Page 7 of The Little Things

“Oh, no.” Rory laughed, tiny, fine lines from a life full of humor and smiles creasing the skin around her eyes. “No, Second Hope is fully booked. But we have a few cabins around the ranch that are empty.”

I’d have my own cabin. That didn’t sound so bad. I could definitely work with that.

At least that was what I thought until Rory pulled her truck up in front of the building I would be living in indefinitely.

From the outside, the entire thing looked like it could fit into the living room of my old condo, and the inside wasn’t any better.

I stopped just inside the door, my heart racing and my throat tightening as I took in the single room that seemed to be the living, dining, and kitchen area all in one. The kitchen consisted of four cabinets, an old-school fridge that was shorter than I was, a stovetop that was built into one side of the L-shaped countertop, and a small sink in the other. There was a tiny dining table to the right of the kitchen, sitting beneath a dingy window against the back wall. It was only big enough for two chairs and was a gross, dated yellow pine that matched the small coffee table and end table surrounding the single two-person sofa in the living area—because that was all there was room for.

The loveseat looked like it was from the eighties, with a blanket folded across the back that someone’s grandmother had to have knitted by hand. There was a painting of horses hanging on the wall across from the sofa—in the spot where you’d expect to see a television.

My gaze darted around frantically, in search of the TV, but I didn’t see one anywhere.

“Uh . . .”

Rory stepped up beside me, dropping, “Bedroom and bathroom are just down the hall. No one’s been in here for a while, so it’s a little dusty, but nothing a bit of elbow grease and a few open windows won’t fix right up. There should be some cleaning supplies under the sink in the kitchen. I stocked the linen closet in the hall with towels, and the sheets on the bed are fresh. I also had one of the waitresses from the lodge stock a few staples to hold you over until you have a chance to get to town and do some shopping for yourself. You know, coffee, milk, bread, stuff like that.”

Well at least there was coffee. There was zero chance I would make it through this whole ordeal without that.

There was just one problem. “I—um, I don’t have a car.” I would gladly take myself to town if I had the means to get there, but like my apartment, my shiny, candy apple red BMW had been sold, the cost going toward the embarrassingly large sum I still owed my parents.

Rory waved off my concern. “That’s no problem. The ranch has plenty of work trucks you can borrow. We keep the keys tucked in the passenger side visor.” She laughed when I looked at her like she lost her mind. “This isn’t like the city. No one’s coming up on the ranch to steal old, beat-up ranch trucks, trust me.”

If she said so. I was just relieved I had a way to get the hell out of this place from time to time.

“I’ll leave you to get settled. Work starts tomorrow,” Rory stated before turning and heading the two feet to the front door of the cabin. I was finally going to be alone for the first time since this whole nightmare started. I’d been keeping a tight grip on my emotions for the past few days, not wanting to crack in front of other people, but it would be a relief to finally get it all out. Hopefully over a bottle of wine and a hot bath. I just prayed alcohol was something Rory considered a staple.

But before she left, she stopped and looked back at me, her features awash with sympathy. “And Rae, I know this may seem like you’ve been dropped into your worst nightmare, but if you give it a chance, I swear you’ll come around. I know your parents really well, and they love you like crazy. They wouldn’t toss you in the middle of some kind of unrelenting torture. Keep an open mind, yeah?”

I gave her a nod, unable to speak past the tightness in my throat, and waited until the door closed behind her to let out a wobbly breath.

With no other choice but to embrace this new world I’d been thrust into, I grabbed the handles of two of the four large suitcases in the middle of the living room and wheeled them down the hall toward the one and only bedroom in the cabin. I stopped at the first door on the right, peeking inside at the bathroom. While the space was small and there was only a single pedestal sink beneath an oval mirror, the clawfoot tub was a welcome surprise. It needed to be scrubbed like most of the surfaces in the place, but it was long, with a perfectly curved back for optimum relaxation during bubble baths. The curtain hanging from an oval rod that came down from the ceiling looked as old as the furniture in the living area, but it would do.

To the right and a little farther down was the bedroom. The queen-sized bed took up most of the tiny space, leaving room for a single bedside table and a chest of drawers that didn’t look like it would hold even a third of my clothes, all in that same dated pine.

I opened the only other door in the room that led to the smallest closet I’d ever seen. It was so damn tiny you couldn’t even step inside the thing. There was a wooden bar stretched from end to end for hangers, and a single shelf above where I was supposed to fit all of my shoes.

I rubbed at my temples and moved toward the bed, shocked when I sat down that the mattress felt like sinking into a pile of downy feathers. The bedding wasn’t luxurious, but at least the cotton had been washed enough that it felt soft to the touch. I could sleep here. It was better than the cold metal bench of that holding cell, for damn sure.

My cellphone pinged with an incoming text, and when I pulled it out of my back pocket my stomach sank.

Kendall: Bitch, where are you? Desi’s throwing a party at her parents’ house in Calabasas tonight. EVERYBODY’s gonna be there. Get off your ass and hit me back.

It was the first time I’d heard from my supposed best friend since she bailed on me and left me to deal with the police all by myself, and instead of checking to make sure I was alright, she was texting about another party?

How the hell had I been friends with her for so long? She didn’t give a damn about me. She didn’t even care enough to reach out. That text was the first time I’d heard from her in three days.

On a weary sigh, I took in my surroundings. It was no mansion in Calabasas, but it wasn’t so bad. At least it had a cozy bed and a great tub. Everything else was just details.

Pulling in a fortifying breath, I squared my shoulders and lifted my chin. I could do this. I could make this work. I could toughen up and make the best of this like Rory suggested, and who knows? Maybe she was right and I’d end up falling in love with this ranch and this town like my parents had.

Everything was going to be just fine.

Chapter Five

Rae

Oh, God. This was not going to be fine. Nothing about this would ever be fine.