Page 10 of Home Free

6

Elise followed Julia through the trees, glad her sister was up front. There was a path cut into the woods, but it was overgrown, and Elise had grown used to standing behind her sister in the two years since her rescue from Manifest.

The irony wasn’t lost on her. Once upon a time, Julia had raced to catch Elise, not to mimic her or even stand beside her — Julia had never shown any interest in the kind of life Elise had once led — but to be there for the inevitable moment when Elise fell.

She’d always fallen eventually.

That’s what happened when you were propped up by rich men looking for a trophy instead of a soulmate, when you chased shallow avatars of a successful life instead of real happiness.

Elise’s therapist told her she had to find a way to let go of her shame, but Elise was still working on it. She hated the version of herself she’d once been, looked back on herself with disdain and embarrassment. That person seemed entirely divorced from the person Elise had become since her kidnapping.

But following her sister through the woods, Chief trotting at their side, she was pretty sure following in Julia’s footsteps — figuratively speaking — wasn’t the answer either.

She was glad Julia was settled and happy with Ronan and JT, but more and more, Elise was certain it wasn’t for her.

Which didn’t mean she knew what was for her. She was still figuring that out too.

Except for Finn. He was for her. She knew that for sure.

Julia looked back at her. “You okay?”

Elise nodded. “Fine.”

“There’s a river up here,” Julia said. “We can take a break there.”

They resumed walking, and Elise thought about Finn and Ronan back at the house. Julia had suggested a walk with Elise under the guise of getting some fresh air, but Elise knew it was to give Ronan and Finn time to deal with Eudorus.

They hadn’t talked about him, but he hung over their weekend together like a bad smell.

Chief barked at something up ahead, then disappeared through the trees. A moment later, Elise stepped out of the woods and into a clearing leading to a riverbank.

A narrow river wound through the trees, spilling over rocks near the bank, rushing clean in the middle.

Elise kicked off her shoes.

“It’s going to be freezing this time of year,” Julia said.

Elise shrugged and pulled off her socks. Not to be outdone, Julia followed suit.

Elise left her shoes and socks near a boulder and walked to the river’s edge where Chief was splashing, trying to catch the tiny fish that darted in the shallow water by the river bank.

The icy water bit into Elise’s skin, a not unpleasant sensation that served to energize her tired feet.

“How cold is it?” Julia asked.

“Cold, but it feels good,” Elise said, lowering herself to a large rock.

Julia sucked in her breath as her feet hit the water. “Cold might be a bit of an understatement.”

She chose another rock near the one where Elise sat.

Chief edged farther out into the water. “Not too far,” Julia called.

Chief was getting old and didn’t know it. It wouldn’t be good for her to walk back to the house soaked from the frigid water.

Chief immediately retreated to the riverbank. She paced up and down, watching the flow of the water.

“How long should we stay away?” Elise asked.

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