Good night.That smile did something to her heart she couldn’t quite describe. “What I mean is,” she said, laughing nervously, “thatisa miracle.”
He was still holding on to her elbows. “You set that decision into motion with how you handled the finder’s fee. It was brilliant, Scout.”
To be perfectly honest, she had never expected this outcome. She just knew what she had to do with that finder’s fee. She knew it was the right thing to do.
“But I have to ask ... could your decision have jeopardized your career in the NPS?”
She let out a sigh. “Possibly in Acadia.”
His words were soft, unhurried. “Hopefully that won’t be the case.”
Something in his eyes caught her off guard—a quiet tenderness that felt meant just for her. Had it always been there? “Tell me about Molly Atwul.”
His eyebrows lifted. “Molly?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because she seems ... perfect for you.”
He coughed a laugh. “My father would say so. Molly and I have known each other all our lives. But Molly and I tend to solve problems in different ways. She wants to build fences. I want to tear them down.”
Scout understood what he meant.
“Chase Fletcher,” Naki said.
“What about him?”
“He seems perfect for you.”
She smiled. “My mother would say so. But...”
“But what?”
“No butterflies with Chase.”
His brow furrowed. “Butterflies?”
“Yes.” She wiggled her fingers in front of her tummy. “You know, butterflies. That feeling you get when you’re with someone special.”
He gave her a long, considering look, then reached into his pocket with his good hand and pulled out a handful of pink ribbons. “Yes. Butterflies.”
So it was true. Naki had similar feelings for her. Scout smiled, looking down at his large palm, holding her silly hair ribbons. She smiled. “I owe Chief Rivers a thank-you for introducing us.”
“And yet,” he said, “when two people come from different worlds, it can get complicated.”
“So we’re complicated,” Scout said, a slow smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
He framed her face with his hands, his eyes never leaving hers. “So we are.”
Life, Scout was realizing, had a way of shifting like the tides. You could chart a course, set your sails, think you knew exactly where you were headed—then a storm rolled in and the currents caught you off guard, or the steepness of a ledge terrified you, and suddenly, everything changed.
But maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing. Maybe the best moments, the real turning points, came when you were willing to open your eyes and see the view. Elizabeth was so right. The best view came after the hardest climb. And that view was worth the risk.
They sat there, the warmth of the fire casting a golden glow around them. Slowly, he leaned closer. She felt her breath hitch, her heart pounding as the space between them disappeared. His lips met hers, warm and sure, and for a moment, the world outside ceased to exist. The rain could fall, the fire could crackle, and the future could remain ... complicated.
All that mattered was this moment.
