How many jokes did she hear?

Who did make her laugh? How did they do that?

But I couldn’t ask her that. That was too much, too quick.

Keep it cool and classy and not so desperate. Goddamn I was desperate. I was desperate in a way that I didn’t even realize until I saw her up close and in person.

I shoved my hands into my pockets, more to hold myself back than anything else, and dropped my voice low. “Can I ask you a personal question?”

“What?” Her laughter started to subside.

I felt a tug. I didn’t want that to happen.

“Can I ask who you are? Who’s your family? Why are you out here?”

She stared at me, that same deer-in-the-headlights look coming back to her. I shouldn’t have. I’d be cursing myself as soon as she left, but she never bolted. The silence stretched, my question hanging between us, and I was counting my blessings that I hadn’t scared her off. Yet.

I didn’t expect her to answer. I was thinking of something else to say, anything to keep her there when I heard, “I have family. Kind of.”

“Yeah?” Hope slammed into my chest. Hope like I’d never felt before. It sped my heart up. “What do you mean?”

She looked down, kicking at the river with her toe. “My mom died. A long time ago.”

Her mom?

Was it . . .

But it was. It had to be. The realization punched me in the stomach. It clicked in place.

“Was your mom’s name Karen?”

She nodded, gesturing toward the main lodge again. “It’s why you’re here, isn’t it? How she died.” Her eyebrows pulled together. She was frowning so hard that I ached to go over and smooth it out. She added quietly, “Matthew told me they changed the movie so she doesn’t die, but she did.”

Holy.

I couldn’t move for a moment.

Fucking.

No way.

Shit!

It was. This girl was a sibling, one who wasn’t known to anyone. My heart was beating fast, but I kept my voice smooth and controlled. “What do you mean?”

She rubbed behind her ear before bending, picking up a stone, and tossing it into the river. She watched it sink to the bottom. “He said it was going to be a happily ever after movie.” She paused a beat. “He said I wasn’t in the movie either.” Her eyes were back on me. Judging. Studying. “You can’t tell.”

It was an accusation and a request at the same time.

I breathed out harshly. “I won’t say a goddamn word. I promise.” I meant it. I meant every single word, every single syllable.

“My mom died beca—” She stopped talking and glanced behind her. I thought she’d look back, resume whatever she was going to say, but she didn’t. She held still, staring into the dark woods. A few seconds stretched to thirty, then a minute, and then two. I waited for what felt like a full three minutes before she looked back to me. An apology was in her eyes as she stepped back toward the trees. She said, “I’m sorry,” before she was gone.

She vanished.

It happened in the blink of an eye.

I strained to hear, but there wasn’t even so much as a twig snapping under her feet. There was no pounding of hooves either.

She was there and then gone.

And despite my earlier questions, I was left standing there, unsure if I’d just had a conversation with a ghost or not.

Brody

I was up. I was early. I was not bright.

Gayle put her plate, which held a scone and two apples next to me, her coffee next. I was tempted to grab the coffee, but I knew she’d smack the back of my head and that was only if she didn’t pour the coffee on my lap.

I sighed, scooting back my chair as she was pulling hers in. “I need caffeine.”

“Okay,” I heard her mutter, as I walked toward the breakfast buffet table.

I was reaching for the Styrofoam cups when Kara sidled up next to me, a single strawberry on her plate.

“Hey.” It sounded a bit breathless, and I watched her as I poured the coffee. I didn’t break eye contact, judging from the feel of the heat before I turned off the spout.

Putting the lid on my cup, I pointed at her face. “You’ve got the sultry smile on this morning. It isn’t going to happen.”

“The what?” She eyed the coffeepot longingly before following me back to my table.

I went back to my seat next to Gayle. The only seat open was across from my manager, and Kara took it, eyeing Gayle for a few seconds before she sat.

Pointing at her face again, I said, “I know your smiles. I know you name your smiles too.”

“I do not.” She started to look horrified.

“You do.” I picked up a piece of toast. “I’ve even seen you practice your smiles, and it’s not happening.”

“What’s not happening?” Her strawberry was beginning to look lonely. She was ignoring it.

“You. Me. Put the sultry smile away.”

“What? Come on.” She let out a nervous giggle, reaching up to pat her hair. “I don’t know what’s going on right now.”

Fuck it. I speared her strawberry.

Gayle spoke up as I did, saying, “He’s rejecting you, honey.”

“What?”