Page 20 of Return To You

“The fermentory. I like the farm,” she says a little defensively, “but I want to put my mark on it.”

“That’s great.” I hope she hears the admiration in my tone. Even though I’ve kept in touch with my family, they’re the ones who have been visiting me. While abroad, our conversations focused more on the place I was living than on their life in Vermont.

“How’s the leg?” someone shouts from a distance.

“Better, thanks!”

“You go see Grace?” the guy shouts.

Feeling Haley straighten next to me, I give him a thumbs up. “Yup.”

“In’t she som’thin?”

I nod. “Sure is.”

He gives me a wave and leaves me with my sister’s gaze piercing hot through my skull while I focus hard on the last of my wrap.

Haley doesn’t say anything for a while, and I start to believe I made her reaction all up, but then she drops innocently, “So, how was Grace?”

I take a long pull on my soda. “Great massage.”

“Cool! But how was Grace?”

I shrug. “Graceful?”

“Ouch.”

“Whaddayamean, ouch? Nothin’ wrong with being graceful. You should try it sometime.”

Haley punches my bicep. Again. “Idiot.”

“Yep, definitely should try it.”

“You wanna go to Mayer’s Hole tonight?” she asks, seemingly out of the blue. But I know better. Haley always has an agenda.

“I don’t think so. But thanks.”

She rolls her eyes. “The girls want to go skinny dipping. Obviously, if you’re coming, that kills the skinny part, but hey… So? You’ll come?”

I pretend to walk into her trap. “What girls?”

“Whoever. Alex, me, Kiara…” She trails off, obviously leaving a name out. Grace. Waiting for me to ask, maybe. “I’ll post it on Echoes. We can have a whole group going. How’s that?”

There’s no chance in hell I’m going to Mayer’s Hole, or the river, or the lake. Too many memories there. But I can’t tell her that. “I’ll pass and just stay home with Mom and Dad.”

“You always were a party pooper. I almost forgot.”

“I sure am. Worse than ever.”

“Seriously, Ethan. What’d you think of Grace? Honestly.”

I stay poker-faced, my gaze fixed on the bleachers across from us. “She’s… an awesome masseuse. Very professional.” The way she addressed my embarrassing moment alone said so.

She tears thin strips off the wax paper around her wrap. “You mean you guys didn’t catch up on… anything?”

“Um. Like what? It’s been years since I’ve seen her.”

She bumps her knee against mine. “Exactly. Lots to catch up on.”

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