3. My third disaster
Chapter 3
My third disaster
Skye
Why did we sell the cottage? The fucking nerve of this guy. And at the crucial moment when I was turning into the narrow driveway.
We started to spin on the ice. I gripped the wheel tightly but before I could take action to stop the skid, we slid off the road and hit the utility pole. Another one. There was a slam as it connected with the side of the truck, and then the pole toppled over. I held my breath as the hydro wires fell to the road, just missing us.
For a moment, I stared, hands white-knuckling the steering wheel, waiting for the next disaster. Was this two? First Phin, and now the truck? Was there a third one coming?
“Are you okay?”
Phin’s question snapped me out of whatever trance I was in. I relaxed my hands and took stock of my body. My shoulder would probably be bruised from the seat belt but I was okay. I turned to my passenger. “Yeah. Are you?” If I’d injured one of the Blaze players, that would be my third disaster and a biggie at that. The team needed Phin, and if I’d made that shoulder worse…
He twitched his shoulders, wincing. “Think so.” He stared out the windshield, where the wipers were doing their best to fight the accumulation of snow. We’d spun around and were now facing the road, with the downed utility pole and power lines in front of us.
I twisted my head to look behind us. Phin’s SUV was stretched across the driveway, but upright and hopefully without any further damage. “I don’t think your car hit anything.”
“Fuck the car. As long as we’re good.”
Were we? I looked out the windshield again. The power wires stretched across the road. “I can’t leave. Those lines could be live.”
He frowned. “How long till the utility company can fix that up?”
No one would be driving on this cottage road in weather like this. No one but the idiot beside me. “It’ll be a while,” I told the idiot. “There are probably lots of lines going down tonight, and this one isn’t a priority. No one comes out here this time of year.”
“Yeah. That’s why I’m here.”
I didn’t ask. Not my business why the spoiled hockey player wanted to spend Christmas alone in this mansion he called a cottage.
“Well, at least you’re where you want to be.” My voice was a little snarky. Once again, the Collinses had the win and the Duvalls lost.
“Guess we walk the rest of the way, eh?”
We? It took me a full minute, way too long, to realize that it was we. The truck wasn’t going anywhere until the lines were moved. I couldn’t stay in the cab for who knew how long in a snowstorm. The closest shelter was his cottage. There was the third disaster I’d been expecting.
I sighed. “Guess so.”
I picked up my phone, but there were no bars. Right, I remembered that from when this was our property. I grabbed the microphone for the radio and called Oscar.
“Skye here.”
“What’s up, little sis?”
I rolled my eyes. “Truck two is disabled. I’m on Roper’s Road, heading for shelter.”
“Shit, you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. But the weather is crazy so I’m going to wait it out. I’ll radio you again in the morning. There are power lines down, so can you contact the hydro company?”
“Of course. Where will you—shit, I gotta go. We’ll come get you as soon as the roads are passable.”
I returned the mic to its home. I knew he’d let Riley know what had happened.
“That was Oscar?”
“Yeah, he’s out on another call. Semi lost control on Highway 35.”
“I didn’t mean to make things worse. But the snow wasn’t supposed to be this bad.”
I turned the truck off. “We’d better get going.” I shoved on my door but it wouldn’t open. Impact with the pole must have done some damage, which would mean an expensive insurance claim. Damn it. Phin got his unharmed door open and almost fell on his ass as he stepped down and out, grabbing the door to keep upright.
I held my laugh inside. He might be a spoiled ass but we were Blaze fans, so I didn’t want him hurt. Much.
He stepped onto what was the drive, now almost level with the snow on the lawn. The cottage was a couple hundred meters away, barely visible when the wind gusted an opening in the snowfall. I climbed across the front seat to get out the passenger door. I was more secure on the ice since I was wearing footwear designed for these conditions, not showy city shoes.
Damn it, I had to stop sounding like some kind of redneck with a chip on my shoulder.
“You want to get your stuff from your car?” We had to pass it to get to the building. I hoped he’d brought food. Not sure what this showplace stocked, but we were stuck here till tomorrow at the earliest.
“I’ve got a duffel, a couple of grocery bags, and a cooler. Oh, and water, since the cottage has been shut down for the winter.”
Better than melted snow, which was the only other option.
He squinted through the falling snow. “I have no idea what Lina keeps here, so I brought everything I thought I’d need.”
I knew he didn’t come here often. There were a few athletes, Canadian actors, and musicians who had cottages in the area, and everyone knew when they were in residence. Phin, having a local connection, was even better known. As a hockey player, he had summers off. I didn’t know why he appeared to avoid the place. If you wanted luxury, this had it. “Okay, let’s get that and us inside before we get frostbite.”
He flexed his hands. His gloves looked expensive, but not warm. If I was responsible for taking out another Blaze player… I followed him around his car. He opened the back. As well as a couple of large jugs of water, there was a fancy Yeti cooler, a Blaze duffel, and a couple of bags showing the name of a high-end grocery store in Toronto.
I wanted to toss them out and kick them, screaming, but what had I expected? He had money. He had expensive everything, and throwing a fit wouldn’t help. I’d just look like a lunatic. I was snowed in with the guy who’d changed my family’s life for the worse, so I’d better hang on to my self-control with both hands.