But Olivia didn’t want to think about all the complications at present. She wanted to bask in the warmth surrounding her, savoring the gentle teasing, taking pleasure in the excitement of the older ladies patting their hair and fussing over their lip color as they recaptured a part of themselves they had forgotten—the part that relished the glamour and glitz. And honestly, Olivia wanted to relish the tenuous sisterhood she’d bridged with Neve. Though storms were on the horizon in regard to their father and the cabin’s future, Olivia wanted to savor this moment, one in which she had a glimmer of hope that she and Neve could grow toward a better relationship.

How nice it would be to lean toward her sister instead of always going it alone. Olivia had chosen that direction too often, and though this new path with her sister might have potholes and thorns, she wouldn’t be on it alone.

For now, that was enough.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Chase attached an armband around the wrist of the kid wagging his hand inside the ticket booth and made change for the two twenty-dollar bills he’d given her. “Here you go. Have fun.”

He gave her a gap-toothed grin and ran back to where his parents stood with a few other kids. Being stuck in a single-person ticket booth ensured that most people didn’t know who she was, which is why the committee had moved her from the agricultural exhibit to carnival ride sales. The festival goers were too busy begrudgingly coughing up the thirty bucks for the all-you-can-ride band to search for the actress they’d heard was working the carnival as a volunteer.

Not to mention that Chase was no longer a platinum blonde. Neve had stripped off the color, returning her to a warm brown, trimming her hair into a shoulder-length bob. Then she’d added caramel-and-gold highlights that made her look like autumn personified. When she’d looked in the mirror the last few mornings, she’d seen a stranger. After the initial shock, Chase found she loved the new look. She looked more serious, like someone who knew herself better.

And she did.

Over the past week, she’d worked harder at self-reflection. She’d even called her mother and conducted a normal conversation with Lorna. Funny how something as simple as a conversation looked different when she wasn’t angry. She could tell her mother had been surprised by how reasonable Chase had been, especially when it had come to a discussion of her career. Chase had been honest—she had misgivings about her current path. She was going to fulfill her obligation to Conrad, but she wanted space to figure out what else she wanted from life.

“What else would you do?” Lorna had asked.