Because I like her.
I like hertoomuch.
She’s right.
I’m fucking terrified.
I found my reason for living in Hawaii. My purpose. What I want to do every day for the rest of my life.
I foundher. And I watched her laugh. Squeal with utter joy. Try new things. Step outside of her comfort zone.
And all the while, I felt like she was finally seeing me.
Like she liked me back.
Fear isn’t usually my thing.
But I’m terrified who I am and what I do would hurt her so badly that I’d break her.
And no matter how much I justify that what I did was right and necessary, I still hate myself for doing it.
There’s a crunch of boots on old snow out front. I’m carrying so much tension in my back that I don’t even know who I am anymore.
“Nice signs. They work?” Sabrina calls from somewhere around my cabin, completely deflating me. Not Laney. Not anyone from town either. Lots of them have been checking up on me. Well-meaning, every last one.
But I’m getting tired.
“If they don’t, my giant axe usually does,” I tell her.
She ignores the subtle threat and strolls around back and into view. Where I look like a lumberjack who’s taken one too many hits to the head with the wrong side of his maul, she’s close to picture-perfect in black leggings, black snow boots, a black wool coat, black gloves, and a black beanie—all of which have a dusting of dog fur—over her massive black sunglasses.
Or maybe she’s just picture-perfect because she looks like a red-haired, pale-cheeked, dog-loving grim reaper and Death sounds like good company.
“Over yourself yet?” she asks me.
“Nothing to be over.”
“I noticed you haven’t posted anything new since we got back.”
“It’s beenthree fucking days. Thanks for subscribing. Always like taking my sister’s friend’s money.”
The sound of helicopter blades beating the air drum overhead.
I flinch.
She looks up. “Wow. They’re even coming from the sky to spy on you.”
I head for my cabin’s back door.
Not sitting out here waiting for more freaking reporters to get a picture of me, even dressed and looking like a loner mountain man.
Sabrina hustles behind me and slips into my cozy little kitchen as well before the door shuts behind her. Three of my kittens swarm immediately. Fred’s hovering behind my empty coffee cup next to the sink. Left it there just for him. He likes cover, even if he’s starting to like me a little more.
“Whoa. You really did take an entire litter of cats home from Hawaii.”
“No idea what you’re talking about.”
She makes a frustrated noise. “Laney thinks you still live in that single-wide at the edge of your dad’s property.”
