I wasn’t sure what that meant anymore.
But Sienna’s laugh filled my mind again. That bright spark. That unexpected pull.
“It is not that simple,” I said quietly.
“It never is,” he replied. “But that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth trying. Go on some hikes, learn about her. Maybe she’ll annoy you in the first week, and you won’t even have to worry about it.”
I didn’t respond. Not for a long moment.
Eventually, my brother sighed and added, “Call me anytime. Even if it’s weird.”
“It’s always weird.”
He laughed. “Yeah. I noticed. Goodnight, man.”
“Goodnight.”
The call ended.
The cabin was silent again.
Only now, the silence didn’t feel empty.
It felt full, heavy, and laced with the unsettling truth that my brother had just done the exact opposite of what I had intended.
Instead of talking me out of being curious, he had accidentally nudged me toward it.
I leaned back on the bed and stared at the ceiling.
Six trips.
Side by side.
Sienna Harper’s laugh echoing through the trees, her energy filling the air, her presence tugging at the parts of me I’d tried to bury.
I didn’t want this.
But the thought of being out there in the wilderness with her—
I closed my eyes.
Possibly the first mistake of the season had already been made.
And it wasn’t hers.
It was mine.
Letting her get under my skin.
Chapter Seven
Sienna
The next couple of days passed with an almost suspicious level of smoothness.
Too smooth if you were to ask me, which, apparently, nobody did.
But it was as if the universe was trying to lull me into a sense of security before dropping another mortifying moment directly on my head.
