My brows pulled together. “What do you mean,stood you up?”
The expression on her face shifted instantly from playful to puzzled to downright panicked.
“Oh no,” she muttered, her eyes widening. “Ohno.”
Then, like a curse whispered into the wind: “Sienna.”
I blinked. “Everything okay?”
“Define okay,” she said, dragging a hand down her face.
I slowly walked closer, not wanting to spook her like a woodland creature caught in a lie.
She was still flushed, with her cheeks flaming red and her shoulders stiff with embarrassment.
“Sienna told me…” Fifi started, voice tight, “that you’d called the lodge. Said you wanted company. Said you asked if I was free to be your guide.”
My mouth opened. Closed. I stared.
“I never—”
“I know!” she said quickly, mortified. “I mean, I didn’tknowknow. But I figured it outreal fastwhen you looked at me like I was a bad hallucination.”
I couldn’t help it. I laughed, just a short, surprised sound erupted from nowhere.
She groaned and flopped back onto the bench. “This issoon brand for my family. Manipulate the universe into giving me a love life. Subtlety? We don’t know that word.”
I sat down beside her, careful to leave space but not too much.
“I’m sorry,” she said, rubbing her forehead. “You didn’t sign up for this ambush. I swear I wasn’t trying to sneak-attack you with a meet-cute. I honestly thought—” She broke off, looking even more flustered. “Ugh. I feel like a walking romantic moron without a script.”
I looked at her, truly looked.
She wasn’t just embarrassed.
She wasvulnerable.
And something inside me twisted all sharp and protective.
I didn’t like seeing her like that.
I didn’t like that someone made her feel small, even if it was just her well-meaning chaos goblin of a sister.
“You didn’t do anything wrong,” I said, quietly but firm.
She looked over at me, brows drawn, lips slightly parted.
“And you’re not ridiculous. Or pushy. Or a…” I added. “Well, maybe a little.”
That got the tiniest smile out of her.
“I didn’t mind finding you here,” I said, surprising myself.
Her eyes lifted with hope and curiosity.
“I was thinking about you the whole hike,” I admitted. “Not on purpose. Believe me, Itriednot to.”
She laughed a soft, disbelieving sound. “You did?”
