Chapter 1: The Ambush
The sound of the tires on the snow-covered gravel echoed off the cabin as the car came to a stop. Matt Rittell leaned down to peer out the passenger window to the structure he had hoped to find dark and quiet. Instead, light bathed the farmer's porch of the large cabin near the door, and smoke flowed from the chimney of the family room fireplace. He leaned his forehead against the steering wheel and shut his eyes, muttering. After a sigh, he turned off the engine and stepped out.
The snow had made the path to the front door slippery, and the bags he carried made the short walk treacherous. He reached for the doorknob as it was his cabin as much as anybody's but pulled his hand back. The wind, bitter now that the sun had set, began chilling his ears and the back of his neck. He turned, looked at the car and its fresh tracks, and took the first step down the stairs, ready to wrestle the bags back into the trunk and forget the whole thing.
Just as he passed the last stair and touched the ground, the cabin's front door opened, and a woman appeared.
"Matty?"
Matt turned to face her. "Hello Julia," he said.
Julia Williams chuckled. "Well, don't just stand there. Come on in!"
He adjusted the bags hanging from his shoulder and retraced his steps back to the front door and in. Julia closed the door behind him.
"Matty, you're freezing! How long were you standing there?" She began brushing snowflakes from his jacket.
"Not long," he said. "I just got here."
She shook her head. "And almost left again, I think." She glanced out the window. "Where is Beth?" She asked.
Matt heaved his bags to the floor and pulled off his coat. "Beth left me, and she moved back with her parents."
Julia's face fell. "I'm so sorry, Matt. When?"
"A month ago," he said.
Julia embraced him, patting his back. "Get your shoes off and warm up," she said. "I've got the fire going."
Matt pulled off his shoes, grabbed a canvas bag, and followed her into the family room. He stopped at the bar area to unload the liquor.
"Somebody's gone shopping," she said. Then she watched bottle after bottle line the bar. "You rob a liquor store?"
Matt shrugged. "I was feeling sorry for myself when I shopped." He looked at the collection. "It isn't like Scotch goes bad," he said.
Julia sat on the loveseat facing the fire and patted the empty seat, and Matt obliged and seated himself but failed to make eye contact.
"You were thinking about bolting, weren't you," she said.
He leaned back, rubbed his hands on his thighs, and said, "I considered it. I didn't want to be a third wheel with you and Jim." Matt looked around. "Where is Jim?"
"Business trip," Julia said matter-of-factly.
"On the Monday before Thanksgiving?"
"Oh," said Julia. "Did I say business trip? I meant he's fucking his ski bunny in Vale."
"Shit, Julia, I'm sorry. Has this been going on long?" Matt finally looked at her, reaching for her hand, and she took it and shrugged.
"Yes and no," she said. "Before the ski bunny, it was a flight attendant; before that, it was a woman from his squash club."
He shook his head. "Christ, Julia, why are you still married to him?"
"I won't be for long," she said. "I got the divorce started before driving up here. I've got enough on him that he should be willing to agree to a big fat settlement. At least, I hope so."
"So it's just the two of us? Just the two cousins hanging out together again? That sounds nice," he said.
She squeezed his hand. "It does, doesn't it?" she said. "But we're not kids anymore, so I can say this: get me a goddamn drink!"
Matt stood. "I thought you'd never ask," he said.
The bar was along the right wall when facing the fireplace. He took his glass, found a second for Julia, and put two fingers of single malt into both. When he returned to her, she took the glass, motioned for him to lean down, and kissed his cheek.
"I'm glad you came," she said. "I was worried something was wrong when I didn't hear from you for months. I came early, just in case."
Matt smiled for the first time the whole trip. "It's a family tradition. Our moms inherited the property from their parents, and now it's our place, the two cousins. We're all that's left. I don't know. It felt like I was on autopilot. I packed my bags last night, got up, and drove here. It's Thanksgiving, and this is where I'm supposed to be."
He returned to the loveseat, and Julia tipped her glass toward him. They clinked them and sipped.
Julia closed her eyes. "You always bought the good stuff," she said. "Did you eat? I didn't even think, and I brought some food. Do you want me to make you something?"
He sipped. "I ate on the road. Thanks. We can go to the store tomorrow and figure out what we need for the week. When are you going back?"
"Not until Sunday," she said. "So you're stuck with me for a week."
He smiled. They clinked glasses again and sipped.
"Well," she said, "if you're not going to eat, then at least get settled in. Your bags are still by the door. Why don't you haul all your stuff to your bedroom, change into something more comfortable, and I'll meet you back here."
Matt stood and stretched. "Good idea."
Twenty minutes later, Matt returned to find Julia stretched out on a blanket spread on the floor. She was wearing a dark kimono robe adorned with cherry blossoms draped over her as she leaned against the front of the loveseat, her feet close to the fire.
Matt returned wearing a T-shirt and running shorts. He stood before Julia and smiled.
"Just like when we were kids," he said. "I like it."
"Even better now," she replied, "because we have booze."
He snickered and turned his attention to the fire, adding a few logs and poking the arrangement until it returned to life. Then he settled beside her and looked relaxed for the first time since his arrival.
"Just the two of us on the floor with the blanket," he said. "Just like when we were kids."
She smiled and said, "But no other pesky adults now. It's just us. Cozy."
Matt drained his second drink, then rose to refill it. "Can I get you anything?" He asked while pouring another couple of fingers for himself.
"No," she said. "I've got another idea."
The room was illuminated only by firelight. Matt stood for a moment by the bar and looked at his cousin. She was beautiful, her kimono flowing just below her perfect ass, barely containing her tits. Her dark blonde hair was just above shoulder length, framing her face and contrasting with her bright, penetrating eyes. As a child, she had always been pretty, and now she appeared as a goddess.
As Matt settled back in with his drink, Julia opened a drawer and found a small box. She extracted a joint and looked at Matt. "Want to share?" She said.
"I'm sticking with the single malt tonight," he said.
"Your loss," she said, "and lit it. She inhaled deeply, held it, and blew a stream toward the corner of the room.
They were quiet for a time, then she giggled and said, "You're staring at my boobs again."
Snickers turned into laughter. "Remember when we were kids?" She said.
"I was ten!" He said, hands before him to ward off the attack.
Julia roared. "I came over that summer. You were ten, I was thirteen, and you were dumbfounded. I had boobs! Boobs!"
"I had no idea what to think. Here's my cousin, my best friend, my video game partner for my whole life, and suddenly she has boobs!"
"Boobs!" She shouted to the ceiling.
More laughter. Matt continued, "Adults had boobs. But you were just Julia, another kid, and there they were."
"We finally got the game console going, and you were fine while we were playing, but as soon as we stopped, you just stared at my boobs and wouldn't say a word."
Matt took another swig and shouted, "Boobs!"
"Boobs!" She replied, laughing.
They settled down, and Matt spoke again. "You were always just out of reach," he said.
Julia looked confused.
"When I was ten, you were becoming an adult. In high school, I thought you were the most beautiful girl in the world, but you were in college. When I was in college, you started your career and married some rich guy, and I was always left behind."
"I didn't know you felt that way," she said.
They were quiet for a while, and Julia reached into the drawer again. "Don't make fun of me," she said. "I like to smoke when I'm high. It relaxes me."
Matt watched her extract a cigarette from the pack and light it.
"You're staring again," she said. "What do you see?"
Matt took a deep breath. "I see a film noir starlet, a femme fatale, mysterious, beautiful, seductive, languidly smoking while plotting her next heist or blackmail, her kimono draped over her perfect body, her breasts, her ass, giving zero fucks for anything that doesn't fit her plans, and needing no man to survive."
Julia took another drag. "Remind me to buy you more Scotch. I like this new you."
Matt looked at his glass before taking another sip. "The Scotch just loosened the tongue. I've thought that about you for a long time."
