The timer goes off exactly when it should. I pull the chicken and potatoes from the oven, and the sight makes me actually proud of myself. The chicken is golden-brown with a glossy glaze from the honey, the skin perfectly crispy. The potatoes are roasted to perfection, crispy on the outside and fluffy inside.
I let everything rest for a few minutes while I plate. Two wide, shallow bowls so it looks artistic. Potatoes arranged carefully on one side, chicken sliced to show the juicy interior, a sprinkle of the lavender salt over everything. I add a sprig of fresh thyme for garnish.
It looks like something from a cooking magazine. Like something a real chef would make.
I carry both bowls to the dining room and set them down, then I put a little chicken and two potatoes in a small ceramic bowl for Skyler because she never eats a lot. I pause. I should tell River the food is ready, but I can hear voices from the living room—River’s deeper tone and Skyler’s high-pitched narration.
I move quietly to the doorway and stop.
River is sitting cross-legged on his pristine hardwood floor, surrounded by Barbie dolls. He’s holding what looks like Ken—or maybe a prince, I can’t tell from here—and he’s making him talk to one of Skyler’s Barbies with complete seriousness.
“I’m sorry, Princess Glitter,” River’s Ken says in a terrible British accent, “but I cannot possibly attend your royal ball. I have a very important business meeting with the dragons.”
“But you have to come!” Skyler’s Barbie sounds distressed. “Otherwise the evil witch will steal all the cupcakes!”
“The cupcakes?” River’s Ken sounds shocked. “Not the cupcakes! This changes everything.”
Skyler giggles, delighted, and orchestrates an elaborate scene involving a horse, a dramatic chase, and what I think is supposed to be a castle made from couch cushions.
River plays along with everything. He doesn’t check his phone, doesn’t look bored, doesn’t suggest she play by herself. He’s fully engaged, making his Barbies do silly voices and playing out her elaborate storylines with the same focus he probably gives his documentary footage.
My chest feels too tight. This is dangerous territory. I’m watching River Stone, former child actor and aspiring filmmaker, playing Barbies on the floor with my niece like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
This is how it starts. This is how walls crack and hearts break and everything falls apart. Because I’m not just attracted to him anymore. It’s worse than that.
I’m starting to actually like him. The real him, not just the handsome exterior. The him who helps move furniture without being asked. The him who takes playing Barbies seriously because a five-year-old asked him to. The him who offers his space to a stranger’s kid without hesitation.
This is very, very bad.
“Kiera!” Skyler spots me in the doorway. “Come play with us! River is being Ken, and I need you to be the evil witch!”
“Dinner’s ready,” I manage to say, my voice rougher than I intend. “But I can come be the evil witch after we eat.”
“Okay!” Skyler abandons her Barbies and scrambles to her feet. “What are we having?”
River stands too, brushing off his jeans, and when he looks at me, there’s something warm in his eyes that makes my heart stutter.
“Lavender chicken,” he says, not breaking eye contact. “Made by the most talented chef on the island.”
I should correct him. Should make a sarcastic comment about how I’m probably the only person on the island who tried to cook with lavender today. Should do anything except stand here listening to my heartbeat in my ears.
But I don’t. I just turn and head to the dining room, acutely aware of River following behind me, of the way this evening has shifted from professional to personal without my consent.
CHAPTER 13
RiverStone
Wednesday, June 2
Skyler shovelsanother forkful of chicken into her mouth like she’s in some kind of speed-eating competition, her cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk storing acorns for winter.
“Skyler,” Kiera says, but I can see her fighting a smile. “Slow down. The Barbies aren’t going anywhere. They’ll wait for you.”
“But Princess Glitter needs to go to the ball!” Skyler protests around her mouthful of food. “And Ken is waiting for her!”
“Ken has been waiting this long, he can wait five more minutes.” Kiera’s trying to sound stern, but her eyes are sparkling with barely contained laughter. “Chew your food properly or you’re going to choke.”
Skyler makes a dramatic show of chewing slowly, her jaw working in exaggerated circles. Kiera’s lips twitch, and she presses them together, but a small laugh escapes anyway. It’s a bright, genuine sound that makes something warm bloom in my chest.
