The Saddest Song

Chapter 16

Rainey

Friday morning began with a downpour. This made my mom and dad crazy with worry for our drive up to the mountains. Max’s dad checked his truck for snow chains and made sure it was up to the trip. He too was worried about us driving in snow, but we were thrilled with the weather. In two short hours we would be in a winter wonderland! I felt like a little kid, giddy with the thought of it.

“Max, I am so excited! It feels so good to be heading to the snow!”

He looked over and smiled. It was a real smile that reached his turquoise eyes. Those smiles were rare.

“Me too. I refuse to feel guilty about being happy this weekend. We need this.”

“I don’t think we need to feel bad at all. I know Garrett is happy for us. He wants us to have fun. He’d never begrudge us, he loves us.”

“You’re right. Besides, it beats the hell out of feeling bad, at least we get to move forward.”

“Thanks to you knowing Colin.”

“Yeah, we got lucky, finding new friends right when we needed them most. What do you want to listen to?” He asked, fiddling with his iPod.

“Here, let me. I will make us a playlist. Do you have any Christmas music on here?”

Max laughed, “No, definitely not.”

“What is so funny about Christmas music? It’s a good thing I brought my iPod then!” I started to disconnect his so that I could play mine.

“Rainey, no! It’s still November. Besides, I AM driving, you know!” Everyone knew that in this truck the driver had music control.

“Ugh! You and Garrett and your stupid rules! Fine, I will skip the Christmas songs for now. Can I drive home?”

“No!” He grinned a little smugly, but I smiled too. One of the things I loved was how much Max and Garrett could be alike, when they seemed so different. My phone chimed and I read a text from Sophie aloud.

“What time are you going to arrive? It’s snowing! Drive careful!”

“Tell her we will be there by twelve. I bet traffic will be slower driving up the mountain.”

An hour later another text came in, this time from Rylee.

“We are here! Where are you?” I texted her back and let her know when we would arrive. Just then Max pointed out that the rain had morphed into snow as we rounded a hairpin turn taking us higher up the mountain. With each curve the snowfall grew heavier and the beauty of the snow covered pine trees made me smile. Max kept a careful distance from the car in front of us as the roads got steeper and the turns hairier. We both became quiet so he could concentrate and a few times the drop outside my window made me hold my breath. I realized suddenly that Max had probably never driven up a mountain in the snow. I wasn’t worried though, he looked confidant, and before I knew it, we had reached the landmark that told us we were nearly there. Sophie had given us great directions. We took a turn off the main highway and a beautiful lake came into view.

“We’re almost there. It should be just past that Bed and Breakfast,” I said, pointing to a charming A frame with a quaint sign in front. Two minutes further we rounded a curve in the road and my mouth dropped open at the sight of Sophie’s cabin. It wasn’t a cabin at all, not by any stretch. It was an enormous log home. Stunningly beautiful, with a rustic log porch surrounding the entire house, it was massive, more mansion than house. I could see part of a dock peeking out from one side of the circular drive where Colin and Ethan’s cars were parked.

“Wow,” said Max. “Can you believe this place?”

We pulled in behind Colin’s car and before we had our luggage out of the truck, the front door opened and our friends hurried out to greet us. Ethan grabbed my bag, Max took his, and we all headed up the front steps. Sophie’s grandparents waited in the entry and greeted us warmly by name. I knew they were probably in their seventies like my grandparents but they were strikingly attractive and reminded me of models in a Ralph Lauren catalogue. In fact, the interior did the same. I felt like I was dropped in an issue of my mom’s Architectural Digest.

“Your home is unbelievable! That fireplace is so beautiful,” I said, staring. It covered an entire wall and was made out of stone with an intricately carved mantle of dark wood.

“Thank you, “Mrs. Lancaster said. “We love it. It is a copy of one we saw while traveling in Austria years ago.” Two massive couches sat in front of it covered in butterscotch and black plaid. The other wall was nothing but floor to ceiling windows looking over the lake. The snow was falling softly and it was so picturesque I could have stayed there forever.

“This is the most amazing home I’ve ever been in,” Max said.

“Oh, thank you. I hope you will make yourselves right at home. And both of you, please call us Gran and Grandad. Any friends of our Sophie are friends of ours as well. Let’s show these two their rooms.”

“We’ll show them Gran,” Rylee offered, and we followed her and Sophie up an immense staircase with a banister made of logs. As we walked down the hall they pointed out their rooms and then came to a stop and opened a door.

“This is your room Rainey! Max, you are here, “she pointed to a door across the hall. Max opened his door while I went through mine, and I was immediately enchanted with what I saw. A king size bed was covered in white ruffled bedding, a red and black throw folded artfully at the foot. The bed looked on to its own fireplace, already burning, and a chaise lounge in that same red and black plaid was in front of the window. The view was the same as the downstairs, the lake and snow covered mountains looking like a postcard in their perfection.

“Rainey, here’s your bathroom,” I turned and Sophie gestured to a door, and then opened the walk in closet and pointed to a small fridge. “This is stocked, help yourself. I will leave you to unpack and see you at lunch. Gran will call you on the intercom.”

“Thank you. This is unbelievable.” I smiled, overwhelmed, and when she closed the door I sank into the down cushions of the chaise lounge and laughed.





Max

I shared Rainey’s awe of the home we were in. I kind of wished my mom could see it. I took a mental note to take a few pictures with my phone. My room was directly across from Rainey’s, a more masculine version, I later saw. The bed was covered in denim and plaid, and there was a window seat with matching cushions. A fireplace, big screen TV, bathroom, walk in closet, and view of the mountains. The only thing missing was my guitar, which was in the truck. Colin and Ethan had said they promised not to bring theirs this weekend. Their girlfriends wanted all of their attention. I thought it was funny their girls were jealous of the music.

I hung up a couple of my shirts and a jacket and then opened my door and started to knock on Rainey’s. It opened before I made contact.

“Oh!” she startled, backing up. “You scared me. I was just coming over to see your room.”

“Sure, come on over.” I turned and reopened my door. “After you.”

“Do you have a fridge in your closet too?” Not waiting for my reply she looked for herself and took a bottle of diet coke, twisting the lid off and taking a sip.

“I can see Sophie’s influence,” she laughed. We had been around Sophie long enough to know she was never without a diet coke.

An intercom beeped making us both jump and we could hear Gran say, “Lunch is served!”

We rushed downstairs and joined everyone at an enormous pine dining table with long benches on either side. We all sat down and Gran and Sophie started passing out bowls of chili and platters of cheeseburger sliders. There was a lot of talking and laughter and I winked at Rainey when I caught her eye. She looked so relaxed, like a new version of herself. We both could feel closer to normal here away from all that hurt so much. It was like a breath of fresh air.

We all pitched in to clear the table and then Gran kicked us out of her kitchen and told us to go have fun. Thanking her we piled in to two cars and headed over to the ski slopes. The snow was still coming down and it was cold, but we had all come prepared and before we knew it we had been out for a couple of hours. When Rylee suggested that the girls head back ahead of the guys, Rainey immediately looked at me. She knew I was ready to head back too, but I wouldn’t let the guys down.

“I will see you back at the house,” I said. She looked up at me, her nose red from the cold, snowflakes sticking to her eyelashes.

“You sure? You can come back with us,” she frowned.

“I’m sure. Go on, I’ll see you in a little while.” Rylee and Colin were kissing on one side of us, Sophie and Ethan on the other. I smiled and kissed her on her frozen nose.

The three of us waved to them and went to catch the ski lift.