“Ah, well, I guess both our sisters can keep their traps shut occasionally. I have the same rule about this town and people I loved.”

“So, you didn’t want to know about me?”

I shake my head softly. “It was . . . I couldn’t . . .” I had to pretend.

Pretend I didn’t love you.

Pretend I didn’t regret leaving and think of you.

Pretend that I didn’t make a huge mistake.

He looks down at his hands. “I’m glad we were at the store today.”

A niggling memory starts to surface. “You were with your daughter?”

Grayson smiles. “Yeah, that was her.”

“I didn’t get to see her.”

“No,” a soft chuckle escapes. “I guess you didn’t.”

“Where is she?”

“She’s with your sister and Stella, doing makeovers and nails.”

“While you sit here with me . . .”

Our eyes meet for a brief second, and it feels as if a million things are said without a single word. “I guess it’s one of those things.”

“One of what things?”

Why am I asking him this? Why do I care? He and I are nothing, and it doesn’t matter that, when I thought the world was ending, he was one of the faces I saw. It’s not the only reason I came back to Willow Creek Valley. It’s home, and for all I knew, he didn’t live here.

What we had ended years ago. I’m being stupid.

“Where you loved someone once and you can’t quite walk away when you see them hurting.”

And my heart races. I stare at him, wondering if this is some medication-induced hallucination. It wouldn’t be the first. Or maybe, maybe this is a dream. One that isn’t filled with metal crunching and pain as the plane makes impact with the ground.

I blink a few times, seeing if I wake up.

“Winnie would’ve made sure I was okay,” I say softly.

“I’m sure, but she couldn’t have carried you out of the car. So, you’d be in the backseat right now instead of in bed.”

I smile and close my eyes. “True.”

Grayson leans closer. “Are you okay? Seriously?”

Slowly, I sigh and then look at him again. “I am. It’s hard, and it usually takes a full day to recover.”

“What brings them on?”

“It can be anything.”

Grayson grips the back of his neck. “When is the last time you got one?”

I don’t want to lie to Grayson, but at the same time, I don’t want to lose the job before I even start. I am genuinely excited and ready to resume some sense of normal again. Working gives purpose and joy. I loved to fly, meet celebrities, and get to see new places. Now all of that is gone, and I’m not sure who I am anymore.