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I almost smashed my thumb with the hammer. “Nothing, why?”
“You guys have been acting weird,” Flynn said, continuing to work on the roof. “Weirder than usual.”
I wanted to tell him, but the timing wasn’t right. Flynn had too much on his plate to worry about us. “I think everyone’s emotions are a little heightened right now. We all loved this place.”
Flynn exhaled heavily as he stared down at the lake. “I feel like I’ve let everyone down.”
“You haven’t let anyone down. We all make mistakes…some just cost more than others.” Fear flooded my veins. If Daisy and I were a mistake, it would cost me my entire family.
We worked silently for a while, both in deep thought, before Flynn finally spoke. “So, tell me more about this job offer?”
I wiped the sweat from my forehead to hide my grimace. “It’s at a center in Manhattan calledFinding Beauty.They teach troubled kids how to express themselves through art. Lanie wants me to run some of their classes.”
Flynn’s hammer halted. “Ethan! That’s perfect for you! And in New York! You’d love living over there. The art scene is incredible.” He shook his head with a broad smile. “I’m proud of you, man. You deserve this.”
My heart swelled, then instantly deflated. Itwasthe perfect job, but the perfect girl lived in California. She’d never leave her family home, nor would I ask her to.
“I’m assuming you’ve told Daisy the exciting news?”
My stomach churned. “Um…no…” I had to tell him. “Becaus—”
“Fuck!” Flynn yelled out as another piece of roof crumbled. “Daisy’s right. I should be enjoying the cabin, not wasting my time trying to preserve something Susan’s likely to demolish…or burn down.”
My body turned to ice. “Wait… You heard us talking down there?”
“I can hear everything up here,” Flynn said while throwing the pieces of rotten timber onto the ground below.
Fuck!With a pounding heart, I scrambled off the roof and down the ladder, praying Daisy had taken a nap or gone for a walk. “Daise,” I called as I marched into the cabin, forcing myself to remain calm. I didn’t want her finding out like this. “Daisy!” I raced into the bunk room to have my chest pummeled by two tiny fists.
“You’re moving to New York?!” she cried out as she shoved me away.
“No!” I clutched her arms as tears streamed down her face. “I’m not. I’m not taking the job.”
“What?!” She sucked in a harsh breath. “Why not?!”
“You know why.”
She lowered her head as it shook vigorously. “You’re not going to miss this opportunity, Ethan…not for me.”
“For us, Daisy.”
“No!” Her gaze snapped to mine. “You can’t. I know that program, and it’s perfect for you. You could help so many kids. Kids that are like you were.” She placed the last of her things into a suitcase and zipped it up. “I’m not going to stand in the way of that.”
Tears flooded my eyes. “Daisy…I want to stay.” When she didn’t respond, I clasped her arm and twisted her to face me.
The muscles under my fingers tensed as her eyes turned to steel. “And I want you to go.”
“Daisy, please…”
Her jaw grew taut as she held back the emotion saturating her gaze. “I just wish you would’ve told me before.”
I rubbed my heart as if anticipating the break. “Before what?”
She motioned between us. “Before this,” she hissed out. “We never should’ve slept together.”
A loud bang sounded above followed by a heavy tool rolling down the roof.Fuck, now Flynn knows.
“Then come with me,” I said, full of desperation. I couldn’t lose her now. We’d barely had a chance.
