Twenty minutes later, we were back at the overlook with sandwiches and sodas from the deli. I dropped the tailgate and we sat on it, feet dangling, the valley spread out before us like something from a postcard.
“This is nice,” she said quietly, unwrapping her sandwich. “Peaceful.”
“It’s my favorite spot in Willowbrook. Don’t tell anyone. I like having it to myself.”
She smiled. “Your secret’s safe with me.”
We ate in comfortable silence for a few minutes. Then she asked, “Do you ever think about leaving?”
“Sometimes.” I took a drink of soda, considering. “But this is home. My brothers are here. The business is here. Everything I know is here.”
“But?”
“But sometimes I wonder what else is out there. What I’m missing by staying.”
“I understand that. I’ve lived in Blue Point Bay my whole life. Same town, same streets, same everything. Sometimes it feels like the world is bigger than I’ve let myself see.”
“Is that why you came here? To see something different?”
“Partly.” She paused. “Mostly to meet them. My brothers. To figure out if there was a part of me I’d never gotten to know because it was the part that was supposed to be here, with them. If this was a place I could belong without having to be someone else, or at least some version of me that didn’t quite feel right.”
“And can you?”
She looked at me, something vulnerable in her expression. “I don’t know yet. Everyone’s been so welcoming, but there’s this voice in my head that says I’m still the outsider. The secret. The complication.”
“You’re not a complication.”
“Aren’t I?” Her laugh was soft, sad. “My existence turned their whole family history upside down.”
“That’s not your fault. That’s on the adults who made the choices that led here.” I shifted to face her more fully. “And for what it’s worth? They don’t see you as a complication. I don’tthink they’ve ever even considered it. They see you as their sister. Because that’s what you are.”
Her eyes shimmered. “Thank you for saying that.”
“I mean it.”
We sat there, the moment stretching between us, and I realized I’d never wanted to kiss someone more in my entire life. Never wanted to pull someone into my arms, just because I knew how right it would feel to have them there.
I looked away before I could do something stupid.
“One more location?” I said, my voice rougher than intended. “Then we should probably head back.”
“Okay.”
We threw away our trash and got back in the truck. As I drove, I could feel her looking at me, could sense questions she wasn’t asking.
The next spot was a trail that followed a creek, the forest dense and green around us. Dappled sunlight, moss-covered rocks, the sound of water over stone. Perfect for natural, romantic shots.
Leigh walked ahead, camera clicking, and I followed like I was tethered to her. Like I couldn’t help myself.
She stopped to photograph the way light filtered through the canopy, and I stepped closer to see what she was capturing. Too close. Close enough that when she turned, we nearly collided.
My hands came up automatically to steady her, landing on her waist.
We both froze.
Her eyes were wide, her lips parted, and I could feel her heart racing under my palms. Or maybe that was mine. I couldn’t tell where I ended and she began.
“Sorry,” I said, not moving.
