Chapter Twenty-Six Mia
Chapter Twenty-Six
Mia
Noah was missing, and it was Mia’s fault. Granted, it wasn’t like she’d told Noah to go off running into the woods. That was
definitely a logical failing on his part. But they’d been out there because of her show. And she’d failed to keep everyone safe.
They’d ended up calling for help and halting production for the rest of the day. It wasn’t ideal, but it wasn’t like the show
could go on with Noah missing and Celine sobbing inconsolably, even after Mia had tried her best to comfort her.
They were all back at the lodge now, and as the sun dipped below the horizon, Mia watched the recording of what happened from
Kallie’s camera. She had some thoughts. But they had to find Noah and make sure he was safe first.
She was waiting to hear back from the search and rescue team when she got a call from an unknown number. Mia feared the worst. What if this was someone calling to say they’d found Noah’s dead body? Her hands shook so much she almost dropped the phone. “Hello?”
“I hate to disappoint you, but I’m still alive.”
It was obviously him. Relief swept over Mia like a huge tidal wave. But she kept an edge to her voice as she said, “I’m hanging
up. I hope you freeze to death.”
Noah laughed, but the sound was weaker than usual.
Mia bit her lip. “Where are you?”
“I don’t know if you know, but apparently an old lady owns the lodge we’re renting right now. It used to be her family home
before she got older and built a smaller cabin for herself about ten minutes away. I got here and passed out for a bit. Sorry,
I would have called sooner but I just woke up.”
No wonder no one could find Noah out in the woods.
“You’re in Ms. Merritt’s cabin?”
Noah paused. “You know who she is?”
“Not personally, but I read about her when Damien and I were booking this lodge. Look, we called the police and there’s a
search and rescue team looking for you right now. I’ll let them—”
“Odd request, I know,” Noah cut in, his voice uncharacteristically sharp, “but can you come get me yourself? Only if you feel
comfortable driving now, of course.”
“What? Why?”
She glanced out the window. It was dark outside, but it’d stopped snowing a couple hours ago, so it was probably safe. She’d
just need to borrow someone’s car . . . if she wanted to go get Noah. He didn’t seem like he was in any real danger. Or at least, not anymore.
“I was able to talk to Ms. Merritt through her smart doorbell, and she remotely unlocked the cabin door,” Noah explained.
“But there’s no food because she’s in the Bahamas for the holidays. That’s where I should have gone, too, honestly. No offense.”
Mia rolled her eyes. Sometimes she wished Noah were quieter with her like he was with Celine. “I’ll come get you. But only under one condition.”
“And that is?”
“Say please.”
She’d expected him to protest or give her some pushback over her “inane” request. But he only said, “Please, Mia? It’s been
a long day, and I don’t know how many more people I can take.”
It occurred to Mia that Noah didn’t include her in “people.”
She’d do this for any of her contestants, Mia reasoned. Not just Noah.
“All right,” she said. “I’m on my way.”
The only times Mia had ever driven in wintry conditions were the once-a-year days when it snowed in her hometown in Texas.
Ms. Merritt’s cabin was only ten minutes away. Twenty, since Mia drove Kallie’s SUV at a snail’s pace. But it felt like an
eternity.
By the time Mia arrived at the cabin, her hands ached from how hard she’d gripped the steering wheel. She parked the car in the driveway and stared, taken aback by what she saw.
Compared to how luxurious and huge the lodge was, the cabin was the exact opposite—small and simple, and almost eerie in the
dark of the night. It looked haunted.
Mia wondered if she’d somehow navigated to the wrong house. But then the door opened, revealing the warm glow of a fireplace
and a shirtless Noah.
Mia started the engine back up and rolled down her window to shout, “I’m leaving! This is obviously a trap.”
A flash of confusion crossed Noah’s face. Then amusement as he looked down at himself.
“Sorry!” he called out. “My clothes got wet from the snow. I’m drying my shirt right now.”
He was smiling at her, but there was tension in his face. Everything about Noah looked haggard. His skin had gone pale and
almost ashen. He was also . . . shaking.
Mia had one bar of cell service, so she sent a quick text to tell the crew she’d found Noah and that they were okay. Then
she got out of the car, making sure to grab the bag she’d packed from the kitchen.
“You brought food!” exclaimed Noah, his entire face lighting up.
“You said you were hungry,” Mia replied. “And however much you might think otherwise, I’m not a complete sadist.”
Noah took the bag from Mia and walked her back to the cabin.
“No, definitely not,” Noah said. “Maybe an evil mastermind, though. If what you did with The Cuffing Game is any indication. You know, when I first gave you that idea, I didn’t expect you to . . .”
He trailed off. Mia glared at him. “Expect me to what?”
Noah shrugged as he pushed open the door. “I don’t know. Be really good at it. I thought you hated reality TV.”
“I do, but a show is a show. And I’ve planned out many others before. Plus, I grew up watching random clips, thanks to my
sisters. And I did my research.”
Mia paused when they entered the cabin. Despite how awful and scary the small house had looked on the outside, inside, it
was actually very nice. Antique, priceless-looking furniture with plush upholstery decorated the living room, while the quaint
kitchen had beautiful white fixtures and porcelain faucets. A lush white rug covered the hardwood floor, and around the lit
fireplace were . . . turquoise lounge chairs.
“Apparently Ms. Merritt’s favorite color is turquoise,” Noah said as he placed the bag of food on the kitchen counter. “Thus,
the lounge chairs.”
Mia gave him a questioning look. “Did you get her entire life story over the doorbell?”
Noah shook his head and motioned at an antique turquoise telephone by the couch.
“She told me her number so I could call her after she let me into the house. We chatted briefly after that. I think she wanted to make sure I didn’t need immediate medical attention before we hung up.”
“Ms. Merritt is getting all the good reviews,” Mia remarked. “And I’m going to ask Damien to suggest her to anyone else at Marlon who needs a lodge for
shoots. So she gets more bookings.”
“That’s a great idea,” Noah replied.
As he started rummaging through the bag, a random thought occurred to Mia.
“Wait,” she said. “You memorized my number? Is that how you called me using the landline?”
Noah didn’t look up from the bag. “Yup. You know, just in case. Pro tip: always memorize the numbers of production heads before
every shoot in case something goes wrong. Just one of the many things you’ll learn later in film school.”
“Right.”
Suddenly Noah beamed. Before Mia even knew what was happening, he’d opened three separate Uncrustables and stacked them together
into one big sandwich.
“I packed actual food, too!” Mia protested.
Peanut butter and jelly oozed together as Noah chomped down on his monstrosity of a sandwich. Mia looked away with disgust
and saw Noah’s coat and shirt hanging by the fire.
“If you’re okay now, we should get back to the lodge as soon as your clothes are dry,” she said. “There’s still a lot we have to do for today’s episode.”
Noah nodded, thankfully opening his mouth again only when he’d swallowed his last bite. “Definitely. And don’t worry about
production delays. Since it’s my fault, I’ll cover for any extra costs.”
He got out a water bottle from the bag and started guzzling it.
“Slow down!” Mia exclaimed. “You’re going to choke.”
Noah lowered the now half-empty bottle. Already, he looked more like himself, color back in his cheeks and light back in his
eyes. Solemnly, he said, “I thought I was never going to be able to drink bottled water or eat an Uncrustable ever again.”
A laugh escaped from Mia’s lips. “Really? You like Uncrustables that much?”
Noah nodded. “One of mankind’s best inventions. In my opinion, anyway.” He ambled over to the fireplace and checked his clothes.
“Hey, they’re dry already. We can probably start heading out . . .”
He trailed off, cocking his head to the side as he listened.
“Mia,” he said, his face suddenly serious. “The wind’s picked up. I can hear it through the chimney.”
Panic speeding up her heartbeat, Mia opened the door and got a face full of snow. Howling wind buffeted her, shrieking in
her ears. She cried out as she fought to close the door.
Something solid and warm pressed against her as, suddenly, the door slammed shut.
She looked up to see Noah standing over her. His bare chest was just inches away from her face.
They were trapped. She was trapped in this small cabin with a half-naked Noah.