'Tis the Damn Season by Meika Usher & Christina Mitchell & Meika Usher & Liz Zerkel

Author:Meika Usher & Christina Mitchell & Meika Usher & Liz Zerkel
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Meika Usher

Chapter 3

We found a seat just outside the coffee shop. Everything inside was taken, and even if there’d been a spot to sit, I’d have opted out. The tension in there was a lot. It set my teeth on edge, ticked my pulse up more than a few notches. At least outside of the shop, there was some distance from the churning chaos around us.

“So,” Ivy said, giving her iced coffee a shake to mix the foamy stuff on top with the rest. “Who’s Abby?”

My head shot up, peppermint latte half to my lips. “What?”

“You were about to call her when I caught up with you in the coffee line.” Ivy sipped her drink. “Is she your girlfriend?”

I lowered my cup, sip untaken. “No,” I replied, bewilderment my foremost emotion. “She’s my sister. Why—”

“Just curious.” She said it with a nonchalant shrug. “How’s your coffee?”

I hadn’t taken a drink yet, but I nodded anyway. This woman’s aura was a tilt-a-whirl. “Good. You?”

“Oh, delicious.” She twirled her straw, the silver sparkles on her ice-blue fingernails catching a glint of light. “I’m not sure how much coffee is actually in it at this point, but it makes me happy.” She punctuated it with an eyes-closed, happy sip.

I watched as her pink tongue darted out and dragged over her bottom lip. “Mmm,” she sighed. I gripped my cup tighter and forced myself to look away, heat crawling up my neck.

“So, what’s your escape plan?” I asked, my voice tight as I found something in the distance to stare at. “Is your job sending a driver, or something?”

“No.” Ivy snorted. “I’m not that fancy.” She twisted the straw in her drink, eyes narrowed in thought. It seemed like she wasn’t going to answer when she finally emerged from her trance. Wordlessly, she reached down into her tote bag. When she straightened, a keyring dangled from her fingertips.

I instantly recognized it as the rental company’s logo. “You got the last car,” I said, slapping my palm on the table. “You…you…” I trailed off. Because what was I going to say? She’d done nothing more than have better timing than me. “Dammit.”

But, shit, I kinda hated her for it.

Her lips twisted in chagrin. “I did,” she said, placing the key fob on the table. She pushed the fob so that it spun, then nudged it in the other direction. I watched her actions, briefly wondering if I could snatch the keys and make a run for it.

Briefly, briefly.

Realistically, I knew I’d get caught by airport security before I even made it outside. And, family or no family, spending Christmas in airport jail was not worth it.

“I have an idea,” Ivy said, drawing me from my imaginary crime spree.

I looked up to find her eyes on me, stare level, but a spark of silver shining in the gray. “Yeah?” I prompted, a little uneasy. I didn’t know this woman. That spark could mean a countless number of things, from let’s make out in the bathroom, to let’s hijack a jet.

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