The Best of Us (Love in Isolation 2)

I narrow my eyes at him, wondering if he’s done with this conversation because I am.

“One suitcase only,” he insists.

“Absolutely not. Both are coming with me,” I argue. “This isn’t up for discussion.”

“This is ridiculous, Kendall. We’re going up today and will be there tomorrow, and then we’re leaving. We won’t even be leaving the cabin, and I don’t care what you wear.”

“Don’t flatter yourself. What I wear is not for you, but for me. I like to have plenty of options.” I give him a shit-eating grin, trying not to let Ryan get under my skin, but he’s already buried himself there. If he pisses me off before we leave, the drive across New York is going to be painful as hell.

“Options?” He rolls his eyes. It takes every bit of patience I have left not to tell him to quit being an asshole. He seems like he’s in a mood today, but it’s not like it’s different from any other time I’ve been around him.

I slip on my peacoat as he mumbles under his breath. Taking my time, I put on my gloves and matching knit hat. The temperatures have steadily dropped all week, and later today it’s supposed to start snowing again.

Impatiently, he taps his foot and watches me. I grab my suitcases and pull out the handles. “Coming?” I ask over my shoulder.

“I’ll be shocked if all this shit fits,” he repeats like I didn’t hear his grumbles the first time.

All I can do is laugh. “I guess we’ll see, won’t we? Also, you can stop complaining now. Remember, this shit isn’t for me. It’s for your sister and best friend so suck it up, buttercup. We’re making it special for them.”

Ryan glares at me then picks up one of the boxes of non-perishable food and follows behind me. I made sure to buy enough non-perishables to last for two weeks. I also had fresh meat cut and sealed, then froze it. To make sure it doesn’t defrost while we travel, I put it in an ice chest with dry ice. If he knows what’s best, he’ll make sure nothing’s left behind.

When I step outside, the frigid air slaps me across the face. I guess I didn’t realize how chilly it had gotten since earlier today when I finished shopping. Considering I hate being cold, it lights a fire under my ass to load the SUV as fast as possible. Ryan pops the hatch to the Range Rover, and after he sets the box down, he loads my suitcases.

“Holy shit,” he mutters as he lifts them one after another.

“I packed my extra heavy dildos.” I laugh, giving him a hard time. He doesn’t say a word. I’ll try my best to go easy on him, but he’s making it difficult with his glares and groans.

After a few trips, all the food is loaded. At least three more boxes, plus a cooler with frozen meat are left. While we’ll only be staying a few days, I bought food for us too so we wouldn’t have to dip into Cami and Eli’s stash. I made sure to get all of my best friend’s favorite snacks and more pasta choices than she can handle.

“You do know the cabin has a pantry full of items like this, right?” Ryan tells me as he stacks the final box on top of the others.

“And what’s your point?” I glare at him.

He opens the top and pulls out a glass jar of marinara, Alfredo, then sees the vermicelli, angel hair, and spaghetti noodles. “The point is you probably didn’t need to purchase all of this. How much can two people realistically eat in that amount of time?”

“And this is why they didn’t ask you to go shopping,” I snap.

“Damn. There’s enough alcohol in here to open a bar.” He studies me.

“All of it was highly requested. If you keep it up, I might have to open a bottle and drink it on the way there.” I turn and walk back inside, not giving him the opportunity to respond.

I grab the strands of lights I want to wrap around the staircase along with the mistletoe for the entryways. Cami had conveniently mentioned a ten-foot Christmas tree and ornaments were stored in the basement, so I didn’t buy one. By the time I’m done decorating the cabin, it will look like a winter wonderland escape. She’s going to be so excited, and the thought makes me smile.

When the Range Rover is loaded, I notice a small duffel bag on the floorboard. Knowing that’s all Ryan packed makes me snort. He’s so damn efficient that he probably only brought one change of clothes for tomorrow. Meanwhile, I’ve got enough outfits to last me three weeks. I often allow my mood to decide my clothing choice and I never know how I’m going to feel. So, options. It could be a legging type of day with running shoes or a pair of expensive slacks with heels. I never know.