“I like you in all kinds of ways,” David promised.
I had to focus hard not to give him the satisfaction of a laugh. “Shut up. I have to focus.”
“In case of fire and flood,” he promised. “You’ve got it.”
We were silent for a long stretch, the wind from the cracked windows and low hum of old Christmas music filling in the gaps between us. I kept my eyes on the road, grateful for David’s reassuring hand on my thigh when I reached a slight curve as we made our way up the mountains.
“You’re doing great,” he said in a low voice as if he were afraid to disrupt my flow.
“I know.”
I could hear the smile in his voice when he said, “I told you so.”
I rolled my eyes but let him have it. And let me enjoy the gentle warmth of support. The quiet returned for a beat before David broke it again with,
“Nice work.”
My smile was instantaneous. “Right?”
He hummed, thinking for a second before saying, “And because of that, I can’t help but wonder when you are going to talk to your sister?”
The smile disappeared. “Which one? And about what?”
“Logan. About the accident,” he said simply.
My gaze strayed from the road for a second to hunt for the punchline. “What?”
“It could help you get over some of your fear.” His tone was serious and somber. “Help you get better at something you’re more than capable of doing.”
“I… no, I don’t think I’m going to bring it up again.” I winced and readjusted in my seat. David removed his hand, giving me space to try to manage my discomfort. “That would hurt us both.”
“Or maybe it’s exactly what you two need?” he asked in a low, unassuming tone. “Maybe if you talk to her, you’ll see you didn’t ruin her life. She loves you, Yara. That was more than clear when I met her. Your whole family does. And if they knew how much guilt you took on. How much you were hurting yourself?—”
“I’m not doing that anymore,” I interrupted and nudged my chin to my pack of gum in the car’s cup holder. “I’m… doing better.”
“So much,” he agreed. “But this part of recovery could help with all the rest. I just think you should consider it.”
I glanced at him again, only to find pure hopefulness in his eyes. As much as the idea of talking to my sister about old haunts made my stomach churn, David’s concern counteracted the discomfort. I didn’t feel half as hollowed out and lonely as I would if I had to face the possibility of talking to Logan on my own.
“I’ll consider it,” I promised.
His smile made the car warmer and brighter. “That’s my girl.”
I laughed like the words didn’t give me a surge of pride and a sense of achievement. “Shut up.”
I gotus to our final destination without so much as a hint of a mistake. The weight on my chest vanished as soon as I pulled into a spot shielded by the trees of the dark, windswept forest.
“This is it?” I got out of the car and marvelled at the two-story log cabin that glowed from the inside with orange lights.
“Ours for a grand total of three days.” David smiled. He’d been watching me since I pulled into the drive, tracking every change of my expression. “Not the runaway of our dreams—these are shockingly more expensive than I hoped— but it’s something. It’s a start.”
“What do you mean? It’s perfect.” I grabbed his hand and squeezed.
His smile faded slightly. “I wanted someplace where we could stay longer so you could just relax in peace. But… well, let’s just say once I get signed to a team, I’ll make it up to you. We’ll spend months in nice places.”
I frowned and placed a hand on his cheek. “Hey, I would have stayed in your dorm with you and would have been perfectly happy. There’s no reason for you to spend a ton of money.”
“I know, but I want to. You’re used to stuff like this, and I want to keep it that way.” His confession pulled back a layer of insecurity. “You deserve it to stay that way.”
