"Yeah, I do. You mean people who scare the hell out of you because they make you want things you're not sure you can have."
I have no defense against that truth, so I retreat to anger. "I'm ending it. Before it goes any further. Before she has to be the one to do it."
"And if she doesn't want to end it?"
"She will." The certainty in my voice masks the terror beneath.
Liam shakes his head, disappointment etched in every line of his face. "You know, for someone who spends his life maintaining gardens and trails, you sure are hell-bent on destroying this one."
"It's better this way." I turn back to my tools.
"No, it's not." Liam moves toward the door. "It's just easier.”
Chapter Eleven
Daisy
Iwake up feeling lighter than I have in months, maybe years. The morning light streams through my cabin window, highlighting Rascal's tiny paw prints on the floor and my hastily discarded clothes from yesterday. My notebook sits open on the table, filled with sketches from the wildlife blind.
Seven days until I'm supposed to leave. But what if I didn't? What if I stayed? Not forever, maybe, but longer? Janet's words echo in my mind.The deadline isn't set in stone. Sometimes the best stories aren't the ones we plan.
The thought sends nervous butterflies swarming in my stomach. I reach for my phone, smiling at the memory of Rowan's text from yesterday. Surely he'd be up by now, probably already maintaining some trail or fixing something for someone else.
No response to my good morning text. Odd, but he's never been much for technology.
An hour later, showered and dressed in my best hiking outfit, I set out to find him. The morning air is crisp, full of possibility as I check his usual spots—the maintenance shed, the east trails, even the wildlife blind where we shared that perfect moment yesterday.
No Rowan.
"Have you seen your son?" I ask Evie when I finally duck into the lodge's main building.
“He’s working on the north property line today. Some fence repairs that couldn't wait,” she says, her eyes not meeting mine.
The north property is the furthest from my cabin, from the wildlife blind, from everywhere I might naturally encounter him. The realization sits like a cold stone in my stomach.
"Is everything okay?" I force brightness into my voice.
Evie's gentle hand on my arm tells me I'm not fooling anyone. "You should ask him that, dear."
The trek to the north property takes almost an hour, Rascal trotting dutifully beside me, occasionally looking up as if to ask why we're venturing so far from our usual paths.
"Hey, stranger!" I call, when I spot him. "You're a hard man to find today."
He straightens slowly, and even from a distance, I can see the change. His shoulders are set in a stiff line, his face a careful mask that reminds me of our first meeting.
"Daisy." No smile. No warmth. Just my name, flat and neutral.
"I was hoping we could talk." I approach, Rascal running ahead to greet him. For once, Rowan doesn't bend to scratch his ears. "About yesterday. And about what happens next."
"What happens next is you finish your research and head back to New York for your book launch." His tone is matter-of-fact, almost rehearsed. He turns back to the fence post, hammering with unnecessary force.
"How did you know about that?" I stop a few feet from him, suddenly unsure.
"Mom mentioned it." He doesn't look at me. "Janet called the lodge. Sounds like an amazing opportunity. Everything you've worked for."
The distance in his voice is worse than anger would be. "It is, but I've been thinking?—"
"Don't." The hammer pauses mid-swing. "There's nothing to think about."
