Page 18 of How to Kiss a Hawthorne Brother
“Absolutely. There’s a lot you could write about. It’s so much more than people hiking. There’s a whole culture that has grown up around the experience, especially for thru-hikers. You’re good at telling the stories that are under the surface. There’s a lot of those along the AT.”
She tilts her head to the side and studies me. “Do you read all my stuff?”
Heat creeps up my cheeks, but I don’t have a good reason to deny it. Afriendwould read all her stuff. There’s nothing wrong with that. “Of course I do.”
The smile she gives in response warms me all the way to my core. It feelsso goodto make her happy.
“How’s your dad? Is he still in Paris?”
“He’s all over, really. You know how Dad is. But yeah. He’s still got a place in Paris. That’s mostly where I stay when I’m in Europe.”
“He’s still working for the same company? Overseeing...?” I wince and shrug. I don’t actually remember what her dad does.
“Mergers and acquisitions. And yes. Same job. Same company. Same crazy travel schedule.”
“It runs in the family then.”
A shadow flickers behind her eyes, but then she smiles. “Yeah. I guess so.”
“Tell me about Kristyn. I don’t remember you being close with any of your cousins when we were growing up.”
“We weren’t close until recently. We saw each other every once in a while, when Dad would take me to family reunions. But then I got stranded in Chicago during this freak snowstorm five or six years ago, and I couldn’t find a place to stay. Kristyn took me in like a stray puppy and decided to keep me.”
“I bet you loved that.”
“I resisted for all I was worth. But Kristyn wouldn’t budge. She insisted I needed her, and I eventually caved. Now, whenever I’m passing through the states, she lets me crash at her place.”
“So you’ve been in the states then? Recently?”
Her shoulders drop, and her expression shifts. Finally, she nods. “A few times.”
Disappointment pings around in my chest. It would be easier to understand if her mom hadn’t left Silver Creek. She’s always been pretty good at avoiding her mother. But her mom moved four years ago, right afterhermother’s funeral.
“I wasn’t avoidingyou, Brody,” Kate says gently, clearly sensing my unease. “I was avoiding Silver Creek. Avoiding...” She breathes out a long sigh. “Guilt, I guess?”
That, I can understand. But why didn’t she talk to me? Why didn’t she explain? “You know I didn’t judge you for missing the funeral. We could have—”
“But you should have judged me,” she says, cutting me off. “That’s what I’m trying to say. I didn’t have a good reason not to be there, except that I was soangryat my mother, and I knew skipping it would hurt her.”
“So you weren’t really stranded in Manila,” I say, remembering the excuse Kate gave for not being there.
“No, I was. There was terrible weather, these huge storms that lasted for days, and all the flights were grounded. But I knew about the funeral before the bad weather hit. I had two solid days when I could have left. And I didn’t do it.” She gives her head a little shake. “You want to know the worst part? I don’teven remember what Mom and I were fighting about. Probably something about her wanting me to move home. Settle down.” She huffs out a laugh. “Last time we talked, she said, and I quote, ‘Katherine, when are you going to realize you’re ruining your life just like your father did?'”
I can’t hold Kate’s decisions against her. My life experience is so colored by the unwavering support my family has always given me. I know what a privilege that is. If I had to deal with the criticism Kate has over the years, I can’t say I wouldn’t have done the same thing.
“Regardless,” she continues, “it was wrong of me to shut you out, and I’m so sorry. I turned my back on anything I thought might remind me of home. Then enough time passed that I wasn’t sure you’d evenwantto hear from me again. Staying away felt so much easier.”
“I always want to see you,” I say. “There’s nothing you could do, Kate. We’re family.” Maybe not in the way I want to be family, but I’ll take whatever I can get.
She sniffs. “I knew you’d say that.”
I offer her a small smile. “And you stayed away anyway?”
“Don’t try and understand. You’ll never succeed. I’m just a mess. That’s all there is to it.”
I chuckle and hold out my hand, and she slips her fingers into mine. “You aren’t a mess. You’re here now. We move forward from here.”
Her expression softens. “Thanks for not being a jerk about it.” She pulls her hand away, and I squeeze my fingers into a fist, immediately missing her warm skin against mine.
