“Whatever. You’re never borrowing anything of mine again.”
“Abby, seriously… I didn’t lose it.”
“You can never accept when you’re wrong. I swear, you’re such a selfish bitch. Life would be so much easier without you.”
Abby had stormed off. Lily knew Abby would take the car because it was her day to drive, but she didn’t care. She’d rather get a ride with Wes or call her parents than listen to her sister’s stupid tirade about a sweater that Lily knew she’d given back.
The things they said to each other might have sounded awful to an outsider, but that was how twins fight. Their arguments meant nothing. One minute they would be trading vicious insults; the next, they were curled up on the sofa in the family room, examining each other’s Facebook pages and making plans for the weekend. Any other night, Lily would have come home and flopped onto the couch beside Abby, the entire fight forgotten. How could she have known that day would be the last time they’d see each other? She could never have predicted what lay ahead. No one could.
Lily’s arms were aching now. She rearranged Sky, kissing her and whispering encouraging words. Lily was careful to stay off the main road, ducking anytime headlights grew near. They needed to get warm soon or they’d be risking hypothermia. Lily had no idea how long they’d been running, but they had to be close. She rounded the bend and suddenly gasped. There it was—the WELCOME TO CRESTED GLEN sign. For years, Lily had hated that sign. She hated what it meant—being stuck in suburbia for another day. She’d wanted skyscrapers and the frantic pace of a big city. She wanted coffee shops and hookah bars and tiny pubs where hipster bartenders served endless pints of Guinness. She’d dreamt of seeing off-Broadway plays and thrift shopping. She’d imagined finding a career she loved. She’d envisioned living in a loft in the West Village, with Abby, the two of them exploring New York City together. “The Riser Twins Take on Manhattan” was their childhood dream, the two of them making vision boards and daydreaming about decorating their loft space. Crested Glen was the opposite of New York. It was, Lily used to joke, where dreams went to die. She’d never imagined feeling such joy at being back here. But seeing that sign, that spectacular sign, meant they’d almost made it home. She picked up the pace, whispering to Sky that everything was going to be okay. Keep going, Lily thought. Just keep going.
CHAPTER TWO
RICK
Don’t be a pussy, Rick told himself as he navigated the snowy back roads. Don’t let the stress get to you. Stress made people careless, and Rick couldn’t afford to be careless. Between his classes, his wife, and his girls, he’d overextended himself these last few months. But he could handle it. He simply needed to manage his time better.
Rick turned up the volume on the satellite radio, the Rolling Stones’ “Get Off of My Cloud” filling the car. God, he loved this song. He’d hoped the music would soothe him, but he was still annoyed. He’d been having a blast, schooling Lily and Sky on the beauty of the Beat poets, and he hated leaving them. He considered staying overnight, but he’d already been gone for two days. The last thing he wanted was for Missy to come looking for him. She’d shown up at the cabin once before, and it had been a very close call. From that day onward, he’d promised himself he’d never give Missy a reason to be suspicious.
Almost as if Missy were reading his mind, Rick’s cell phone buzzed. He didn’t even need to look at the display to know that his wife was calling. He sighed but answered anyway.
“Babe,” Missy whined predictably, her voice filling the car through his Bluetooth speakers. “It’s almost three in the morning. You said you’d be back early.”
“I know, Miss. But I got into the writing zone and didn’t realize it was so late. I’m gassing up the car now. Please tell me you’re warming up the bed?”
“It’s already so late and we both have to work…”
“Are you kidding me, babe? You better be wearing something sexy or I’ll be very disappointed.”
“Love you, Ricky,” she whispered breathlessly and hung up.