Lark isn’t wrong—it’s still colder than we are used to. Hovering at a crisp fifty degrees Fahrenheit, it really is what the South would consider frigid, but we knew that on the drive north. Though experiencing the weather drop is something else entirely. There is no preparing for that.
Hoping they run into a ghost or at least some kind of hibernating creature, I glance out the window, but only find my reflection staring back at me. Today, my curls aren’t as frizzy. They are tamer than usual, but bouncing all over my face. My freckles feel more pronounced as my tan fades from the summer, also showcasing just how red my lips are. I feel warm now, dressed in jeans and several long-sleeved shirts, but I know I’ll need another layer and a hat to walk through the woods.
My phone vibrates in my pocket, startling me. That graveyard holds a spook level of ten.
“Hello?” I answer, gazing through the window as I make my way over to the table.
“Wren!” Robin’s voice springs to life over the line, a lifeline in an unknown world.
“Little brother.”
“Little sister.”
“Just because you are taller than me doesn’t make you my older brother.”
“Ah, yes, but you are little.”
I roll my eyes, though he can’t see my face. “What’s up?”
“Thanksgiving. So I got the week off, and I’ll head down to check out this town you got stranded in.” Excitement bubbles in his voice.
It’s been over a year since I’ve seen my brother, and right now, I just can’t wait to hug him, a real hug, not a stick hug, one where we both throw our whole body into it. I miss my baby brother.
That’s when I realize he could take us home, w ell, his home. He could bring his van and pack us up and take us there. He’s the one that got me a job at the resort he works at, so maybe I could start early.
But is it what I want? Unsure, I nibble on my lip, feeling a strain between what I had planned and where the road led me.
“I can’t wait,” I say, but as the words fall from my lips, I can hear the excitement lacking in my voice.
“What’s wrong? Don’t you want me to visit?” He pauses. “You’re so close, closer than you’ve ever been.”
“Robin, that isn’t it at all. I really want to see you, believe me, I do.” I swallow, glancing around to make sure no one is listening. Robin is one of the few people I’ll spill my soul to, and I don’t want anyone listening in. “I just realized you can bring us back with you.”
“Ah.” Not even an actual word, but a grunt that says more than words ever could. Robin always had a way of seeing right through me. “Listen, I can’t stay on the phone long. I just wanted to let you know I’d be there for Thanksgiving. But, Wren?”
“Yeah?” I chew on my cuticle, knowing he’s about to destroy my reality.
“Maybe you should think about why you don’t want to leave in the first place.” His breath blows over the receiver before hetacks on, “Love you.” The line goes dead as my eyes stray out at the graveyard, where Saffron and Lark wander.
Not all who wander are lost.
CHAPTER 13
Nerves flutterdeep in my belly as the creak of the door brings a soft gust of crisp wind, along with the faintest whistle.
It’s not a date.
The floorboards groan with Arlo’s soft steps, each of them sending a pang straight to my stomach.
It really isn’t a date.
I smell him before I see him, that spicy scent swirling around me with the wind. I inhale him, and it causes a small flutter to rise in my throat.
This feels like a date.
Swallowing thickly, I glance up at the doorway, finding Arlo in his heavy red flannel. The black knit beanie on his head hides his dark hair. His beard is neatly trimmed, no longer hiding the dimple in his smile, and those baby blue eyes find me across the room.
That’s when my eyes land on the brown bag in his hand with tissue paper sticking out of the top.
