Page 75 of Undone By The Mountain Daddies

That being said, a little guidance can’t hurt. It might lead her in the right direction.

“Who exactly are you, Sienna?”

“Jesus, what kind of question is that?” she scoffs, bringing her knees to her chest. Her body is still swaddled in sheets. “I thought you already knew who I was... what I do.”

“I don’t mean what you do for a living. I mean, who are you beneath all of that? Take away the fame, what people think of you—what’s left?”

Sienna chews on the corner of her mouth and picks at a loose thread on the sheet. “Nothing interesting.”

“That can’t be true.”

The woman who ventured up here last week wearing impractical shoes and a polished smile isn’t the same woman I’m staring at now. Something has changed. She’s lighter. More carefree. At least until last night, when it all fell apart. Before that, I got a glimpse of the real Sienna when I caught her teaching Henry dance moves. Limbs so graceful, total concentration on her face.

I think he brings out the best in her, and vice versa.

Her leaving will be a problem—but I already knew this.

In a way, I’m glad we were caught. It gives her an excuse to stay here longer. If that’s truly what she wants.

Sienna glares at me, frowning. “Why are you asking this?”

“I suppose I’m trying to help you figure out who you are away from work.”

“Work and life are interchangeable. There is no version of me that exists outside of Hollywood.” Sienna jumps up, pulling her shirt down over her sweatpants. “To answer your question—I don’t know who I am anymore.”

She shoves past me. “And since when did it become your business to ask me shit like this? If I want a shrink, I’ll pay for one.”

“I’m just trying to⁠—”

“Help?” asks Sienna, heading to the door. “Well, it’s not really helping.” She slams the door, leaving me alone in Knox’s room.

Lots of built-up emotion often translates to anger. When a person ignores their emotions and lives without acknowledging the not-so-nice parts about themselves, explosions happen, and this is what’s happening with Sienna now. She’s hurt, and what happened last night has blown the lid off the pot. She’s past her boiling point and doesn’t quite know how to react.

Perhaps it was best for me to mind my own business, but I can’t help it. I’ve always been someone that people vent to. It’s part of my identity.

I leave the room, head back toward the kitchen, lock eyes with Knox in the hallway, and realize that maybe I screwed up.

“Don’t tell me you went full shrink mode on her?”

“No, man,” I say. “I asked one question, and she got pissy and walked out.”

“She needs to figure⁠—”

“Things out herself, yes, no need to say it again. But how can she do that if she doesn’t know what she’s supposed to figure out?”

Knox levels me a glare and zips up his jacket, leaving me in the hallway. The nylon swooshes under his arms as he makes his way to the main room, opening the front door.

“If you’re going out,” calls Sienna. “Be a doll and fetch me some tampons. It’s about to be that time of the month.”

Knox stiffens up. “You got it.” He walks rigidly out the door.

The wind has picked up this evening, but it’s nothing like it was during the blizzard. A gust howls into the cabin, lifting the drapes and the ends of Sienna’s hair as she sits down on the couch, staring at the fire again, as if it contains all the answers she’s looking for.

I stand in the kitchen, watching her make eyes at Cash. There have been no snide comments today, and earlier, I caught him looking sorry for her. It must have been a mistake, though. That guy doesn’t have an ounce of empathy.

Anger burns under my skin as I watch them talk. It’s nothing much, just boring weather stuff. But it’s enough to force me out through the back door.

I’m grabbing an axe before I know it, feeling the sweet weight of steel in my hands as I launch the axe at the tree.