Page 13 of Snowed Inn For Christmas

The first few daysof staying with Gage were actually better than I had anticipated.I knew that it might be odd, given his issues with my brother, but I couldn’t have predicted how kind and caring he would be toward me and Daisy.Though, in all fairness, I should have known better because throughout all the years I’d known him, Gage had never been anything but kind.

I had been antsy ever since he found the AirTag in Daisy’s stuffed unicorn, but I was relieved when we hadn’t found any more.We did some research and found that if Joel tried to track it, Gage’s place would be the last location that it showed.Eventually, he would come looking for us, but for now, I was relying on the raging blizzard outside to keep him away.At least it gave me a few days to figure out my next steps.

I had just finished my shower and was heading to the living room to check on Daisy when my phone rang.I pulled it out of my pocket and checked the caller ID, smiling when I saw my brother’s name on the screen.

“Hey, Pat,” I said happily, stopping immediately when I heard his tone.

“What the fuck is going on, Julie?”

There was so much panic in his voice that I froze, my heart dropping to my stomach.

“What do you mean?”

“I just got a call from your boss that he hasn’t seen you in four days and that he’s worried about you.He said that you had an emotional breakdown and then suddenly just vanished.He said that he’s worried about Daisy, that you hinted you might do some—”

“I wouldneverhurt her,” I hissed, pressing the phone tighter against my ear.“He’s lying, and everything is okay.”

“Where are you?”

“I can’t really say right now,” I said, chewing my nail nervously as Gage’s eyes landed on me and his eyebrows furrowed.

“Can I watchBeauty and the Beastagain?”Daisy asked Gage.“Belle is my favorite princess.”

“Is that Daisy?”Patrick asked, hearing more than I thought he’d be able to.

“Yes.”

“Okay,” he replied with a heavy sigh.“What the hell is going on, Julie?Are you okay?None of this sounds like something you’d—” He stopped mid-sentence as Gage asked Daisy if she wanted popcorn.

“Where the fuck are you?”my brother growled, his irritation and anger now overriding the panic I heard a few minutes ago.

“It’s a long story that I don’t really have the time to get into right now,” I said softly, wincing as I heard my brother mutter a curse word on the other line.

“Tell me you are not at Gage’s house,” he bit out.

“Nottechnically.”

“Julie...”he warned.

“I went to his grandmother’s inn.I didn’t know he’d be here,” I explained as Gage walked over and stood in front of me.

“I swear to God, if that mother fucker even—”

“Even what?”Gage asked, folding his arms over his chest.

I frowned and tilted my head before pulling my phone away, wondering if I somehow accidentally put it on speaker phone.

Nope, my brother was justthatloud.

Giving up on trying to keep the conversation civil, I pressed the button to put the call on speakerphone and held it in front of me.Thankfully, Daisy was already invested in her movie, so she didn’t seem to care about what we were discussing.

“You better stay the fuck away from my sister,” Patrick warned.

“Or what?”Gage retorted.

“Enough,” I scolded, giving Gage a pointed look.“We don’t have time for this.”

They both stayed silent for more than a few seconds, so I continued.