Page 61 of Lost and Found

“Dial it down a notch,” she tells Fisher, giving him a placating smile. He givesmeanother dirty look and plants a quick kiss on her mouth when he walks past, a tray full of meat ready for the grill.

“Jesus. What’s with him? You know I was kidding, right?” I say under my breath.

“Yes,” Sage assures me. “He’s just having . . . an intense moment. Walter sounds like he’s retiring and selling the diner. For real this time. Among other things.” She reaches across me and plucks a chip from the bowl. “More importantly, before she gets here, I want to know what the hell you’re up to with Bea Marshall. I heard she adopted a cat. Did you forget you’re allergic? Is she who you accidentally snogged?” Ellis and Wren have wandered into the corner of their kitchen, where Wren starts assembling something else. He messes with her apron strings and says something in her ear that has her smiling in some private, intimate way.

“That’s exciting. About Walter,” I say to Sage. Truthfully, I’ve known about the diner-Walter situation for a few months now, after he confided in me while I helped him replace the roof on his old shed. Since he’s waffled back and forth about it the last couple of years, I opted not to share, knowing that Fisher’s had his eye on buying it and turning it into a place of his own. There’sgossip, and then there’s being irresponsible with information. “Fisher still trying to buy the place?” I ask.

“Maybe,” she clips. “Now answer me.”

I lift my shoulders and shove another chip into my mouth.

“Silas.”

I wait until I swallow. “Sage.”

She raises a brow and waits. I blow out a sigh. “We’re just friends. I’m just being a friend,” I say truthfully.

Her brow knits before she lets out one of her bubbly guffaws. “Yeah, okay. You’re just trying to befriendswith the woman who looks like Jessica Rabbit trapped in a CW alternate universe, who you and Micah have drooled over since you were kids. Got it.”

Micah comes lumbering over and plops onto a stool at the island, hunching himself over the chip bowl like it’s his breakfast cereal. For being the biggest and most athletic out of all of us, he always seems to move in an abrupt, clumsy way. “You talking about Bea?” he asks.

I want to yank the ring out of his nose for no reason. “You know you’re not gonna be able to wear that if you end up firefighting full-time, right?” I’m not sure what it is about being around siblings that reduces us to the most childish versions of ourselves. “And yes. I was just trying to convince Sage that I am not attempting to take advantage of a grieving woman who we’ve known for most of our lives, but apparently, this is inconceivable.”

Sage’s mouth falls open in a littleo, and I immediately regret being snide. I’ve managed to be the hurtful one, now. “It’s notinconceivable,” she says, blushing again to the tips of her ears. “I’m sorry.”

“’Sfine. Seriously. I get it. No big deal,” I say gruffly. I’ve done my fair share of being selfish and self-serving. Wanting things I shouldn’t. Taking things I shouldn’t have taken. It’s not like Ican blame her for the assumption. I force my mouth to twitch into a smile. “But I promise we’re just friends, and nothing toountowardis going on at the house. And Bea is . . . she’s helping me, too.”

“Helping you with what?” Ellis asks from across the kitchen, concern etched into every line of his face. Micah chomps loudly on his chips, unconcerned, while Sage, Wren, and Ellis stare at me.

I’m not entirely sure what to tell them, because I don’t entirely know what I’m hoping for. That helping her make peace with her grief and start a new chapter will put my shit in perspective where it belongs? Maybe the only reason I’ve wanted to help is because she asked me to. That she places any value in my help continues to make me feel . . . valuable.

But before I have to say anything, I’m saved by the doorbell.

I rush to the door to let Bea in, but get stuck when I throw it open and see her. She’s wearing blue again, and it sets off the red in her ponytail. A cropped tank top with a matching long skirt in the same print, checkered like a picnic tablecloth. The toes of her boots stick out past the end of her skirt.

“I brought wine?” she offers like a question.

“That’s gre—”

“Do I look like Dorothy Gale in this?” she cuts in. “I do, don’t I? I didn’t even think about it until I was pulling into the driveway, but with the gingham and the red hair . . . You’re looking at me like I just hopped off the Yellow Brick Road.”

I’m looking at you like you strike me dumb with how pretty you are and like I know about all your sighs and sounds. Living in the same house as you and your eye rolls and that mouth is what I imagine it’s like to be haunted.I gather up my scattered wits. “Nah, wrong shade of blue, no ruby slippers. And no pigtails.” I need to walk myself back from the mental image ofher in pigtails immediately. “Why are you nervous?” I manage to keep my laugh contained.

“You’renervous,” she grumbles.

“Right, well, cut me some slack. You just rode in on a tornado and dropped a house on my sister.”Also I’m still trying to forget the way you rode my lap.

She lets out a nasal sound. “I don’t know why I’m nervous, honestly. All of the Byrds at once, I guess? Sibling dynamics scare me a little.”

I hum. “Certainly valid.”

“Merritt’s sister never really warmed up to me,” she says.

“Well, my siblings already love you,” I assure her. “More time with you will only make them love you more.” Ask me how I know.

She smiles gratefully before she lets it fall. “They still don’t know about me trying to get pregnant, do they? I know it’s a juicy bit of news and all that, but I really don’t want it to get around in case it doesn’t—”

“I would never share that,” I tell her. I make sure I meet her eyes when I say it. “I figured you’d want some privacy about all of it. I did sort of allude to us helping each other out with something, though. I can’t imagine what they’re speculating.”