26
Evie, feeling restless from all that had happened, decided to take a walk around the farm and wandered up the hill toward the orchard. The sun was starting to set behind the trees, casting a warm, amber glow over the ripening apples. She noticed a few leaves started to change color. Autumn wasn’t far off, and the thought brought a pang to her heart. She’d be leaving soon. As soon as that contract arrived from Alaska.
She heard a noise and spun around to see Charlie approaching, his silhouette outlined against the fading light.
“I saw you head up the hill,” he said. When he reached her, he jammed his hands in his pants pockets.
“Your hair.” The man bun was gone. His hair was cut short, a bit uneven in places where it tufted straight up, but it made him look entirely different. Even more handsome, if that were possible.
He ran a hand over his scalp. “Yeah. Fern’s handiwork. She said there’s a time for everything and it was time my hair got cut.” He rocked back and forth on his sneakers, like he was nervous. “Evie, I was, uh, hoping we could have that talk.”
Here it comes.The words hung in the air between them, andfor a moment, Evie didn’t say anything. “It’s okay, Charlie. I know.”
He tipped his head. “Know what?”
“I know that you’re going to leave to be with Wren. You should go. You should be together.”
“Why?”
“Because ... she’s helped you become the person you are. Because ... she’s brilliant and driven and can help you go farther than you could ever imagine. And mostly because”—Evie shrugged—“she’s your girlfriend.”
But he was frowning. “I don’t have a girlfriend.”
She froze. “Of course you do.”
He shook his head slowly, like he couldn’t imagine what she was talking about. “I don’t.”
“Well, Wren thinks otherwise. Everyone does. She’s claimed you. For as long as I’ve known you, she’s claimed you.”
His eyes softened, and then crinkled at the edges. “She can’t claim me.”
“Well, she can and she did.”
“That would be weird. Like, illegal in most states.” He peered at her, reading her face. “Wren can’t claim me because she’s my cousin.”
“Your cousin?” Hiscousin?! “So ... you’re not ... a couple?”
“Not a couple. We’re first cousins. We share a grandmother. The same one who took part in that clinical trial.” He tipped his head, confused. “You thought we were a couple?”
“Everyone did! You were always together. Always.”
“That’s only because she was sure I’d mess up and flunk out of school.”
Evie gave a little head shake, like she couldn’t make sense of it all. “Why didn’t you ever say you were cousins?”
“It was Wren’s idea, back when we were trying to get into medical school. She thought we’d have a better chance getting through med school and residencies together if we kept it asecret. You know what she’s like with statistics. Siblings are always separated. She figured it would be the same for cousins.”
“You could have said something.” Heshouldhave!
“Yeah. You’re right.”
“You’ve told me how Wren helped you get through school. How she was the smart one. You could’ve mentioned she was yourcousin!”
He nodded. “I know ... I even started to...” He was fumbling this conversation, like he didn’t know how to explain himself. “But I never lied to you, Evie.”
“You never told me the truth either!”
“I wanted to.” Charlie shifted his weight from one foot to the other, his hands still stuffed into his pockets, a nervous gesture she’d seen him do a hundred times before. “I wanted to tell you on the train, right as we were heading to start the residency, but Wren warned me not to say anything. She thought it could jeopardize her efforts to gather information for the lawsuit if anyone knew we were related.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I have to be honest that she’s always scared me a little. A lot, actually.”
