Page 18 of Knot the Last Chapter

His eyebrows lift. “Oh?”

“Not like that,” I say quickly, then hesitate. “I mean, maybe like that. Kind of.”

Jake waits. Patient. Steady.

“He’s… someone I’ve been texting. For a while now.”

“Is this someone you know?”

“No.” I hesitate, then correct myself. “Not exactly.”

His eyes narrow slightly, protective instincts flaring like they always do. “Not exactly?”

“We text. That’s all. He’s smart. Funny. Encouraging. He’s helping me keep my brain straight while I try to write this book.”

Jake leans forward, resting his arms on the table. “Lila, you know I trust you. But you don’t really know who this guy is.”

“I know that.”

“You don’t know his name?”

“I know he calls himself Pine.”

Jake blinks. “Like… the tree?”

I smile. “Like the feeling, apparently.”

He groans. “Oh great, he’s poetic.”

I nudge his knee under the table. “Relax. I’m not planning on eloping with him. I’m just meeting him.”

“Meeting him?” His voice sharpens just a little.

“At the cherry blossom festival next week. In public. Safe. My choice. No pressure.”

Jake’s jaw works for a second. Then he exhales, scrubbing a hand over his face. “Okay. Alright. Public is good. Safe is good. You text me the second you see him. If he breathes weird, I’m there in five minutes.”

I smile, touched. “Thanks, Sheriff.”

“You’re welcome, Deputy.”

We sit in silence for a beat, the way siblings do. Comfortable. No need to fill the space.

Then Jake leans back and grins. “Actually, I came over for something else.”

“Oh?”

“Think you can do me a favor?”

I arch a brow. “You want something?”

“Yeah.” He takes a long sip of his coffee. “Can you head out to the island? Open the cabin. Air it out. Make sure the winter didn’t do any damage.”

I blink. “Seriously?”

He shrugs. “I was going to, but I’ve got the supply run for the firehouse fundraiser, and Mom's been having more knee trouble. You know she’ll try to come with me if I say I’m going.”

“You mean you don’t want to deal with the spiders.”