But “later” would just make it worse.
Dex:Now?
Leigh:Would tomorrow be better? We can’t avoid this conversation though.
She was right. We couldn’t. Not if we were going to survive the next eight weeks.
Dex:Where?
Leigh:The pond? At the farm? In 20 minutes?
The pond. Where the wedding would be. Where I’d have to watch Trace and Delaney get married while pretending I wasn’t dying inside. How did she even know about it? Delaney must have shown her. It made sense. She was going to have to photograph the wedding there after all and even I could admit that it was a beautiful spot.
But it was also private. Neutral. Better than trying to do this in public.
Dex:I’ll be there.
I turned the truck around and headed back to the farm, my heart pounding the entire way.
The farmhouse was dark when I pulled up. Everyone must have left already. I parked near the barn and walked down to the pond, my hands in my pockets, trying to figure out what the hell I was going to say to her.
The pond was peaceful at night. Moonlight reflected off the water, crickets sang in the grass, and a wooden dock Trace had recently installed stretched out over the water. I sat at the end of it, feet dangling over the edge, and waited.
Fifteen minutes later, I heard a car. Saw headlights sweep across the property. Then she was walking toward me, a silhouette against the farmhouse lights.
My chest tightened.
She didn’t say anything as she approached. Just walked onto the dock and sat down, keeping distance between us.
The silence stretched. Heavy with everything we weren’t saying.
Finally, she spoke.
“This is going to be hell if we can’t figure out how to be in the same room together.”
“I know.”
“I need this.” Her voice was firm. “The photography. It’s important to me. And they’re my family now. I’m not walking away.”
“I’m not asking you to.”
“Good. Because I wouldn’t.” She paused. “But I also can’t do the next eight weeks with this... whatever this is between us.”
I turned to look at her. She was staring out at the water, her profile illuminated by moonlight. Beautiful and stubborn and everything I couldn’t have.
“What do you want me to say?”
“I don’t know.” She finally looked at me. “Maybe explain why you freaked out? Why you tried to call them like I was some kind of problem you needed to solve?”
The accusation in her voice made me wince. Because she was right. That’s exactly what I’d done.
“Because you’re their sister,” I said quietly. “And I’m their... I’m their family too. And I couldn’t… I shouldn’t have…”
“Shouldn’t have kissed me? Shouldn’t have wanted me?”
“Yes.” The word came out rough.
“Why? Because they’d disapprove? Because I’m off-limits?”
