The tires crunch over snow packed gravel as Asher cases the car into a long driveway that curves between frost–covered pines. The road end in won clearing, and that’s when I see it:
The chalet.
If you can even call it that.
It’s massive two stories, but wide as a small lodge. The kind of place you’d see in a Christmas movie where someone inherits a billion dollar ski resort from a long–lost uncle. Glass windows stretching high into the wooden beams, snow–laced balconies, and a porch wrapped in pine garlands and string lights that glow warm against the silver sky.
The second the car stops, I reach for my seatbelt, then glance behind me.
Tyler’s still snoring.
I twist slightly in my seat and reach back, touching his knee.
“Ty,” I whisper. “We’re here. You slept the whole two and a half hours. Come on.”
Nothing.
“Tyler,” I say, a little louder. I tap his leg again. “Up.”
He
groans. Doesn’t move.
I sigh and glance at Asher.
–
He says nothing — just rests one arm along the back of the passenger seat, strong and steady, the other gripping the gear shift.
Then, without warning, he throws his arm across my chest hard and fast. Like a steel bar.
“Wait.”
“What are you-”
He throws the car into reverse.
Drives back.
Then forward again.
And slams the brake.
Tyler rolls like a rag doll off the back seat, thudding onto the floor with a curse.
“YO,” he yells, scrambling upright. “What the hell is your problem?!”
I’m still perfectly upright, completely unmoved – Asher’s arm across me like it’s made of reinforced concrete. The seatbelt didn’t even have to try.
I glance at Tyler, biting back a laugh.
“We’re here,” I say sweetly.
Asher pulls his arm back without a word and pops his door open.
Outside, the cold hits hard and fresh, like breathing in snowflakes. We all climb out, boots crunching against the icy gravel. Tyler’s muttering under his breath, still half–asleep, dragging way too many bags out of the trunk like we’re staying for a month.
1/4
Chapter 114: Penny
I reach for my suitcase, but the second I grab the handle, a warm ham beats me to it.
“I’ve got it,” Asher says, already wheeling it out.
“Asher I grab at his arm. “I can do it myself.”
He doesn’t stop. Doesn’t even flinch.
I tug again. Nothing.
“Have you seen a doctor lately?” I mutter. “Because I’m pretty sure you’re made of concrete.”
His mouth twitches. Just slightly.
“You done?” he asks without looking back.
I huff, letting go of his arm.
We follow Tyler across the snowy path toward the front door. There’s just enough snow to crunch under our feet and dust the trees, but not enough to slow us down. I can see a few smaller cabins tucked off to the sides each one like a cozy little den with dark wood trim and plumes of smoke curling from ther chimneys.
“That must be where we’re staying,” I whisper to Asher.
–
He nods once, gaze scanning the treeline like he’s memorizing every inch of the place.
We’step inside.
And I nearly forget how to breathe.
The inside looks exactly like something from a winter fantasy. Warm golden lights glow from sconces on the stone walls. The floors are rich wood, soft under my boots. To the left, an enormous open living room sits on a sunken floor, wrapped in oversized cream couches and fur throws. In the center is a towering stone fireplace, lit and roaring. The ceiling stretches two stories high, thick with logs and exposed beams. Glass walls look out over a frozen lake, its surface silver and still.
It’s warm. Beautiful. Cozy.
And then we hear voices.
“Yo! They’re here!”
We follow the sound into the living room.
Everyone’s already there.
Rebecca and Zoe on one of the couches, their legs tucked under them like some curated lifestyle shoot. Jonathan and a couple other guys from the soccer team standing by the fire with beers in hand. A few more people I vaguely recognize from school, some girls from the party – the ones who laughed when I tripped, who giggled when Tyler tried to tell them I was fine.
Zoe sees Tyler and lights up.
“Tyyy,” she coos, jumping up and throwing her arms around him. “How was the drive?”
“Long,” he says, hugging her with one arm. “I was out the whole time.”
Jonathan holds up a fist. Tyler bumps it. They/fall into easy conversation, like we weren’t just standing in a car for two and a half hours with me trying not to puke every twenty minutes.
Asher and I hover back near the door, awkward. I fold my arms over my stomach. He says nothing, but he doesn’t leave my side.
2/4
Chapter 114: Penny
And as soon as people notice him, almost instantly, a few of the guys near the fireplace light up.
“Yo, it’s Army guy!” one of them grins, raising his drink.
“Dude, you made it!”
“Hell yeah, Hayes!”
They clap him on the back, offering fist bumps and half jokes like they know better than to hug him: A couple of the girls dance in tone of the actually blushes and tucks her hair behind her ear.
Asher gives a nod, polite but reserved.
“It’s Navy,” he mutters under his breath, just loud enough for me to hear.
I bite my lip to keep from smiling.
Then-
“Penny,” Rebecca says with an exaggerated pout. “So, so sorry to hear about your accident. That’s so scary.”
She sounds fake. Like she’s trying not to laugh.
“It’s nice you could join us though,” she adds.
Tyler doesn’t even notice the tone. He’s grinning at everyone, high–fiving, acting like this is the best place in the world.
“Thanks,” I say flatly.
Then I hear it.
A voice, from just behind the group.
“Penny?”
I turn.
“Max?” I blink. “I didn’t know you were coming.”
He shrugs with a warm smile. “Last–minute invite. I figured… why not?”
He looks genuinely happy to see me. And I’d be lying if I said that didn’t feel a little nice after all this.
Tyler, however, shifts beside me. He looks at Max like he’s enemy number one, and I’ve never seen him with that kind of stare.
And the next thing I know, his arm is around my shoulders, tugging me just a little closer.
I let him. But I don’t lean in.
Before it can get awkward, a girl with braids and a clipboard appears from the hallway.
“Hey guys!” she says brightly. “I’m helping assign/cabins – Penny, Tyler, Asher? You’re all in the same one. Follow me?”
Asher and I lock eyes for half a second.
Then we follow.
