Page 72 of The Moment of Letting Go

“Hey, I meant what I said about finding another place to crash if—”

I wave a hand at him to cut him off.

“Yeah, I remember.” Then I give him a covert look, my way of quietly taking him up on that offer.

His deeply tanned face spreads into an even bigger grin and I’m just glad Sienna is on the other side of the car and he’s so much higher up that she can’t see it.

Kendra just looks at me from the passenger’s seat of the Jeep and shakes her blond head with disapproval, her mouth pinched into a hard line. As usual, I ignore her, but also as usual, a small part of me just wants to tell her off. Thankfully—and shockingly—Kendra doesn’t say a word before Seth and I drive away from each other.

“She doesn’t like me much, does she?”

I look over at Sienna, not surprised that she feels that way, but surprised that she actually brought it up.

“That’s not it,” I tell her with sincerity. “Kendra’s just … painfully complicated. She’s … well, she’s been through a lot: with me and Seth, with my brother, but her heart is really in the right place. I admit, she’s not exactly the friendliest person in the world, but she’s a good person; she’s just looking out for all of us. Don’t for a second think that her bad attitude is in any way your fault.”

Sienna scoffs quietly. “A girl knows when another girl has a problem with her. Trust me. I know she wishes I were long gone by now.”

For the first time, Sienna is letting me know how much this situation with Kendra is, and probably has been, bothering her. And I don’t like it. The last thing I want is for Sienna to constantly feel uncomfortable whenever Kendra manages to show up in the equation, an equation she was never invited to and is creating more issues than I need right now.

I have to fix this now before it gets any worse.

Slowing the car down as we come to a big, winding curve, I keep my eyes on the blacktop while also trying to give Sienna most of my attention.

“I’m calling Seth later,” I begin, “and telling him not to bring Kendra to the house again unless he asks me first.”

Sienna’s head snaps around.

“No, no, no. Luke, do not do that. I really mean it. I don’t care if she doesn’t like me, but I don’t want to make it worse by doing something like that.” She smiles softly and I realize that she’s as serious as she appears. “It wouldn’t be the first time I got looks like that.” She laughs. “It’s what girls do.”

“Well, if it’ll ease your mind at all, I can tell you with absolute truth that I have never kissed, dated, or slept with Kendra.” I slash my hand in the air. “Ever.”

“I believe you,” she says, smiling.

I think the conversation is over, but then Sienna catches me off guard when she says, “But she does like you, Luke. That’s as obvious as Seth telling you with that not-so-secret look of his that he’s rooting for you to get laid.”

I think all my bones and muscles just turned to cement.

She’s grinning hugely when I finally manage the courage to turn my head away from the winding road to look at her.

“I, uh,” I stammer, shaking my head. “I swear I do not expect anything like that from you, and—”

“It’s OK,” she says, gesturing a hand between us, trying to ease my panic. “If I thought that was all you had me here for, I never would’ve agreed to stay in your house.”

That’s good to know.

“But Kendra does have a thing for you,” she goes on, pointing at nothing. “Can’t convince me otherwise.”

And I’m not going to try, because I won’t lie to her. Kendra has—and maybe she still does; hell if I know, or care anymore—had a thing for me since about four months ago. I can’t deny that.

I just can’t explain it, either.

Because, like Kendra, the situation is painfully complicated.

NINETEEN

Sienna

After a long drive, we pull into the lot of a building with a big wooden helicopter tour sign. My blood becomes acidic and begins to rush through my veins like a raging river. I swallow hard and press my hand to my chest, trying to find my heartbeat, only to realize the reason I can’t feel it is because it’s beating way too fast, undetected like the wings of a hummingbird. The drive here was filled with conversation and laughter and Luke saying the simplest of things that always somehow managed to make me blush or smile—I was having such a great time—but now I’m beginning to wonder if it was all just to prepare me for this moment.

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