Page 17 of Timber's Line

We sit in silence until the others join us.

“Do me a favor?”

I nod at her.

“Take your time.” She says nothing after that. I don’t need her to elaborate. I know what she means and who she is talking about.

Shane pulls out the grill, and Memphis brings out a cooler full of steaks for dinner. The food smells good, and I’m hungry. At the same time, I’m wondering if Diego is treating Timber well.

“It gets easier,” Skye says as she sits down next to me.

“What does?”

“Watching her go on all the dates,” she says pointedly.

“What?”

“Dayton, I know you love or thought you loved Snow, but I saw how you looked at Timber when she walked away.”

“So what? I’m not one of her suitors.” And I wonder . . .

“What if you were?” She laughs as she walks toward Linc and kisses his cheek.

I don’t know how I feel about the tiny girl with curves who thinks she’s fat. No, she isn’t Snow.

“You have time,” Sal says, and I wonder where he came from.

“What?”

“My niece.”

“Your niece?”

“It’s a story she doesn’t know. But I do know how much of a bitch her mother is. I don’t have twenty guys. I have nineteen.”

“I’m not following you.” But I am.

“You have nineteen dates to decide, Dayton. I think it’s time. You need someone to love and protect, and you want someone to love you.” With that, he walks off.

“He’s so weird sometimes,” I whisper, and I hear giggling.

“I swear, sometimes my uncle is God or can see things we don’t. Or he’s just perceptive,” Ever says.

“What did he mean ‘niece’?”

“It’s a long story. She doesn’t know. She’s my sister.”

“Why don’t you tell her?” I half yell, causing everyone to look at me.

Ever steps back but doesn’t break eye contact. “Because it’s my dad and her dad’s deal. They need to tell her.”

“But all this time . . .” I don’t even know what to say.

“I only found out just recently. I wanted to tell her but couldn’t. To be honest, I’m still trying to wrap my head around it.”

“What happened?”

“Austin isn’t her real dad. Technically, she’s my half-sister. My dad and Anne were having problems. He slept with someone else and never told anyone. When the woman called to say she was pregnant, he took responsibility. But after the way Anne treated me at first, he didn’t want her in the house, so Austin took her in and raised her as his own.”