But does she like it? And why does that suddenly matter so much to me?
“I love it,” she says, a warm, wide smile on her face.
She means it. She really does love it.
That’s good. That’s really, really good.
Then she huffs, a humorless sound. Her smile transforms from warm to wistful, happy to hollow. “I’m in the opposite situation. Trying to figure out how to force Chase to sell the house we bought together so I can afford to start fresh. Right now I feel—” She hesitates, then throws caution to the wind and opts for full vulnerability. “Homeless. Like I’m crashing on my best friend’s couch. Even though I know that’s not really what this is. Skyewould fight me to the death if I ever called her generosity ‘crashing.’ I pay rent. I live there as a fully contributing roommate.”
Her laugh is weak, but her eyes say the rest.
“I feel like I’m going backwards.” She’s wringing her hands together, no longer taking in the home around her but instead thinking of the home she’s lost.
Shit.
“Tori,” I say, taking a step closer. “May I touch you?”
She nods, still staring down at her hands. I lift a finger to her chin, tipping her face up so her gaze meets mine.
“Hi.” I smile at her, hoping it’ll help the light return to those beautiful hazel eyes.
“Hi,” she whispers. This woman is so goddamn beautiful, so strong and brave and smart and funny. And also in so much pain. All I want to do is hold her together. To take it all away. But I know that’s not how this works. I know that’s not what she wants or needs.
She needs a friend. Someone who understands what she’s going through and doesn’t try to fix it for her. Someone who stands with her and reminds her that she’s got this, everything is going to be okay, and that even when everything is falling apart both around and within her, it’s okay.
It’s okay because everything happens for a reason, and that reason is because she is meant to rise like a motherfucking phoenix.
She doesn’t see it yet, but it’s already happening.
I lean in and place a soft kiss on her forehead, then step away and walk to the kitchen to grab two bottles of water and some snacks from the pantry. I swipe an empty backpack from the coat closet by the front door and toss our sustenance inside, thankful I do not have to change since I’m already dressed in light hike-appropriate clothing since I didn’t dress for anyone else to be in the office today.
“Alright, Tote. Here’s the deal.” I sling the backpack over my shoulder, locking eyes with my hiking companion before we exitthe premises. “Today, you are not homeless. You’re not a divorcee. You are hot, but you are not a hot mess. You’re not anything except a woman in a purple sweater who’s going to take a walk in the woods with a man. Deal?”
Her mouth quirks sideways, almost a smile. “Deal.”
“Did that sound as weirdly creepy as I think it did?”
“I’m totally texting Skye so she knows where to find my body.”
TWENTY-TWO
TORI
The trail smellslike sun-warmed pine and clean mountain air, which is frankly rude because my lungs keep letting go of stress I was planning to hold onto out of spite. Needles jostle under our boots. A jay laughs somewhere above us like it knows a secret—again, rude.
“You undersold this,” I say, swatting a branch. “I was expecting more… walk… with trees.”
Leo grins like a man who lives to be right. “You’re welcome. It’s one of my favorite spots. Scenic, quiet, excellent geology for punning.”
“Please,” I beg. “Don’t.”
“But my puns have so much sedimental value!”
“Oh my God.” I shove his arm, laughing anyway.
“Come on, Tote,” he teases. “You love my rock-solid sense of humor.”
“I will throw myself off this incline.”
