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she carefully got back on her feet.
    “I apologize for my outburst,” I said once they made eye contact with me. “Here’s what we can do: I’ll leave in two days, and you two can stay the next four. That way, we will have had equal time here. I’m sure you can find a hotel in town until then.”
    “I’m not interested in compromise after that stunt you just pulled, Shae,” Reggie said. “You can leave. Now. The rental agreement is in my name, so I have final say. If you want, we can get the police involved.”
    My eyes narrowed, but I took a deep breath before responding. My eyes trailed over Danni’s hunched form as she leaned against Reggie, fighting to catch her breath.
    “There’s no need for this to get any uglier than it already has.”
    “Great. We’re going to go explore the town. I expect you will be gone when we come back in an hour.”
    “Of course,” I said through gritted teeth.
    As soon as they left the cabin, my hands began trembling. My cheeks scorched red, hot from a mix of embarrassment and anger.
    I clomped upstairs to pack, my head beginning to throb from my clenched jaw. I grabbed my suitcase and the neatly folded clothes from the drawers, refolding each piece before putting them in the proper place in my luggage.
    A bottle fell to the floor. I bent over, picking up the container of pills, my lips curled into a painful frown. I studied the prescription information on the label, as if I hadn’t read it a million times before.
    My original plan. The pills that were going to end it all. It seemed like so long ago, but seeing Reggie brought all the morbid feelings back to the surface.
    Opening the child-proof lid, I inspected the little white pills. It would’ve been so easy to swallow them, so easy to make all my pain go away: Reggie, my fiasco with Derek, the lingering memories of my past. So easy.
    I plucked a pill out of the bottle, rolling it between my fingers. Placing it to my lips, I opened my mouth to take one- my prescribed dosage. But I wasn’t in the business of taking the easy way out. Not anymore.
    I was going to heal from Reggie, forgive myself for Derek, and move on without having to use a pill to help myself temporarily feel better. A change I was making to the Old Shae was to face my problems head on- the right way.
    Dropping the pill back in the bottle, I chucked it in my suitcase. As I turned to check out the closet, my vision blurred. I cleared my throat and straightened my outfit, locking my body in place until I regained my self-control once more. After wiping away the single tear that managed to bead from my eye, I got back to packing.
    As I approached the front door, I picked up Derek’s skis before exiting the house. I walked the short distance to his cabin to return the skis and key to my rental.
    After knocking on the door, I pulled out my phone to call a cab. By the time I got off the phone, Derek still hadn’t answered. I walked over to a window and peered in through the sheer curtains. I couldn’t see much, but I could tell it was dark inside.
    I blew out a sharp breath and walked back to the door. I twisted the knob, my eyebrows shooting up when I noticed it was unlocked.
    “Derek?” I called out as I stepped inside. “Derek, are you here?”
    The house was quiet, and I sighed in relief. Not having to face him before I left calmed me a bit. I set the skis against the door and placed the cabin key on his kitchen counter. My cab was on the way, so I decided to wait for it inside- I was sure Derek wouldn’t mind.
    As I pulled up a travel site on my phone to book my flight home, my stomach growled.
    I opened his pantry, pleasantly surprised at his selection of food. I grabbed a bag of family-sized Doritos and opened his fridge for a soda. I normally tried to avoid the sugary drinks, but it seemed like a perfect time to treat myself.
    I ate the first chip and moaned. It was so good. After eating half the bag, my appetite still didn’t suppress. I