Chapter 17
Kira’s familyalways said she stood out in a crowd. Loud. Boisterous. Sure to be seen and heard. In school, that might have been true. But who wanted to go unnoticed among their high school class? Shehadstood out. Gained popularity for a number of things:Biggest Flirt. Cutest Brunette.And Kira’s personal favorite,Most Likely to Make You Spit Out Your Milk(the yearbook staff’s version of funniest guy orgirl).
Meanwhile, Marissa—her complete opposite—was never on the radar for stuff like that. The girl got straight and still wasn’t voted by her classmates asbrainiest babebecause she made it her job in life to blend. The thing was, had her older sister been some wild, rebellious child, Kira would’ve looked like the tame one. It was allrelative.
Still, as Kira scanned the crowd, considering her sister’s aversion to standing out, she spotted her among the moving heads with ease. People usually slouched as they sat or walked or stood. At least a little. Marissa didn’t. And her love for turtlenecks and layered clothes surfaced anytime she stepped out of the state of Nevada. As if the world were divided into two distinct areas: Nevada andIceland.
And there she was, back rod-straight, a bag in each fist as she strode, looking composed amongst a sea of chaotic bustling. Folks tapping at phone screens, scrambling for items in bags and backpacks, or chugging down bottles of water. Marissa, for all her work to go unnoticed over the years, stood out in a crowd after all, and Kira couldn’t help but be charmed byit.
She grinned wide when their eyes met, her nerves all but gone. A rush of love and adoration poured into her at the sight of her sister. She scurried toward Marissa, rushing around a pillar, only to bump into the trash bin hiding behind it. Kira moved on, ducking beneath a retractable line barrier, and hurried over to give Marissa an exuberanthug.
“Why didn’t you just wait until the end of the gate like everyone else?” Marissa grumbled, pointing to a crowd filtering through the gate’sexit.
Kira only grinned. “I’m so glad you’re here.” And she meant it, for the most part. “Let me take these.” Kira pried a small carry-on case from one hand and an oversized bag from the other. “Did you check luggage or is thisit?”
Marissa readjusted the purse strap hanging over her shoulder. “Just carry-on,” she said, turning to look behindher.
“Well, are you hungry? Want to stop and get something to eat or just head right to my place? We can go to the diner and grab food once we get there if you’d like. Or they have this amazing little produce stand where they serve up fresh veggies with jicama, sweet peppers, all the fancy stuff you like …” Kira died off there as she realized Marissa was looking over her shoulder once more. Gawking was more likeit.
“Is there someone you want to talk to?” Kira asked, wondering if her sister had met someone during theflight.
“Well,” Marissa said, her brown eyes tight as she searched, “I have a surprise for you.” She checked the gold watch at her wrist and muttered to herself. “Where arethey?”
They?
Mom and Dad—her parents must’ve come too. Kira’s heart thundered as she turned to scan the passengers filtering out of the gate. She’d spoken with her parents about a dozen times or so since moving to Cobble Creek and texted more often than that. She’d sent pictures of the studio, outdoor snapshots of Main Street. Things between them were good. But they’d never hinted they might join Marissa for the tripthere.
A new wave of emotion took over as she considered seeing her parents now too. But then she saw something she hadn’t—for the life of her—expected to see. She thumped Marissa with her elbow. “Doyousee whoIsee, or am I going crazy?” Monty—skinny, cocky, and tall—slithered along the outskirts of thecrowd.
“That’swho I was lookingfor.”
“What!”If dumbfounded was an emotion, it had taken over every possible feeling she could feel. “But you saidthey.Liketwo peoplethey.”
“Yeah, see?” Marissa tipped her head in Monty’s direction. Kira jerked her eyes back to the crowd, barely able to get over the sight of her ex-boyfriend, when she spotted Finny Shea. “What ishappening?” She hadn’t believed in such things as mortal enemies before, but in that moment those two fit the bill for Kira. And her sister had carted them all the way to her newplace?
“Don’t be mad at me,” Marissa said, stretching out the final word in a patronizing tone. “Python and Finny have a lot to talk to you about, and they insisted on doing that in person. In fact …” Marissa leaned in. “They’re the ones who paid for my flighthere.”
This had all just gotten way too weird. Kira had had plenty of dreams that didn’t make sense. Driving down a winding road in a Ferrari one moment only to open a beeping microwave the next. All so she could settle into a cloud that turned into a giant purple swimming pool. This—seeing Monty and Finny Shea in the Wyoming airport, having come with her sister, no less—was crazy-dream bizarre. Kira had to pause and consider whether or not she’d really gotten out of bed thatmorning.
Marissa’s thin, waving arm was a silent siren, causing every sort of alarm to call out in Kira’s head.Gather the troops. We’ve got trouble heading our way.Still, she stood there, stunned-faced and bug-eyed, staring in horror as the odd, eccentric duo strutted towardher.
“Just go with it,” Marissa mumbled. “You’ll find out why they’re here soonenough.”
“Kira,” Monty called, tossing one arm around her. She knew hugs were supposed to be two-sided, but among the stiff denim of his jacket and the fresh shock from his presence, Kira couldn’t move. Finny came in for a one-armed hug next. Layers of white feathery fluff coated Finny’s scrawny frame, making her feel birdlike as Kira managed a pat to herback.
“Thank you for letting us crash your party, dear,” Finny cooed in her thick Swedish accent. “We’ll let you have some time with your sister while we get caught up on rest—jet lag, you know. How about we meet up at, say, eighto’clock?”
“That’d be perfect,” Marissablurted.
If Kira didn’t know better, she’d say her sister was star-struck—which was annoying, considering what the two had done toKira.
They toted off then, luggage dragging behind them as they headed toward theexit.
“Don’t worry,” Marissa said. “They have their own rental car. They’re planning to stay at the Country Quilt Inn, so you won’t have to put them up oranything.”
Kira turned to her sister. “Okay, time to speak up. What is goingon?”
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