There's Snow Escape(3)
“I’ll find you a dress. I promise.”
TWO
Charlotte had gotten the majority of her belongings into storage in record time. She’d been living off her savings while she’d written her book, and now that she’d had such amazing sales with it, she hadn’t found the urge to get a job. She’d kept her house devoid of plants because she always forgot to water them. There wasn’t much for her to do.
Ding. Ding.
She jumped at the sound of the doorbell and glanced at her two packed bags. Gerri had been particular about asking her to keep things to a minimum, but had told Charlotte there was an area with amazing snow and ice she’d probably want to check out. A lover of all things snow, Charlotte had packed her winter clothes in hopes of visiting the colder area.
Ding. Ding.
“Coming!” she yelled, rushing to the front door. With a single yank, she opened it and saw her sister, Rebecca, frowning in the entryway. The urge to slam it closed and shut her lovely sister out hit Charlotte with the speed of a freight train.
“What the hell do you mean you’re going away?”
Ah, shit. She’d so hoped to get away without having to explain anything to Becca. If Charlotte was the see-it-to-believe-it type of person, Becca was twice as bad. Anything shifter-related and her sister would roll her eyes. Sure, Becca knew of shifters. Everyone did. Charlotte knew human females mated to shifters. Bella’s family members had gone through Gerri to find mates in the past. Rebecca didn’t think shifters were interested in human women.
“Come on in, hermanita.” Charlotte sighed.
“Don’t try being nice now. You’ve been ignoring my calls, Char. Where are you going? Why are you giving me your important papers?” She gasped as she looked around the empty house. “Where is your furniture?”
Charlotte met Rebecca’s gaze with a shrug. “I told you I need a break. I need to get away.”
“If you tell me you’re going to some strange swinger island to have copious amounts of sex, I can understand that. But this looks like you’re moving away forever. You’re way too uptight lately. You need to get some in your life.” Rebecca laughed.
“Becca!” Charlotte chuckled. “No, I won’t be getting sex with ten guys at a time. Lord knows I can’t seem to attract the right type of man as is.” She shoved her hands in her pants pockets. “And I get some, thank you very much.”
“A drawer full of toys is not enough.”
Charlotte widened her eyes and shook her head. “How do you know it’s a drawer? More like a trunk, but who’s counting?”
“Whatever. I swear, the lady’s dog next door gets it more than you.”
Charlotte gaped. “Duke? He’s fixed!”
Becca shrugged, still glancing around the almost-empty house. “Tell that to the way he humped the mailman just now. Those two have something special going.”
Charlotte laughed. “You’re nuts. Besides, I think the mailman already has a thing with the cat across the street. She jumps him every time they open the door.”
Becca raised her brows. “Maybe you should invite the mailman over for coffee. See if he brings out the mating instincts in you. You need sex in your life. All these animals can’t be wrong.”
“If I could find a man who isn’t so full of himself that he sounds like he can suck his own dick, I might have more sex,” she retorted. “Anyway, sex is the last reason why I’m going away.”
“Is it our parents?” Rebecca ground out, slapping her hands to her wide hips. “They’re fucking up again, and you’re upset, aren’t you?”
Wow. Had it always been this bad? Her running off because her parents were never there? Charlotte’s memories all consisted of wanting to get away—to climb a mountain, skiing or snowboarding and clearing her head from the pain of another broken promise by their parents. To say they hadn’t been there was an understatement. They’d had enough hired help that the girls were watched at all times, but never anyone consistent enough for them to feel connected, loved, and cared for.
“No,” she was quick to reply. Her father’s lack of follow-through with any plans they made had slowly killed her inside. Any love she’d had for her parents drifted away the more they showed how little they cared to spend time with her. After further thought, she realized she’d started out wanting to get away from the second book responsibility and their father. “I really just need a change of pace. I’m tired. I’m depressed without Bella, and quite honestly, I think I’m hitting a mid-life crisis or something.”