Page 103 of Catch the Sun

Brynn! gasps. “You rascal! Can I have some?” He hands her the tumbler with a cooky grin and she chugs it down.

I watch them for a few seconds, taking in their dynamic. They look comfortable with each other. Maybe a littletoocomfortable, considering McKay is on the other side of the white siding. Brynn!’s reaction to my “sisters” comment earlier swirls through my mind and I wonder if there’s trouble in paradise.

I blurt out my suspicions, never needing alcohol to loosen my tongue. “How are things with McKay?”

A swallow gets caught in Brynn!’s throat and she forces it down. “What? Why?”

“Just curious. You two have seemed distant lately.”

“Oh. Well…things have been a little tense. We’ve been arguing a lot more, and he seems angry all the time. Besides, I’ll be heading to college soon, so I’m not sure where that’s going to leave us.” Nibbling her ruby-red lip, she averts her gaze and stares down at the porch. “I’m moving to Florida in June. I’ll be staying with my aunt while I get acclimated.”

“Oh, wow. You were accepted?”

She nods, unable to hold back a smile. “Florida State.”

“That’s amazing. Congratulations,” I tell her, giving her a celebratory nudge with my elbow. “McKay doesn’t want to go with you and try to make it work?”

She shrugs. “I don’t think so. He wants to stay here with Max.”

“Really?”

“I guess. He said they made a pact when they were kids. They’re going to travel together. See the world.”

This is news to me. Max doesn’t really talk about the future, and I suppose that warrants ourowndiscussion. I have no desire to stay in Tennessee, but leaving Max behind sounds terrible. Maybe he’ll come with me. McKay can look after their father while he figures out his own path in life.

Kai leans back against the porch rail beside Brynn! and takes back the tumbler, swallowing down the last few sips. “My father wants me to pursue medicine. He’s a dermatologist.”

“Is that what you want to do?” I ask.

“Nope. I want to be an artist,” he says. “Dad says the term ‘artist’ doesn’t exist unless it’s paired with ‘struggling,’ so he’s trying to pivot me in a more favorable direction. Favorable for him, anyway.” His nose wrinkles with disappointment. “What about you, Ella?”

“I don’t really know anymore,” I admit, my chest feeling heavier. “My dream was always to move to Michigan and work on a horse farm one day. Maybe even buy it…if I could ever afford to. Lots of acreage, horses that become family, and the prettiest sunrises and sunsets lighting up the stables.”

They both smile at me, but I can’t manage a smile back.

The vision feels shaky, filling me with confusion. It’s strange to think that a lifelong dream, carefully stitched together piece by piece with heart-laced strings and soulful knots, could untangle so easily. Unraveled by a boy and his magical kisses and strong arms. A bridge, a playlist, and a forever dance.

The Michigan dream is hard to catch when my arms are so full of something else.

And it feels too soon to be thinking like that, but I can’t escape the overwhelming feeling that Max is becoming anewdream—one I never expected but can’t seem to ignore.

The door creaks open a minute later, revealing McKay. A scowl paints his face when he glances at Brynn! and Kai standing so close together against the rail, their hips touching. Kai pulls up and sweeps a hand through his hair.

“Food is ready,” McKay mumbles before glancing at me. “Max was looking for you.”

I clear my throat. “Great. I’ll be there in a minute.”

He sends us a terse nod, shoots a glare in Brynn!’s direction, then disappears back inside the house. Brynn! doesn’t say anything as she moves past me, her heels clacking against the porch and her bubble-gum smile all chewed up.

I watch her shuffle into the house, her dream of settling down with McKay now morphing into Florida coastlines and a promising new career…while my own dreams hang in the balance.

***

After dinner, we open grab-bag gifts by the light of the Christmas tree and an assortment of red-and-green candlesticks. Our bellies are full of cookies and lasagna and the room is laughter-lit and song-filled. I’m sitting cross-legged near the tree, fiddling with the fringe on the new jade scarf I received in the exchange.

Max is beside me, his legs sprawled out as he leans back on his palms. “I got you something,” he says softly so only I can hear him.

“You did?”

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