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Val’s cheeks turn pink. “I’m on my way to work.”
“Really? Where are you working?”
“The Brookrose.” Her lips quirk up. “Today’s my first day.”
I nod, feeling a burst of pride for her. “That’s awesome, Teeny. So you decided to study tourism.”
Val freezes for a half second and I do, too. Was that a weird thing to say? Back when we were dating, Val wasn’t sure what she wanted to study. We used to joke about whether we’d end up working in similar career paths. “Two peas in a pot” was what Val (incorrectly) called it. Her mis-remembered expressions, said with so much sincerity, used to crack me up.
Then again, no one has ever made me laugh like Val has.
But that’s all in the past now.
“Anyway.” I clear my throat, my voice robotic. “What were you doing in the treehouse?”
Val looks at the house, grimaces like she did at the kid who peed in the ball pit when we were six (true story). “Oh, you know… First day jitters weren’t enough. Thought I’d risk my life on top of it all.”
“You always did know how to make an entrance.”
Her grimace deepens, but this time, it’s directed at me. “Yeah, well… I was taking a breather up there, and then I wanted to come down, but I saw you and…”
“You thought the best way to alert me to your presence was to scream and fall on me?”
A small smile tugs at her lips. “Exactly. Surprised?”
“You got me.”
Val giggles—a short, little laugh—and she looks back at the treehouse. I scan her side profile; I haven’t seen her up close like this in so long. Mascara lines her lashes, and her round cheeks are the same soft pink as strawberry ice cream.
The makeup enhances her features, but what I always loved most about Val were the things she used to say she hated—the slightly crooked front tooth in her smile, the birthmark on her collarbone, her curly brown hair… today tamed into a ponytail. In school, she used to straighten it with that hot iron thing. Flatten it to within an inch of its life. I still don’t understand why basically burning your hair off was a trend, but it made her happy, so it made me happy.
I did love its natural state, though—made her look like one of those fairies in a storybook. Especially with her tiny nose and sparkling amber eyes.
She shakes her head, and I look away just as she turns to me. “I should get going.” She sighs. “New job to work, guests to check in.”
“Right. Of course.” I step out of the way.
But Val doesn’t walk past me. Instead, she stands for a moment, a frown puckering her brow.
Then, for some inexplicable reason, she whips off her blazer and ties it around her waist. She shoots me a bright smile, and jogs off down the road. She doesn’t look back as she disappears around the corner, leaving me alone in front of our treehouse with the rope ladder at my feet. In Val’s tumble, it came down with her.
I’ll have to fix that. And be sure to keep my distance. After everything that’s happened between Val and me, the least I can do is give her the space she clearly wants.
I stick my hand in the letter box one final time before I continue on to the will reading.
4
Ethan
Four Years Ago
I manage to make it out of Val’s room, down the trellis, and through the front yard without squashing Mrs. Reyes-Murphy’s thriving carrot patch. Val was right—her mom is crazy proud of her carrots. As she should be; homegrown veggies are the best.
I intend to incorporate that into my cheffing at culinary school in Denver. It’s a short drive from Mirror Valley so I can stay close to my mom, grandparents, and of course, Val.
I’m not exactly thrilled about this sneaking around Val and I are doing these days. It’s difficult given the years that I had to hide what I was feeling for her. Now that we’re finally together, I don’t want to have to hide it anymore.
Val is my oldest friend, the girl I grew up with, my first crush. If this was one of Val’s cheesy movies, she’s the girl next door. Yeah, I tried to branch out, date other girls in my freshman and sophomore years, but I always came back to her. Always had her in the front of my mind.
