Her lips curve before she answers. “What’s on my mind. I’ve already done the other one. It doesn’t protect anyone in the long run.” She hesitates, then adds softly, “But, I guess I still hold back when I’m trying to protect myself.”
The familiar ache in my chest tightens as her gaze meets mine. “Same. I mean, the sayingwhat’s on my mindpart.”
Head tilted, she asks, “Because…?”
“Because to me, keeping it in doesn’t protect anyone. It only lets the silence do the damage for you.”
Cami’s gaze lingers on mine, and for a moment, it seems like she’s on the verge of saying something epic but chooses not to.
“Okay. Last one.” Shifting beside me, she tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she reads the card I pulled. “Would you rather…take a fall and risk losing it all or stay grounded and never find out what could’ve been?”
Bubble Girl stares straight ahead as if the road is holding its breath with her.
After a beat, I clear my throat.
“Depends on what the fall looks like.” I cast a glance her way. “If the view’s good enough on the way down, maybe the landing’s worth it.”
Her lips part slightly, but she says nothing.
And the tiniest smile tugs at her mouth. Like maybe she agrees.
CHAPTER 31
Knox
Shadow launches off the arm of the couch like she’s auditioning for the Feline Olympics. Stripe bolts after her, tail high, skidding across the hardwood until he crashes into the coffee table leg. A pen rolls off and clatters to the floor, followed by the remote.
“Unbelievable.” I crouch to collect the wreckage. “When did you two become menaces?”
Stripe stares up at me, wide-eyed and unapologetic, while Shadow swipes at my bare foot, tail flicking like she’s daring me to stop her.
Cami would usually be here laughing, narrating their chaos like she’s commentating the Kitten Bowl.
But the house feels different today. Lonely.
The infamous Trouble Triplets scooped her up this morning for a spa day and late lunch. The last thing I heard before the door shut was Cami’s half-hearted protest and Millie’s promise to “return her glowing and hydrated.”
That was four hours ago. Which leaves me here with two hyperactive kittens and my own thoughts. Not the safest combination.
I sink onto the couch, Stripe immediately pouncing into my lap while Shadow bats a ribbon—where the hell did she get that?—across the floor. Sunlight glints off the dark blue water, and the late-August breeze carries that sticky sweetness that only shows up when summer starts thinking about ending.
It’s been one week since Vermont, since goodbyes on the porch and the drive back to Crystal Cove, which somehow felt shorter than it should have. And still, every time I catch myself picturing the future, Cami’s there, too.
My phone buzzes on the coffee table, jolting me back to now. Mont’s name flashes across the screen.
I hesitate, thumb hovering. We’ve exchanged a few work messages since I got back, mostly business, nothing personal. But right now, I could use the distraction.
I swipe to answer and lean back against the couch. “Mont.”
“Hey,” he booms, big and unmistakably Mont. “Wanted to make sure you’re still alive.”
“Still breathing.” I glance at Stripe, who’s now batting at my sleeve. “Visited my grandparents and my mom. My grandpa fell and hurt his hip.”
“That’s dangerous,” he says. “Hope he’s okay?”
A low chuckle slips out as I rub a hand over my jaw. “Yeah. Almost one hundred percent back to his feisty self.”
Mont clears his throat. “So…haveyoufallen yet?”
