I didn’t say anything right away. My brain had gone quiet, the kind of quiet that came right before thunder. Her sweatshirt was oversized and hung slightly off one shoulder. She wore jeans and beat-up sneakers and looked like she hadn’t slept either.
And she was still the most arresting thing in the room.
“You okay?” I asked, because my mouth had to saysomething.
She nodded, straightening and pushing her loose strands back to her ponytail, but they didn’t stay put. So she blew on them instead, and the strands floated to where they belonged.
“Yep. Totally. Great. Just—” Her gaze dropped to the offending object she’d tripped over. “Sienna, is this your backpack? Again?”
Sienna blinked. “Huh. Yeah, must’ve sneaked out of the kitchen.”
“Yeah, right. The thing just magically falls off your shoulder to wherever suits you. I tripped over ityesterday.”
“And yet you survived to trip over it today.” Sienna grinned.
Fifi turned to me with a wry smile, brushing hair from her forehead. “Apologies on behalf of my family and their inability to follow basic hallway etiquette.”
I lifted my coffee mug. “I’ve seen worse.”
“Really?”
“No, not even a little.” I shook my head.
Sienna made a noise that was somewhere between a snort and a satisfied hum. “Well, I’ll leave you two be. I’ve got a mountain of laundered sheets to pretend I’m helping fold.”
She grabbed her juice and disappeared out the back like she’d just tossed a live grenade and wanted a good view of the fallout.
Fifi stood there, flustered but trying to play it cool.
I watched her for a beat.
She bit her lip. “Sorry about her. She thinks she’s matchmaking when she’s really just insertingherselfinto other people’s business.”
I shrugged. “She’s not wrong about the hike. Or the need for peace.”
Her eyes flicked up to mine, startled by the fact that I hadn’t recoiled from the suggestion.
“You thinking of checking out a hike?” she asked, folding her arms across her chest. “The wildflowers are blazing right now.”
“Maybe,” I said. “Though the wildflower part might be a stretch. I don’t see myself prancing through the fields picking flowers.”
“You’d look great with a daisy crown.” She winked at me.
I stared at her.
She broke into a grin.
And just like that, something in my chest relaxed just an inch.
But I felt it.
She pulled out a chair. “Mind if I join you?”
I hesitated.
Then nodded.
Because it was already too late to pretend I didn’t want her here.
