“Starlee,” Charlie says, noticing me by the kitchen, “you’re freezing.”
“I’m fine.”
He walks over and wraps his arms around me. “You’re not fine. You’re shaking. Let’s get this wet coat off and find you something warm. Dexter, does Sierra have any old clothes here?”
“Second door to the right in the hall.”
I follow him down the hall as he uses his narrow light as a guide, past the open bedroom where Dexter and I slept the last time we were here. That thought warms me up—a little.
We get to the next room and Charlie opens the door. Inside is the room of a teenage girl—frozen in time. Posters on the walls. Teddy bears on a shelf above the bed. A few trophies and awards. Sierra obviously never moved a lot of her stuff out of here when she bought the shop in Lee Vines.
“Wow, it’s like a time capsule in here,” I say, easing out of my wet sneakers and peeling off my socks.
“When their parents died, neither wanted to do all the clean out and sorting. They just left it. The house is paid for, but I heard Sierra telling your grandmother not long ago that the upkeep is getting expensive.”
“I guess that’s why the power is off.”
“Yeah.” He walks over to the closet and shines his light in. “Ah. The treasure trove. Grab what you need.”
He moves to the door but even with the flashlight I feel too alone. “Will you stay with me? This whole thing is like a terrible horror movie.”
He laughs and sits on the narrow single bed. “Five teenagers—four boys and one girl—get stuck in a snowstorm together. No power, no way to reach the outside. It’s either a horror movie or a bad porno.”
I’ve just unearthed a pink sweatshirt with a cat on the front and a pair of matching, flannel pajama bottoms. I hold them up. “Who says that porno has to be bad?”
He laughs again but the sound fades as I start to remove my clothes. He shifts uncomfortably. “You want me to turn around?”
“Charlie, by this point I think you’ve felt nearly every inch of my body. You’ve seen me in a bikini. It’s not like I’m naked.” The words come out bolder than I’m feeling, but I feel like lifting our spirits.
“I think you underestimate my willpower.”
I kick off my wet jeans and pull on the flannel pants. They’re two inches above my ankles. The cat sweatshirt is large, though. “All done,” I say, ignoring his confession. “This should put a damper on my appeal, don’t you think.”
He stands and walks over to me, eyeing the silly sweatshirt. He touches my neck. “Nothing reduces your appeal, Starlee. Not silly sweatshirts or drenched hair.” He thumbs my bottom lip and bends down to kiss me, slipping his tongue against mine. The movement heats my cold skin, my heartbeat pumping blood.
“You guys okay back there?” George calls, a light flashing in the hallway. “We need another bundle of wood.”
“Yep,” Charlie replies, licking his lip. “Are you okay with me leaving to go help?”
I nod. “Let me just find some socks. I’ll be out in a minute.”
I need that minute to get my heartrate under control. I find the socks and sit on the bed, pulling them on one by one. I was so worried about getting to safety that I didn’t think about how the next few hours would go. The five of us trapped in this house. Alone. No heat.
Things were about to get interesting.
40
Dexter
I get the fire going while Jake lights all the candles in the house. George finds a few lanterns in the camping gear my father kept in the back closet.
“Can I have a lantern for the bathroom?”
“Sure. You know where it is, right?” I ask Starlee, handing her a lantern. She and Charlie just came out of Sierra’s room. Her cheeks were inappropriately flushed for the temperature of the house.
Once the bathroom door closes, I gesture for the boys to follow me to the to the kitchen.
“We need to set some ground rules,” I say, leaning back against the counter.