"Ah, family. And who is your daddy?"
"Daniel Woodworth."
There's a flicker of recognition in PJ's eyes. Not sure if it’s good or bad.
"Wait a minute. You're Dan's daughter? And Knox’s sister from the city?"
"Yep, that's me," I reply, realizing I forgot just how small this town is and that I’m sure the news I’m here has already spread all the way through it. Something I didn’t miss in the city.
"Oh my." PJ smiles. "And do you have that same fiery spirit your father has?"
There's something about her—the way she holds herself, the lightness in her voice—that makes it impossible not to love her already. "I sure do, ma'am. But just a little less grumpy."
"Well, we all get a little more grumpy the older we get," she muses.
“Thought that was just you, Nana,” Fisher pipes up, raising an eyebrow.
She messes up his hair with a chuckle. “You keep talkin’ like that and I’ll start hiding vegetables in your cookies again.”
“Joke’s on you,” he says. “I know where your secret chocolate chip cookie stash is, and I swapped ‘em last time.”
She rolls her eyes and turns to me. “Well, Sawyer, we’ll get out of your hair. My table’s always open. You want a meal, you come eat. You want a drink, you come drink. We don’t lock doors in my house.” She winks. “You remember that.”
“Thank you, PJ, I appreciate it!”
My phone vibrates in my pocket, so I pull it out. Honey's name flashes on the screen.
Honey
How do you feel about going to the Woods tonight?
Sawyer
Woods as in… Weston Woods?
Honey
Don’t pretend you’re not dying to go back
Sawyer
It’s been forever. What if the nostalgia kills me?
Honey
A beautiful way to go if you ask me
I haven't been to the woods since high school. Back then, it was all bonfires and six packs, and someone's dad's truck blasting country until the speakers gave out. It was a place todisappear with a boy or your best friend—both most of the time.
I thumb a reply before I can second-guess it.
Sawyer
Fine
How could I ever say no to bad decisions with you?
Honey
