Page 37

Lark

I didn’t mean to drive to Grandma Shirley’s. After two weeks of not hearing from Axel, I was getting nervous. I met her when I first arrived at the mountain, and I promised myself I would keep her as my friend.

I told myself I was just going for a ride, that I needed air and motion—something to keep the thoughts from spinning like old storm systems in my brain.

But somehow, I found myself on the winding road toward town, gravel crunching beneath the tires as if the mountain was whispering for me to go visit Grandma Shirley for a minute.

Grandma Shirley’s house sat at the edge of a steep hill, her garden defying all rules of nature with its chaotic abundance of sunflowers, snapdragons, and vegetables she never actually harvested. The screen door creaked as I stepped onto the porch, and before I could knock, the door flew open.

“Well, look what the wind dragged in.” Her eyes narrowed as she took me in. “You look like a girl who’s been kissed too good and left behind too fast.”

I blinked. “How do you—?”

She waved me inside. “Please. You think we don’t all know when one of those SEAL boys leaves town? It’s like someone put a lid on the mountain’s noise.”

The kitchen smelled like cinnamon and sass. Willa was there too, barefoot and comfortably curled up in a window seat, sipping tea like she hadn’t just survived her own emotional roller coaster.

“Hey,” she said gently.

“Hey.”

Grandma pushed a mug of tea into my hands before I could sit. “Drink. You look like someone who hasn’t slept or eaten since last Tuesday.”

I sat. “I just… I didn’t know where else to go.”

“You went to the right place,” Willa said, her voice soft.

“I don’t know what I’m doing,” I admitted. “I thought I was this untouchable storm-chasing woman who didn’t need anyone. But then Axel happened. And now he’s gone, and I feel like—like I left half of myself on that porch.”

Grandma Shirley sat across from me, elbows on the table, eyes kind and sharp. “That boy walked in here last week and asked me what he should do to help you heal. You know what I told him?”

I shook my head.

“Nothing. I told him to sit still and stay close. Because some women don’t need saving. They just need someone to stop running long enough for them to catch their breath.”

Willa nodded slowly. “You don’t have to prove anything right now. Not to us. Not to Axel. Not even to yourself.”

My eyes stung again, and I blinked fast.

“He left with your name in his chest,” Grandma added. “And something tells me he’s coming back with more than that.”

I laughed weakly. “I hope so.”

Willa reached over and squeezed my hand. “In the meantime, you’re not alone. You’ve got us.”

That’s when my phone buzzed.

I froze.

Grandma arched a brow. “If that’s Marley, tell her to bring wine next time.”

I glanced down.

Marley: Leaving Gaza early. Got a story you’re not going to believe.

Below it:

Marley: And by the way… tell Axel Frasier says hi.

That didn’t make sense.