Page 28 of Hunter

“I’m fine. How’reyou? How’s my niece?”

“Wren is asleep, thank God. I thought we finally got her on a sleep schedule, but I guess not. Last night was rough.”

“She’s a troublemaker, huh?”

“You could say that. At least I could get a nap this morning after she finally fell asleep. Poor Joe had to be at work bright and early.”

“Poor Joe,” I scoff. “Knowing him, he’s loving every minute.”

Harper’s voice is soft with love when she agrees with me. “You’re right. He is.”

Here’s a fact: I’m a year older than Harper and ready to be exactly where she and Joe are. Married with my own home and a baby? I want that so bad, it almost hurts to hear the happiness in my sister’s voice, especially because I have zero prospects on the horizon. But I won’t let my envy drive a wedge between us, so I shake off my self-pity.

“I’m happy for you,” I tell her.

“So! How’re things going with Isabella?”

“Wow,” I say, laughing aloud. “You’re just gonna to go there, huh, Harp?”

“What’s the point of dancing around it? You obviously had some real feelings for her last summer. That’s why you signed on for this whole reality show business, right? To be near her again?”

“I also appreciate the business aspects of—”

“Shut up, Hunter,” says my sister. “You can tell yourself that, like, to save face or something, but it’s not the real reason you’re in Ketchikan. You needed to figure out what happened last summer, and if there was still a chance for you two. I know you.”

Damn it, but she does. And she’s right. I wanted answers, yes. And deep down, I probably wanted to see if there was any hope for us. But last night’s conversation closed that door and locked it.

“It’s not gonna happen,” I tell her.

“Why not?”

“We have really different life philosophies.”

“What does that mean?”

I take a deep breath and sigh. “Well, first of all, she doesn’t do long-distance relationships. But aside from that, she doesn’t believe in soulmates or true love. She literally told me that there are millions of ‘suitable partners’ for her in Seattle, and when the time is right, she’ll find someone and settle down.”

“Okay. Fair enough. She’s not a romantic.”

“That’s an understatement. She basically said that last summer was just about attraction—we had chemistry, we hooked up, we said goodbye. A relationship was never in the cards.” I clear my throat. “She sounds authentic when she says it all, but I don’t know…”

“About what?”

“I don’t know if I believe it.”

“Why? You said she sounded authentic.”

“She did, but…”

“Is it because that kind of behavior is atypical for a woman?”

“What do you mean?”

“Come on, Hunter. If a guy told you the same thing—that he met a cute girl from out of town and hooked up with her, but it ended when she went home—would you even think twice?”

I raise my eyes to the harbor, watching the seagulls diving for food, and turn my sister’s words over in my mind.

“Probably not.”

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