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Which leads to the most important question.
How the hell am I going to tell Caleb?
Chapter eight
Piper
Theharvestmoonishigh in the sky as we drive into the mountains, lighting the pine trees and waterfalls up with a beautiful orange glow.
And I'm petrified of what's to come.
The last time I was here, I was out of my mind with grief. I'd screwed things up with Caleb for the last time, and he made it clear he was ready to move on. I'd gotten clean, sure, but he'd found love in the interim.
And it hurt, but I was happy for him. I made myself accept it. I made myself wish him well and leave town.
Then I found Jesse...and it was like everything that clicked into place.
Jesse is all the things I loved about Caleb without any of the parts that didn't work. He's smart, funny, kind...but he's also adventurous. He has a dangerous streak, this desire to take risks and have fun. He's laid back where Caleb was always buttoned-up and polite.
He fucks me like he's a wild man.
And now...we've made a life together, without even really trying.
I won't fuck this up.
I can't.
Not again.
My hand rests on my stomach as I stare out the window, longing to paint this beautiful place. I haven't felt inspired since Jesse left, but all of a sudden I want a brush in my hand right away.
"Is there an art supply store in Fern Hollow?" I ask, glancing over at Jesse. He has his eyes on the road, his expression serious. I don't know what's on his mind, but I can guess that it starts with a "C" and ends in "-aleb." Jesse meets my eyes for a split second before he shakes his head.
"No clue," he says. "I'm not the most artsy of guys, in case you forgot."
"I don't know," I shrug. "You have an eye for color."
"I almost always wear black," he laughs.
"You've always appreciated my art," I laugh with him.
He gives me a small smile. "It's easy to appreciate your art, Piper."
I doze off a little while after that, and I don't wake up again until gravel crunches under the tires. I stir and look over at Jesse, and I find him slowing down, trees outside the window.\
"Where are we?" I ask.
"Hart House," he says. "Or...that's what we've started calling it. This is where we all landed when we came to town, but now it's just me and my mom. And...Eli's still here. Shit."
"Eli?" I ask, searching my memory for who that is. There's a battered old truck in the driveway that must belong to this 'Eli' guy. "Wait a second...Sadie's husband?"
"Yeah," Jesse says, unbuckling his seatbelt. "Can you stay here for a second?"
I nod and Jesse gets out, and I watch as he walks into the cozy-looking cabin in front of us. An owl hoots somewhere nearby, and I roll down my window and peer into the trees to see if I can find it.
It's so quiet out here.
So different from San Francisco.
