Chapter Three

Annie

"Madi, where in the world are you?" I say a little too loudly into the phone. It feels so good to finally hear her voice. "I've got us a table, but I think I should just meet you at the rental counter. Have you gotten your luggage yet? They're saying the road conditions are really getting bad. We need to leave as soon as we can get the car—"

"Annie, hold on a minute. Please." Madi sounds stressed, not like herself at all.

"Fine, but we can't wait too much longer. Want me to see if the server can get you a sandwich or something to take with us? You can eat while I drive." I'd sort of wanted her to be the one to get us from the airport to the cabin, but I'm sure she's starving to death having been on the plane since before daybreak.

"Annie, will you give me a second to get a word in?" she pleas.

I fall silent and an uneasy feeling washes over me. "You're not on your way, are you?"

"No, Annie. I'm not. There was some kind of mechanical issue right off the bat and we sat on the runway for what seemed like hours. Then they told us they were going to put us on another flight that was heading to the west coast and we wouldn't get to Reno until later tonight. But the winter storm—"

"Oh, Madi," I burst into tears. "What am I supposed to do now? The weather, it's getting—"

"Annie, you know I'd be there right now if I could. I'm already looking at trying to rebook, but there's nothing available until Sunday. And even then there's no guarantee. They're predicting a foot of snow, maybe even more"

"Sunday?" I manage to say, using my napkin to swipe the moisture off my cheek. "But that's…that's Christmas Eve."

"I know. I don't care what it's going to cost, but please know I'm trying my best. I don't want us to spend Christmas apart this year."

"I…I was just…looking forward to seeing you. I don't know what I'm supposed to do now."

"I'm going to call the rental company right now and have the car swapped over to your name. You shouldn't have any trouble, but just in case—"

"The roads, they're saying they are in bad shape right now. Should I just try to catch a flight back home?" Though I'd love to make it to the cabin, the thought of being there all alone this coming week doesn't exactly sound like fun.

"Nonsense, Annie. Now let me make some phone calls so you can be on your way."

No longer in the mood to eat, I take care of my check then wheel my things to a nearby seating area while I wait for Madi to call back. It's crazy how much quieter the airport is now than when I first arrived. More flight cancellations are showing on the screen than they were before, so even if I did try to find a flight back, I don't think I'd have very much luck. Not to mention how disappointed my sister would be.

After what feels like forever, my phone finally rings. "Well, what did you find out?"

"I've got some good news," she says then pauses.

I know from Madi's hesitation that there's usually something not-so-good going to follow. I just can't imagine things getting much worse than they already are.

"Why am I not getting a good feeling about this?" I stand up from my chair and walk to the window.

"How much snow is really falling?" she asks.

"I mean, it's sort of hard to tell. It's coming down pretty good, but I can't see all that much from here. I'm looking out at the runway. Why? If you've got good—"

Madi blows out a deep breath. "Well, it appears the rental car places have already shut down."

"Nooo. Please don't tell me this." Tears begin to pool in my eyes. "All of them? What if I walk over and check. Maybe I can catch one of them before they close."

"You're not listening, Annie. They're all closed. As of ten o'clock this morning."

"So what am I supposed to do now? Never mind. I'm going back to the ticket counter to see if I can get a flight back to Texas. I can't be stranded at the airport. I just can't." I'd be lying if I said I wasn't panicking right now.

"Take a deep breath," my sister exclaims. "I'm trying to figure this out."

That's easy for her to say—she's not the one stuck at an airport in the middle of a snowstorm nearly two thousand miles from home. The thought of being here for days, even through Christmas, concerns me even more. If the car rental places are shut down, what else will close? What will I do for food? A shower?

"I know it's not your fault," I manage to say.

"The operator I spoke with mentioned there's a shuttle to Tahoe leaving in a half hour. If I can secure you a seat on the bus—"

"Yes!" I almost scream without hearing the rest of what she has to say. Other than school field trips, I can't recall ever going anywhere on a bus, but it can't be that bad, can it?

"There's just one catch."

"Oh?"

"A group of seniors is headed to one of the casinos in Tahoe. I get it, it's not the most ideal situation, but the operator is almost positive she can get you a seat."

"At this point, I really don't care. I just can't stay here." Madi has no idea what it feels like being stranded…alone. "But wait, how would I get to the cabin from the casino?"

"That's the part I'm still trying to figure out. Just bear with me, okay?"