"Not Kylie?"
Kayla's eyebrows shot up. "How do you know that name?"
Noah waved his hand at the market in general. "Lots of people mentioned you used to live here but that your name used to be Kylie and that you didn't seem to want to talk about being from here so they were minding their business." The last three words sounded very much like he was quoting his elders, and an unintended giggle burst from Kayla's chest.
"Well, they're right. Mostly because I don't want to draw attention to Virtue, not because I don't like it here."
A wise look came into the little boy's eyes. "Oh. Yeah, I know about not wanting people to know about Virtue."
Now see,Kayla demanded of her owl,how does Noah know at age nine, and Jordan didn't know at all?
The owl gazed at her with the most empty-headed expression possible, and Kayla couldn't help smiling at it. To Noah, she said, "So let's keep it under the hat, okay? About me being from here."
Noah mimicked stuffing the information under his hat, then yelled, "Hello! Would you like to donate to—oh, it's you, hi!" and Kayla turned to see that Jordan himself had earned the enthusiastic response.
Her own heart lit up with equal enthusiasm, relief and joy sweeping through her at seeing him again. Jordan's smile was tentative, like he wasn't sure of his reception, although it broadened as he looked past her to Noah. "It is me. Hi again, Noah. Mind if I steal Ms. Walsh from you for a while?"
Noah tossed his head and put on a very grown-up, self-possessed voice. "Kaylaand I were just chatting while she waited for you. You two have fun at the market."
"Oh, well, thanks, great," Jordan said, nonplussed. "Kayla?" He offered his arm, and the two of them managed to get around a corner, out of sight, before breaking down into rib-aching laughter. "Kaylaand I," Jordan whispered through his laughter, trying to match Noah's tone. "Oh my God, that kid's parents must just aboutdie, dealing with him!"
"I can't even imagine," Kayla whispered back, shaking with giggles. "If only we were all so self-confident!"
"If only," Jordan said, a sudden wistful note in his voice, and Kayla straightened, fully understanding what caused it. She put her hand on his arm, looking up at him, no more laughter in her voice or eyes.
"Jordan. I'm not getting back together with Boone, okay?"
Chapter 18
An absolutely stupid level of relief swept through Jordan, though he tried to play it cool. "Honestly, Kayla, I mean, it's really not my business, is it? I'm not gonna lie, I'd be happy if you weren't, but…"
"I'm not," she said again, her eyes almost sad. "Honestly, him showing up here was the last thing I expected, and it's a nice gesture and all, but even if I hadn't met you…" Kayla shook her head.
Jordan's heart leaped and he couldn't stop a smile from spreading over his face. "Even if you hadn't met me, huh? So I'm not the only one who thinks that maybe there's something happening here?"
Kayla ducked her head, then smiled back up at him, her gaze luminous, filled with the colors of Christmas lights from all around. "You are definitely not the only one. But even if Ihadn'tre-met you, the truth is that Boone is looking for something that I wasn't ready for, not with him. Even if we got back together I would always feel that pressure of knowing he wanted things I didn't. Besides," she said, like it was almost random, "I've never told him about my owl."
Jordan blinked. "Really?"
She made a little face of agreement, and Jordan took a moment to recalibrate. She'd toldhimabout the owl almost immediately. "…still not my business, but…how long were you together?"
"Almost two years."
And she'd never told him she was a shifter. Jordan nodded slowly, still taking that in. "So you never really thought he was the one," he said after a long moment. There were people all around, holiday noises, bright lights, colors, laughter, but it all swam into a soft blur, with nothing in his world in focus except Kayla.
She closed her eyes, long dark lashes tangling together, then looked at him again, gaze soft. "No. I never did. Shifters…oh, Jordan. I didn't want to tell you this. Not yet."
"It's not going to change how I feel about you, whatever it is," Jordan said firmly, then dropped his voice. "I mean, for heaven's sake, you told me you can turn into an owl andthatdidn't change how I felt, so whatever else you've got to say can't possibly."
Kayla laughed softly and put her arms around him, pulling herself close. "Howdoyou feel?"
"Like I'm the luckiest guy in the world," Jordan said promptly. "Like the incredibly cute girl from high school waltzed back into my life and swept me off my feet. Like I could spend the rest of my life sitting in the wings on a film set—whatever off-camera is called on a film set—watching you work, and be happy." He grimaced. "Possibly like I'm a loser who doesn't know what he wants to do with himself and definitely like somebody who doesn't want to mooch off you, but?—"
"You're not a loser," Kayla said with unexpected ferocity. "You're recalibrating, but you've had a whole sports career in an impossibly difficult field and you would never mooch. Jordan,would you really be happy tagging along after me? My life is so weird, and?—"
"I can't think of anything I'd rather do," he interrupted. "I know that's insane. We just re-met each other. But I swear, Kayla, from the minute I saw you again I've been all in. I don't know how we'll figure it out, but if you want to try, I'm sure we can."
"It's not crazy," Kayla whispered. "Listen—oh, this isn't the place to tell you," she added with a helpless laugh. "Out in the cold and the snow with three hundred people walking by, but Jordan, it's not crazy, okay? The other thing you need to know about shifters, the thing I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want you to feel pressured, is that…we know," she said, helpless again. "When we meet the person we're meant to be with, we know. We call it fate. And when you ran into me?—"
