I brushed her hand aside and stood on my own. I’d known I’d run into her here. I’d even prepared myself to stumble upon Ever with James, since they were friends, or whatever they were. I hadn’t quite figured that part out.

James had done a good job of explaining Ever away as a sponsor in his grief-support group. But, that was just his cover. Part of a carefully crafted story that took several years to develop, and one that paralleled my own with regards to the loss of a parent. I’d lost my father to a drunk driver three years before. When I met James, he told me he’d lost both of his parents. This was pure fiction. It was all a ploy to get close to me, win my empathy, and eventually my love. I’d given him that last part freely.

In truth, James had traveled to Woodvine, North Carolina for the sole purpose of collecting me, bringing me to live here with him in his world. What neither of us expected was to fall in love. In the end, James couldn’t bring himself to force me to live in Judaculla, where women were treated like property. And when he left, I couldn’t bring myself to live my life without him.

And so, I came to Judaculla in search of James. No firm plan for what I was going to do after that. Maybe convince him to return to Woodvine with me. Or maybe we’d make a life in Judaculla. All I knew was I had to put my eyes on him, hold him close, and never be separated from him again. And while I’d half-expected to find Ever with James, I’d never expected her to attack me.

“Ever,” I said, brushing the dirt from my hands.

“Leath,” Ever said, cocking an eyebrow.

We stood there for a few minutes, me pretending to clear away leaves and small branches from my jeans while waiting for Ever to explain herself. I was the one to cave and break our silence. “Well, it’s been great catching up and all, but I’m going to head out.”

“Good luck,” Ever said. “You don’t happen to know where James lives, do you?” I didn’t answer, choosing instead to shoot daggers at her with my eyes. “Yeah, I didn’t think so,” she said.