Page 58 of Click of Fate

I check the address on my phone again, then double-check the house number. The front porch light’s on, and the trim is painted the kind of deep blue that says someone cares enough to add character—but not so much that they’re trying to impress anyone.

Feels like Stella.

I step onto the porch, straighten the collar of my button-down, and knock twice.

I hear movement inside—quick footsteps, a muffled, “Wait, wait, I got it!”

The door swings open, and there she is. Lilly. Beaming. Hair wild like it was when she took off her climbing helmet after her class today. Rocking Rainbow DashMy Little Ponypajama pants.

“LUKE?” she shrieks, like I’ve just stepped off a parade float. “You’re at my HOUSE!”

She throws her arms around my waist without hesitation, and I barely catch her in time. I laugh, bracing her tiny frame and looking over her shoulder, half expecting Stella to come racing down the hall to shoo her off me.

Nope. Just another tiny whirlwind named Lilly.

“Hi to you, too,” I say, chuckling. “Didn’t know I was a celebrity.”

“You teach me climbing,” she says, dead serious as she steps backward. “That makes you cool. Wanna see my room? I got a stuffed bat. His name is Fang.”

I open my mouth, maybe to say yes, maybe to laugh again, but another voice cuts in.

“Lilly Bug, what did we say about ambushing guests?”

A women I assume to be Harper, Stella’s sister, appears behind her, casually stunning in leggings and a soft oversized tee, her hair up in a clip, face scrubbed clean. She gives me a grin that lands somewhere between amused and curious.

“I’m Harper,” she says, extending a hand. “This wild thing’s mom.”

“Luke.” I shake her hand. “Nice to finally meet you.”

Lilly pouts beside her. “Mr. Luke really needs to see my bat.”

“Go get it, quickly. Mr. Luke isn’t here for you, Lilly Bug,” Harper says, steering her toward the living room. “Let’s give your Aunt Stella a few more minutes to work her magic.”

Lilly sighs dramatically and disappears down the hall.

She motions for me to come in. Then, she crosses the entry way into a cozy little living room. I sit on the couch and she sits in the chair across from me.

“Just so you know, she almost cancelled.”

I nod slowly. “I’m not surprised to hear that.”

“She doesn’t let people in easily. Even good ones.” Harper tilts her head. “Especially good ones.”

I shift my weight, elbows on my knees. “Yeah. I’ve noticed.”

Her eyes scan me. Not judging, just studying. Like she’s weighing the pieces of her sister I might be holding onto, even if Stella won’t admit it yet.

“She really likes you,” Harper says eventually. “She’ll never say it like that, but she does.”

My throat tightens just a little. “I like her, too. A lot.”

“She’s good at pushing people away before they can do it first. You planning on sticking around?”

“Planning on it,” I say, honest and steady.

Harper gives a small, satisfied nod. “Then don’t screw it up.”

I laugh under my breath. “That’s the plan.”

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