at herself. “I wasn’t sure if jeans would be appropriate for dinner. That’s kinda all I brought, though.”