“This is amazing,” I said to Elyna.
“It’s Phoenix’s special recipe. He kind of won me over with that cobbler,” she admitted, and then the two of them stared deeply into each other’s eyes, clearly sharing a memory.
Eric cleared his throat. “Cleanup time. We need to give these love birds some space.”
Everyone started to laugh and we took that as our cue. Everyone migrated toward the kitchen to clean up, still talking over one another. Elyna pressed a jar of peach preserves into my hand “For the walk home.”
“I’m sorry I can’t drive you; I’ve had a little too much to drink.” Sandy giggled. I knew she was living at the main house with Pierre.
I shook my head. “No worries. I need the walk and the fresh air feels nice.”
I thanked Phoenix and Elyna for being such gracious hosts and thanked Pierre for always being so welcoming. I laughed at something Asher said, and said a goodbye to Becket, who reminded me to always be on alert. I knew he meant well, but I hated the thought. I believed I had bought myself some peace and quiet in Montreal for many years, but shadows don’t stay silent forever. My father and his business were always lurking in the background, and I should have known better. I gave Eric asmall wave. He had been unusually quiet at dinner. A part of me hoped he would offer me a ride home, but only because I wanted to be close to him. That was becoming a problem because it was clear that whatever we had died a long time ago.
Outside, the night was cold and still. I wandered to the back porch where the light from the kitchen spilled in soft squares and watched the trees in the orchard sway. This place was the opposite of where I grew up. It was warm, the orchards bright and beautiful. This place was serenity.
The door creaked behind me and I jumped.
Eric.
He stepped out, holding his jacket but not wearing it, the scent of cinnamon and flour still clung to him. “Didn’t mean to scare you,” he said.
“You didn’t.”
He nodded toward the yard, moonlight catching the frost on the grass. “We had some fun times running through the orchard at night. Before everything got complicated.”
“I remember,” I said and swallowed hard because, boy, did I remember. We couldn’t keep our hands to ourselves. Not after the first kiss we shared by accident.
He smiled faintly.
The memory hit so clear it hurt. My hands tangling in the strands of his hair, our tongues dancing in a way that always ignited a fire inside me. Everything with Eric had been special. The way he’d looked at me, like I was something rare, before the rest of the world told us we weren’t allowed to be rare together.
“Life is definitely unexpected,” I said, hoping to break the silence.
“It is,” he agreed. “I never thought you’d come back here. I mean, after everything that went down with your dad.”
“You mean that I provided testimony to lock him away for a long time?” I asked.
His lips pinched and he shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah.”
“I can’t run forever, Eric. I got tired of that. I need to face whatever happens and stop worrying about looking over my shoulder.”
“You shouldn’t have to live that way,” he said. It was the same thing he said to me all those years ago. He made me believe I was more than my family.
The space between us tightened. Wind pressed against the porch screens. The sound of laughter floated from inside, faint and faraway.
“You ever miss it?” he asked.
“Miss what?”
“Before.” His eyes searched mine. “When it was just us trying to figure our lives out.”
I swallowed. “Sometimes.”All the time.
He shifted closer, close enough I could see the faint scar along his jaw, the one he got from playing hockey. His voice dropped. “You always smelled like lemon back then. Like something sweet that shouldn’t have survived the fire but did.”
“Eric…”
He reached up, brushed a strand of hair from my face, fingers lingering against my skin. “Easy, Sunshine.” His old nickname for me.
