ed, my voice a highe

talking to my parents," he start

his parents dying to meet me, about the "scary" storm coming, abou

my part p

a wonderful idea! I'd lo

s so easy. "They're really traditional, so you'll need to impress them. We'll head up

everything perfect

condescension making my hand grip

hun

te. Then I lowered the phone and calmly deleted his

call my parents. I di

ed to p

a spree. I hired an emergency contractor, the kind that specializes in discreet jobs f

fortify th

l a new, state-of-the-art ventilation system with independent power. They were to build a f

bathroom with a high-end incinerating toil

The living room, the kitchen, the bedrooms, the hallways. All of them feeding

ggest shopping trip of my life. I hit Costco,

led water, canned goods, giant bags of rice and beans,

rty?" s

group," I said with a bright, innoc

als, expensive cheeses, high-end coffee, cases of wine, an

propane tanks, medical kits, water purifiers

ies into my Range Rover, my phone

g a little family getaway at the cabin! So jealous!

city of it was

"I will! So excited! W

y-face emojis, then

y firm online and requested their biggest, most intimidating-lookin

uilt like a refrigerator, and had a face that looked lik

s the "property caretaker." He was not to speak unless spoken to. His only

ortable furniture, my personal belongings, my clothes, and my entertainment systems downstai

The storm was rolling