Chapter 4Global Freeze, I Lead My Boyfriend's Family to Survival

Nine days later, Chad and his family were supposed to arrive at the cabin.

I lay back on the lounge chair in the garden, soaking up the sun. It would be a while before I saw it again.

My phone rang. ["Where the hell are you?"]

I made my voice sound confused and frantic. ["What's wrong, baby? Why aren't you here yet?"]

I swirled the wine in my glass and lounged in the chair.

["Where's your house? The address you gave us is in the middle of nowhere! Are you messing with me, Megan?"]

I bit back a laugh. ["Aren't you on Peach Tree Lane? That's where my house is."]

Chad was livid. ["Are you crazy? You wrote PINE Tree Lane, which is half a mountain away from Peach Tree Lane!"]

I heard a chorus of angry voices on the other end of the phone. ["What kind of idiot did you pick up? She can't even get the directions right."]

["Chad, when you get there, smack her a few times to teach her a lesson."]

I ignored the angry accusations and pretended to be sorry. ["Oh, no! You need to turn around and come back! It's going to get dark soon and you'll have to spend the night on the mountain."]

I hung up, leaving them stranded in the middle of nowhere.

Knowing they had to hike for hours in the cold and damp mountains to find a ride made my dinner taste extra delicious.

It was pitch black, and I thought they were going to be stuck in the mountains all night. Then the caretaker called. On the road to my cabin, I had built a small, temporary cabin and hired a caretaker to register all visitors. I paid an actor who doubled as a bodyguard. I expected this family to be a handful.

When I got there, they were covered in frost, their noses bright red, shivering and stomping their feet.

I couldn't stop the corners of my mouth from turning up. I almost burst out laughing. I lowered my head and put on a look of concern and regret, running to meet them to cover my glee.

After composing myself, I looked at them with a face full of guilt. ["Aunt, Uncle! I was waiting for you all day! Why didn’t you call me when you got here?"]

Chad saw me and came at me, his face red with anger. ["You stupid woman! How could you write down the wrong address? We've been hiking forever! I froze my ass off!"]

The bodyguard had been waiting for this. He grabbed Chad's arm and squeezed it hard. Chad screamed. ["Who do you think you are, putting your hands on my boss?"]

The bodyguard was huge, six-foot-five and 250 pounds. He had a deep voice and a menacing presence.

["If my boss loses a hair on her head, you and your family are done for in this godforsaken place."]

The bodyguard stepped back and stood in front of me, staring Chad down. Chad rubbed his aching wrist, swallowed hard, and took a step back.

I hid behind the bodyguard, looking upset. ["I didn't mean to do it! I'm not good with directions. I missed you so much! I kept heating up dinner, waiting for you and your parents to arrive."]

Chad knew he couldn't lay a hand on me. There was dinner waiting. He grudgingly accepted my apology. ["It's a good thing you know what's good for you. Take us to eat. We've been starving."]

I forced a smile and led them to the cabin.

Because it was a family meal, I had the bodyguard take a break in the guardhouse.

They hadn't eaten all day, and I didn't want to waste the special meal I had prepared.