Page 9 of How to Kiss a Hawthorne Brother
“It’s been what, fouryears since you’ve seen the guy?” Kristyn asks. She pulls a couple of bananas out of her bag and offers me one.
“Four years since we’ve talked, but more like four and a half since we’ve seen each other.”
“What if it’s totally weird?” she says around her banana. “You know it could be.”
I shoot her a look. “Thanks, K. I appreciate your positivity.”
“I’m just saying. Do you even know anything about what his life is like right now? He could be married and have kids for all you know.”
“In four years? He would have had to work fast.” A pulse of uneasiness skitters through my belly. I don’t think Brody’s married. His presence on social media is basically nonexistent, but I follow his little sister Olivia. If any of her brothers had gotten married, she would have posted something about it. At least a picture or two.
“I met and married Jake in eighteen months,” Kristyn says. “If we decided to have a baby right now—”
I shoot her a look.
“Hypothetically,”she adds. “I promise I’m not making an announcement. I’m just saying if wedid,we could totally have met, gotten married, and had a kid in four years.”
I pluck the fabric of my tank top between my fingers and lift it a couple inches, relishing the breeze as it rushes past and cools my skin.
“There’s no way,” I say. “I would have heard something from someone. Or Brody would have told me himself.”
“Engaged, then,” Kristyn says. “He could totally be engaged.”
I hold my shoulders back and suck in a deep breath of mountain air. “So what if he is? I’m just here as his friend. That’s all we’ve ever been. A lot of time has passed, yes, but my friendship with Brody is bigger than time or distance. Justbecause we haven’t seen each other in person doesn’t mean things will be different.” Even if I basically ghosted him.
Kristyn shoots me a skeptical look. “Are you trying to convince me or yourself?”
I crack a smile. “Oh, definitely myself. But it’s working, so don’t ruin things for me.”
She shakes her head and chuckles. “I just don’t want you to get hurt, Kate.”
“I know. But Brody won’t hurt me.” I lift my shoulders. “He’s my family.”
I walk to a spot on the knoll that will give me the best view of the bottom of the hill. The Appalachian Trail doesn’t climb the spur trail that comes up to the bald, so theoretically, Brody and Perry could hike across the field and not come close enough to see us. But knowing Brody, the potential view will be worth the climb.
“So what’s our plan?” Kristyn asks as she drops onto the grass beside me. “Are we just going to wait? What if we missed them?”
“We didn’t miss them. When I texted him last night, he said they were in Winding Stair Gap. That’s close enough that unless they started before the sun rose this morning, they haven’t been through here yet.”
I started texting Brody questions about his whereabouts and how many miles they were covering per day right after Kristyn and I arrived in Franklin, the nearest town to this section of trail. I called it “research” for a potential article on the Appalachian Trail, and as far as I could tell, Brody bought it. Last night, I didn’t even have to ask him where he was. He just sent me a screenshot of his GPS location, followed by a smiley face.
Some internet sleuthing also taught me most thru-hikers stop to resupply in Franklin. There’s even a shuttle that picks people up at the Siler Bald trailhead and drives them into town. Thehope is we’ll be able to convince Brody and Perry to leave the trail and head into Franklin with us instead.
Hopefully.
If Brody wants.
But he will. Of course he will. Won’t he?
I wrap my arms around my stomach. “Okay. I think I lied before. I maybe am a little nervous.”
Kristyn eyes me, a grin playing around her lips. “What was he like in high school?”
I immediately smile. “He was the sweetest. Tall. A little gangly, but still so cute. And he was one of those guys who was just so genuine. Literally nice to everyone.”
“That sounds too good to be true. Are his brothers the same way?”
I huff. “Hismomis the same way. I mean, they’re all great guys. But in high school, his brothers—at least the two closest to us in age, were total hotshots. Lennox was a player—he looked like he was twenty-five when he was seventeen, so girls were always all over him—and Flint was always hamming it up and making people laugh. Sometimes I think Brody stayed a little more chill because he felt like he had to balance them out.”
