Free Cabin Fever by Stephanie Williams

waist and opened the door. “Hold up!”
    “Hey.”
    “Come on in. Be with you in a sec.”
    Patrick took a seat by the window, a look of doubt on his face.
    “What’s eating you?”
    “Thinking of our predicament. She’s scared, man.”
    “To be expected. We have to convince her that her decision doesn’t change our friendship. I don’t want her to think we’ll disown her if she rejects us.” Sean grabbed his robe and put it on.
    “Good thinking. By the way, forgot to tell you, she thanked you for the room setup.”
    “You told her you picked it out?”
    “Yeah, and naturally she was surprised.”
    Sean laughed. If Patrick opened up a little more, people wouldn’t be so shocked when he acted human. “She still doesn’t know the real you, after all these years.”
    “I don’t know the real me. If you’d told me years ago I would be sharing the woman I—this is new for all of us.”
    “The woman you what?” Sean asked.
    “Forget it. I was a little emotional.”
    “That’s why I can’t forget it. It’s not like you to lose it unless something is really bothering you.”
    “It’s nothing.” Patrick headed toward to the door. “It’s being cooped up here, in this big place. By the way, what’s the damage on the renovations?”
    He would let the issue go, for now. But they would have to come back to it soon. Before they could be intimate with Sandra¸ they had to clear up a lot of things between the two of them. Maybe Patrick didn’t realize how well he understood him. He wasn’t mad or jealous. But he wanted his friend to stop hiding his feelings behind his stone façade.
    “The little gnome quoted over four hundred and seventy thousand dollars.”
    “What? Is the cabin insured?"
    “I believe so, why?”
    “Let’s burn it.”
    Sean threw back his head and laughed. “Good idea. However, I don’t look good in prison orange. I put in a call to Uncle Travis. I have a few choice words for him. Maybe, after we talk, I’ll have a better idea of what I want to do with the lodge.”
    “Cool. Well, I’m hitting the sack.”
    Sean touched his buddy’s arm. The other man kept his feelings hid too often, but honesty was the only way they’d all survive such a big change in their relationship. He had no intention of losing his best friend or their girl. “We have to talk before we move forward or even consider doing something with both of these situations.”
    Patrick nodded and headed for his room.

 
     
     

Chapter Eleven
     
     
    “Let’s see what exciting stuff is going on today.” Patrick picked up the local paper.
    “Can’t be too much. Not with all the snow.” Sean wiped away the condensation on the window.
    “No skiing for Miss Ski Bunny.”
    “Even if it was clear, I don’t think she should go, not after that charley horse.”
    Patrick nodded and kept reading, looking for some other recreation besides skiing.
    “By the way. I want to finish that talk.” Sean stepped away from the window.
    Patrick grimaced.
    “We have to have this conversation, especially after that little slip of the tongue last night.”
    “I told you, man.” Patrick got up and stoked the fire.
    “I ain’t buying it. I know how you feel about Sandra.”
    Patrick put the poker down and stared at him. “You mean how I felt about her, years ago. Why bring it up again?” He picked the poker up again and stabbed at the logs, brushing away some of the burnt embers. “Besides, you and I have the same feelings for her.”
    “I think yours are a little deeper. And don’t take this to mean I’m upset. But now is the time to really put it out in the open, before either one of else gets intimate with her.”
    Patrick moved the logs around some more. “I hear you. How do I approach her? I want to tell her, but I wanted it to be a special moment.”
    “First, stop poking those logs. You’re going to make them into wood chips.”
    “Sorry,” Patrick threw the poker down.
    “If you wait for that special