Chapter 12 Everly
EVERLY
I wish I could’ve woken up to the feeling of the sun against my face, but with the thick wooded area around us that wasn’t the case.
I knew the sun was out. I could see splotches of it on the ground outside the cabin.
But there were no thick streams of light pouring in anywhere.
The dust in the rooms had finally found their way out the windows, but the cool wooded air had also found its way in.
I shivered under the covers, and instinctively rolled over to find Grave.
But he wasn’t there.
I sat up in bed and pulled the comforter farther up my body.
Fuck, this cabin was cold. I could hear a low voice talking down the hallway and I figured Grave was on the phone.
I was shocked he could even get cell service out here.
I hardly could. I wrapped the comforter around my body and walked across the hallway to find my bag so I could get changed, but I ended up grabbing my cell phone.
No missed calls or messages, but it was almost noon.
Noon?
I’d slept the morning away?
I dropped the comforter from my body and started digging through my duffel bag.
I pulled out a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt before throwing my hair up into a bun.
I pulled on socks and contemplated putting on a second pair, and the rumbling sound of thunder tumbling over gravel could be heard from my doorway.
Grave was chuckling.
“How long have you been standing there?” I asked.
“Does it matter? Nothing I haven’t seen.”
He grinned at me as he pushed his massive body off the edge of the doorway.
I could’ve sworn I heard the cabin groan out in horror with every step he took across the wooden floor.
His eyes were hooked onto mine and I felt drawn into his grasp.
He wrapped his arm around me and planted a kiss onto my forehead and I felt myself immediately relax.
He did have a calming effect on me.
“Good morning,” I said.
“I think you mean ‘afternoon’.”
“You could’ve woken me up.”
“You needed your rest,” he said. “But I have some news.”
“What kind of news? Is everything okay?” I asked.
“Yes and no. I have to go back into town.” I felt my heart drop to my stomach.
“For what?”
“Besides a few more groceries? I have to meet with the guys. I gotta get a status update on how things went when we left. From your house to the arrest of your brother and everything in between.”
“Can’t you get that on the phone?” I asked.
“It’s only one trip. I’ll make sure to pick up enough groceries to last us through this thing, but we do need more food. We’ll be lucky to make it three weeks with what we’ve got.”
“The pantry’s full of food.”
“That’s got dust on the top of it. You trust food with dust on it?”
“It’s canned,” I said, murmuring.
“I’ll be quick. You won’t be here by yourself long. No one knows we’re out here except for the guys, and I’ll call once I get into town.”
“This is stupid.”
“It’s for your safety,” he said.
“There’s nothing I can do to convince you to stay?”
“Nope.”
“Then have a good trip,” I said.
I backed away from Grave before he could get another word in or try to give me one of those warm kisses of his.
I wasn’t happy with him. I didn’t want to be here by myself.
I was out in the middle of the woods with no transportation, no way to entertain myself, and no one to talk to.
I had a little bit of service, but it wasn’t enough to do anything substantial with.
I might be able to get a text message out if I stood on my tiptoes and closed one eye.
But that was it.
“I’ll call you when I get into town and when I’m headed back,” Grave said. “Try to stay out of trouble.”
“You mean don’t burn the cabin down, since that’s literally the only thing to do.”
He shot me a grin and I shook my head to try and stifle a smile.
“You’ll be fine. You’re stronger than you think.”
“You haven’t seen me without my police procedurals.”
“Don’t get any wise ideas,” he said coyly. “Cabin fever is after a few days. Not hours.”
“I’ll do what I can,” I said.
I watched Grave leave the cabin and I heard him lock the door behind him.
I went and stood by the window, watching as he revved his bike.
There was a rush I got from hearing that thing.
It was a noise I used to think was annoying.
But now? I found it to be just as soothing as Grave’s arm around my waist or his lips on my skin.
I stood there and kept my eyes on him until he became one with the trees. Then I sighed and turned around to survey the cabin.
The only thing I knew to do was to start cooking dinner once he told me he was headed back.
But until then, I had no idea how to occupy myself.
I wasn’t a technological nut or anything, but I did enjoy the entertainment it provided.
There was a chill still lying against my bones, so I turned my head towards the fireplace and got an idea.
My first task was to build a fire that would warm this damn place.
I learned very quickly what a flue was and why it needed to be opened.
Thankfully, the windows had still been opened so the smoke drifted quickly out into the forest. But the fire itself was easy to start.
Some twigs. Some newspaper. A few matches for a decent flame.
Then I slowly set three logs on it and got some really nice heat permeating throughout the living room.
I walked around and shut all the windows so I could keep the heat in.
I went back into my room and rummaged around for my phone charger.
Then I grabbed my phone and took it back out to the living room.
Sitting on the couch, I had two bars of service.
I kept bouncing between having internet and not having internet, but I figured if I plugged it up and started downloading some books, they would eventually load.
Even if it took two or so hours to complete, I’d have reading material for the rest of the time Grave was gone.
And it was better than nothing.
I wasn’t an avid reader, but I did enjoy it.
I was picky about my books, though. If the synopsis of the book didn’t give me goosebumps for one reason or another, I didn’t waste my time with it.
My friends thought that was me judging a book by its cover and I would always say ‘no, it’s me judging a book by its synopsis’.
They never found the joke as funny as I did.
I found three books that tingled my spine, so I set them all to download. And just like I thought, their download time was around two hours. I plugged my phone up and set it on the edge of the couch, then I set off to find something else to do.
I rummaged around in the cabinets and took stock of what I could find.
Some trash bags, some cleaning supplies, a few random toiletries.
I went into my room and unpacked my clothes, placing them into drawers and changing the musty sheets on the bed.
I went ahead and changed Grave’s as well, seeing as we sort of mussed them up the night before.
I smiled at the memory as a shiver crept up the backs of my legs.
I threw everything into the washing machine, then started it up.
The laundry detergent was old, at best, but it would do for the purpose I needed it for.
I went in search of some new sheets to put on either bed, then made quick work of tucking in the sheets and fluffing out the comforters.
The dust that flew around made me cough, so I decided to take them outside and beat them around a little bit.
I hated this kind of shit, but it kept me moving and doing something. I beat the hell out of the comforters until no dust was flying from them. Then, I put them back on the beds. I switched the dirty sheets from the washer to the dryer and groaned when I didn’t see any dryer sheets.
I’d have to send Grave a text and tell him we needed some.
I threw the sheets into the dryer and started it anyway, then checked the lint trap to make sure this place wouldn’t burst into flames.
And yes, it was coated in more dust and lint than anyone could’ve imagined.
I scraped it off the trap and balled it up in a ball, then placed it on top of the firewood in the caddied corner of the living room.
Lint balls were great fire starters.
I picked up my phone and shot Grave a message about the dryer sheets and checked the status of my books.
Fuck. I still had an entire hour before any of them would be done.
I set my phone back down and went into the kitchen, throwing open doors to see what I could cook for dinner.
I wasn’t the best cook, but I got by. I figured the easiest would be soup and biscuits, but the fire was really heating up the cabin and the idea of hot soup made me cringe.
After staring at all of the food in the kitchen for fifteen or so minutes, I settled on stuffed baked chicken and a fresh salad.
There was juice, wine and beer for Grave and I to drink, and with the lack of entertainment we would really need it.
With being stuck in this cabin, I might break my no drinking rule just to have something to do.
I took out three chicken breasts and sliced open a pocket in the middle, then found some lemon-pepper seasoning and coated the breasts in them.
Then I sat them on a plate, put them back in the refrigerator, and waited for Grave’s rally call.
My eyes kept drifting outside to look at the trees.
I saw birds flying around and snakes crossing the driveway.
One time I looked down the gravel walkway and saw a family of deer crossing the narrow lane that led up to the cabin.
I checked on the status of my books and was excited when I found there was only ten minutes left, so I walked over to the fridge to grab something to drink.
I looked between the wine bottle and juice container.
I bit my lip contemplating if I should break my rule.
A rule I started when I saw how awful my parents were when they drank.
Fuck it.
I grabbed the bottle of wine and poured myself a glass. I could read my first book on the porch in the rickety porch swing until Grave told me he was on his way home.
That would be a nice way to pass the time.
I poured myself a very large glass of wine and took three massive gulps.
The alcohol felt good running into my stomach, but it also reminded me that I hadn’t eaten yet that day.
I walked over to the pantry and tossed it open, then grabbed myself a small package of chips that were sitting in the corner.
They weren’t quite expired, and I wasn’t looking for a gourmet meal anyway.
My phone beeped multiple times in a row and I squealed.
The books had finally downloaded! I unplugged my phone and walked outside, drawing in the fresh air through my nostrils.
I sat down on the porch swing and pushed myself back, then took another large sip of my wine.
I gripped the glass in one hand and pulled up my first book with another, and I lost myself between the electronic pages.
Once I started embracing the silence and the forest around me, I found myself enjoying it.
Enjoying the seclusion and the softer life pace and the lack of a television droning on in the background.
I felt freer. Less tense. And holy hell, I’d missed reading.
I devoured half of my first book as I sat on the porch, my eyes quickly scanning the lines of text.
The characters were raw and uncut. I could relate to them in so many ways.
I drained my large glass of wine before I looked at the time, and I saw it was almost four o’clock!
I’d been sitting on the porch for two solid hours.
I flipped over to my text messages and I didn’t have anything from Grave.
But I did see I had a missed phone call.
Which didn’t shock me. I wasn’t sure I had enough cell service for an actual call to come through.
I went to check it out and see who had called me, but before I could a call from an unknown number popped up onto my screen.
Man. Grave really was being paranoid.