Chapter 1

1

T he day my grandmother remarried, I was fifteen years old and could only focus on the fact that my step-grandfather was ten years younger than she was, and he certainly didn’t look like a “grandpa” in the traditional sense—although he was only forty-five.

Oliver—or Oli, as anyone close called him—was a businessman who traveled so much for work we rarely saw him. But the couple of times a year, he did visit, and my family made a big spectacle out of it.

He married my grandmother, Ellen, at the courthouse. There hadn’t been a fancy ceremony, not even a reception. Then again, Oli was her third husband.

My grandmother invited us to dinner the night they’d gotten married, where she officially introduced Oli. That had been the first time we met him and, if I were honest, the first time I even heard she was seeing anyone, let alone involved in a relationship so deeply she would marry the man.

Oli certainly hadn’t looked like a grandfather—not how my biological one looked anyway. I had a stereotypical idea of what grandparents looked like, one my grandmother didn’t fit, either, not even now at sixty-seven years old.

She always looked youthful, her style fluid with the times.

But Oli and Grandma Ellen’s marriage only lasted five years. I never asked what caused their divorce. I never thought much of it. But for those five years, my family had gotten close to Oli. He was funny and smart, an international businessman who was a worldly traveler and would tell us stories when he’d come back to the States.

He’d always bring back trinkets for my sister and me from wherever he went—whatever part of the world he’d gone that trip.

So, even though they hadn’t been married for many years now, my family loved the hell out of Oli, and we still saw him a couple of times a year.

My grandmother? That was a whole other story. She was now on her fourth marriage to a man close to my age. She’d up and sold everything, moved across the country, and was living her best life the last I heard.

“When is he supposed to get here?” Franny, my older sister, asked.

I looked out my kitchen window. The sun was setting, the winter hours making it dark before it even hit six in the evening.

“He’ll be here any minute. Although, that snowstorm is supposed to hit before eight.” I glanced over at my sister who was helping my mom finish cooking dinner.

I invited everyone over to my place for supper, but I’d been not-so-subtlety kicked out of the kitchen because of my lack of cooking skills.

I got up and grabbed a beer from the fridge, sneakily picking at the charcuterie board Franny created. She slapped my hand when I reached for another grape.

“Ouch, you bitch,” I teased and shook my hand to ease the sting of her swat.

It had been about a year since we all saw Oli together, so when he said he’d be in town tonight after his trip to Greece, everyone dropped what they were doing and made time for a visit.

“Dad!” Franny called out.

I heard my father groan before the sound of his footsteps came closer, and he entered the kitchen.

“The storm is supposed to hit by eight. I plan on leaving by then unless you and Mom want to see if Sasha can give you a ride home?”

Our mom and dad looked at me then Franny. They’d ridden with her.

I shrugged. “I can take you home if you want to visit longer.”

Dad shook his head, walked over to Mom, and wrapped his arms around her before kissing the side of her neck. “We’ll go with your sister, Sasha. I don’t want you driving in this shit weather.”

“Oh, but I can?” Franny tease-whined.

“You live a few houses down from us, honey,” Mom said. “You can park in our driveway and walk to your place.

Franny snorted but just shook her head.

My mom chuckled and started gathering the dinnerware to set the table, but all she found were my four chipped plates I’d gotten at a garage sale and a stack of paper ones. She glanced at me and lifted an eyebrow. “Really, honey?”

“It’s usually just me here, and I hate doing dishes. You’ll find the exquisite sterling silverware in there.” I pointed and was grinning when she opened the drawer and sighed, grabbing the plastic forks and knives and shaking her head.

“How the hell are we supposed to eat chicken primavera with this shit?” Franny asked. “It’s gonna break, and we’ll be forced to choke down pieces of plastic.”

I rolled my eyes. “Drama queen. It’ll be fine.”

The flash of headlights drew my attention out the kitchen window, and I saw a car coming up the driveway. “He’s here!” I called out and tipped my beer back, swallowing a hoppy mouthful.

I found my smile instantly form as I went to the front door and pulled it open. I heard his car shut off, then the smooth noise of his door closing. The snow started falling, and I tipped my head back and looked up, seeing the flakes were starting to fall rapidly.

The crunch-crunch of his feet on the ground as he came closer had me glancing in his direction just as he rounded the corner.

Seeing Oli was like a warm hug or a thick blanket on a chilly day. He was family, familiar, and I loved having him and everyone over because it felt like the most comfortable thing in the world.

A second later, he had me in a big bear hug before I could even take a breath or say a word. I sank against him and wrapped my arms around his waist.

“How are you doing, sweetheart?” He gave me a kiss on the top of my head.

I pulled back and smiled at him. Oli was big at six-foot-three. And he was strong, with short salt-and-pepper hair, a square jaw, and sharp, masculine features. He certainty didn’t look fifty-seven years old.

“Even better now that you’re here,” I replied, giving him one more squeeze and melting a little as his giant hand rubbed my back to warm me up when I shivered.

We headed in, and as soon as I shut the front door, the rest of the family advanced on him. He gave Franny and my mom a big hug and a kiss on top of their heads, and then there was my dad, who he slapped on the back and gave one of those half-hugs manly men did.

The rest of the evening went fairly fast with dinner being served and everyone asking Oli twenty questions each on his latest travels. No one spoke about my grandmother, but then again, it wasn’t as if we had much to say. I certainty hadn’t heard from her, and my father, her own son, hadn’t spoken to her in almost a year.

“Dessert anyone?” my mom asked as she finished clearing off the table, refusing to allow anyone to help—not even me, in my own house. “I brought a coffee cake.”

“She even put it in one of those store-bought containers,” my father joked, which caused him to get the middle finger from my mom.

We all started laughing as she went into the kitchen, and a few minutes later, she came back out with more plates, plastic forks, and the infamous dessert.

“My favorite kind of cake,” Oli said and gave my mom a wink.

She tried to look stern but ended up laughing and saying a juicy curse word under her breath as she served us each a slice. I grabbed everyone coffee, and together, we sat around the table and laughed, joked, and reminisced about all the times we’ve shared that made us happy.

“Shit,” Franny said as she looked out the window. “It’s starting to really come down out there.” This prompted Mom and Dad to get up and stare out the dining-room window, too. “I hate to be a party-pooping Debbie Downer, but I’m dipping out.”

“Yeah,” Dad agreed. “you don’t have the best vehicle for this kind of weather, Fran.”

“I know, I know.”

“Come on, Franny. Let’s help your sister clean up, and we’ll head out.”

“It’s just a few paper plates I need to toss. The glory of my choice in fine china you guys were hassling me about earlier. Go on before it gets worse out there, and text me when you’re all safe at home,” I ordered.

The visit had come and gone far too fast, and I stood in the open doorway with my arms around my waist as I watched my sister’s car back out of the driveway. Oli was in the foyer putting his jacket on, and I felt him come up to stand beside me.

“Shit, it is coming down hard. I better head out.”

I turned and smiled up at him, giving him a nod. “Yeah, your rental isn’t gonna do well in this snow, not since you opted for that flashy sports car.”

Oli laughed and gripped the edge of the door, still staring outside. “I asked for a four-wheel drive, but the pimply teenager gave me that piece of shit.” He looked at me and grinned. “Thanks for dinner. It was nice getting to hang out with everyone and catch up. It’s been too long.”

“Well… don’t stay gone so long this time,” I scolded through a smirk.

With one more hug and a kiss to my temple, I watched Oli head to his car and drive off. I was about to shut the door when I felt this tightening in my belly and a prickling on the back of my neck.

I glanced around, but all I saw was the thick snow coming down harder, the wind creating drifts that were piling up. A gust blew by, and my hair whipped around my face. I glanced around again, seeing nothing but a thick cloud of white.

But I felt like I wasn’t alone… like there was something out there waiting.

Watching.

I shut the door and locked it, finding myself taking several steps backward and staring at it because the notion of not being alone grew. But with the howling wind and the fact that I was by myself in my house, my family having left because of this storm, I shrugged it off, chalking it up to the eeriness of the weather and an overactive imagination.

That’s what I kept telling myself, anyway.