Page 174 of One Big Little Secret

She just tugs at her wrap, pulling it down her arms to cover them. For the first time, I wonder why she left the others.

“Care for a walk?” I ask, offering her my arm. “It’s pretty mild outside.”

Her gaze flicks to my face and away again. “You don’t have to do this. It’s supposed to be a family dinner.”

“If Mom wants to complain, there’s plenty of that to go around with herothertwo sons. Hell, we’ll probably find them out there too.”

After another second of hesitation—just long enough for me to wonder if she’s really okay—she slides her hand through my arm and follows me down the hall to the side door leading into the backyard.

The stars are underwhelming tonight. The Utah desert will always put Kansas City’s clouds and light pollution to shame, but Salem still tips her head back and inhales the evening air with a smile.

“Want to tell me what’s wrong?” I ask. “If you like, we can walk over to that bench first.”

For the first time, a smile touches her lips, and she nods at the bench.

“It’s my dad’s old spot,” I explain as we get closer. “He used to love sitting here. He was big into poetry and history books when he wasn’t busy with numbers. He’d waste away whole evenings with a book in his hand, always somewhere else.”

“You should read more like your dad,” she says, hesitating next to the bench. “But do you really want to sit—”

“Yes. Come sit, Salem.” I pull her down on the cool metal next to me. Dew glimmers everywhere in the evening, coating the faint outlines of budding trees.

Normally, I don’t linger around Dad’s old brooding spot much.

I have to admit, there’s something calming about being outside tonight—or maybe it’s just her. The air isn’t fragrant yet like it’ll be come summer, but it cools my skin and gives me space, a distance I appreciate from the enormous house I grew up in.

“I don’t know how to explain it,” Salem says quietly, tracing the floral patterns on her dress. Goosebumps dot her arms, but she doesn’t move like she’s cold.

Instead, she spreads her fingers, inviting the air in to cool her skin.

“Has someone made you feel like you don’t belong? Is it Archer?”

“No, nothing like that. Everyone’s been so nice. Too nice, maybe. But I guess that’s the issue…” She looks at me slowly. “You have such a lovely family. For me, that’s pretty alien.”

With my gaze smoldering, I take her hand.

“Don’t be afraid. Whatever happened with your folks, it won’t happen again. We don’t send family packing into exile.”

I shake my head, holding back the curses her parents deserve. How could they do that shit to their own daughter?

And all because she wouldn’t give up a kid they felt was a wrench being tossed into their little lives?

People are strange fucking birds sometimes.

They can also change, and not always for the better. Thankfully, it hasn’t happened much in my own family. I can see how foreign that might be to Salem.

Look at Dex, the ultimate workaholic human android before Junie.

Archer, he’s so reserved he’d make a fridge magnet look outgoing.

Me, I’m the risk-taker. Shallow and self-centered, or so everyone says.

Mom, she’s the glue holding us together, but not because we need it.

“What was so bad about it all? The unfamiliarity?” I ask gently.

“Nothing. Nothingbad, I just…” She looks at me, her eyes wide with dark feelings pooling in this light. “I was talking about the future and your mom started showing me some antique jewelry after I talked about looking up inspiration for art and décor at future properties.”

“And?”

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