Sierra threw a napkin at her. “No, this is reality. Kane texted me a spreadsheet of other sites for the store with all these stats.”
“Too soon. He should’ve begged for your forgiveness and kept his mouth shut.”
“Men.”
They drank and sat and eventually Sierra felt more like herself. Still broken-hearted over Kane’s choices. Still angry at him keeping the truth and trying to control the situation. Still scared he’d never be able to be the man she could trust and lean on without fail.
But better.
“I wish Mom was here.”
Sierra refilled her glass and gave her sister a sympathetic look. “I know, babe. But I told you, Mom would be really proud of you. And I’m here for anything you need.”
“Not for me, silly. For you. I know you’re still mad at her.”
Startled, she stared at her sister. Sierra tried not to show Aspen how Mom’s death affected the way she lived her own life. She’d always disapproved of the way her mother lived bold and carelessly, not caring about her responsibilities. Aspen was more like her, with big dreams and stars in her eyes. The outcome of dying in a plane crash chasing some off-track adventure showed Sierra it was better to keep her feet firmly on the ground. So, she’d married her first serious boyfriend and tried to do the right things. She surrounded herself with safety and lived a full life, but without risk.
When she told Kane she loved him, she’d taken the leap. Finding out about his deceit only confirmed her doubts. Sierra now worried she’d been wrong to believe she could have a happily ever after on Mom’s and Aspen’s terms.
Sierra tried to wave off the remark. “It’s psychology 101. I felt abandoned so I turned to anger. Nothing for you to worry about, Aspen.”
“No, it’s not that. You’re more like Mom than you think. But you never got a chance to explore that part of you.” Frustration gleamed in her brown eyes. “I remember when you were younger and how vibrant you were. You lit up a room and everyone wanted to be around you. Boys swarmed for dates, and all the popular girls loved you. Your laugh was the loudest and most joyous. God, I was so jealous of you. To have such a bright light like Mom did.”
Her jaw dropped. “I was never like that!”
Aspen smiled sadly. “Yeah, you were. You just forgot. After Mom and Dad died, you changed so much. You became so adult and more serious. I was happy, too, because it meant I didn’t have to take care of anything. I was so wrecked and then I met Ryan in college and had that awful affair. And believe me—I know things happen for a reason and we both made the best of ourselves. I love who we are and turned out to be. But I can’t help being a little sad I never got to see that part of you blossom.”
Her sister paused, allowing the words to sink in.
“I also think being with Kane brought back your spark. You’re different with him. Freer. Less careful. So, even though we both hate him a little now, I don’t want you to give up if there’s a chance you can forgive him. Okay?”
Emotion washed over her. She reached across the counter and grabbed her sister’s hand. Tears stung her eyes. God, she was crying all the time now. It was so annoying.
“Thanks, Aspen. I’m so happy you moved to OBX. I hated doing life without you.”
Aspen squeezed her hands. “Me, too, babe. Me, too.”
“Dude, you fucked up. Like, seriously.”
“I know,” Kane said glumly. “I seem to be doing that a lot.”
They sat in the Jeep together, staring at the empty parking lot. The tours were over for the day, and Kane had sought out his best friend for help. Usually, he’d try to figure crap out alone, but Brick’s words kept filtering through his brain. The suggestion he needed to reach out more and share in relationships. Maybe if he’d taken his advice, Kane would have done better with Sierra.
Brick shook his head. “I mean, this is bad. You literally said you love her, shared your past, then a few hours later, announced you’d be the one demolishing her store.”
Kane rubbed his palms over his face. “That sounds terrible. I swear, I planned this better. I intended to tell her after your party, but I got distracted.”
“Sex is not the way to fix issues, dude.”
“Really? Like you didn’t spend your whole summer avoiding issues with Aspen by taking her to bed?”
“Totally different. Plus, I learned. I’m kind of evolved now.”
Kane groaned. “Spare me the details. I’m here asking for help. This isn’t easy for me!”
“Sorry. Take me through the whole thing again.”
He did. His friend tapped his lip, obviously deep in thought. “Men and women think differently. You’re looking at this with a purely rational perspective, but you need to consider the emotional part. Stealth was going to buy out that property anyway—you were just the means to an end. As an outsider, you were also a plus. People get stirred up around here and that will raise some blowback.”
