Page 16 of When the Smoke Clears

I hate how easily he still fits inside my silence, how every word I don’t say sounds like his name.

Eden watches us like she’s courtside at a championship match, eyes darting between volleys of emotion. After a beat, she slips a warm hand over mine.

I offer her a tight smile. “I should go.”

Luke lifts a hand. “No. Stay. I have important things to do.”

Talking to me isn’t important. Noted.

“Just came for coffee.” His voice has that clipped, authoritative edge.

He grabs the paper cup from the counter and heads toward the door. But halfway out, he turns. And the way he looks at me…

It’s betrayal. It’s regret. It’s someone staring at a ghost he doesn’t trust to stay real if he reaches for it. “I’m very sorry about your mom, Isla.”

And then he’s gone.

My inhale is sharp, my shoulders sinking with the force of release.

“Isla, it’s so good to see you,” Eden beams, her warmth softening everything. “And I’m sorry about your mom, too.”

“Thank you.”

She guides me back to the table with a gentle hand on my back, comforting and steady. “Come sit. Let’s catch up.”

My legs still shake from Luke’s emotional storm, so I follow her.

Eden’s eyes, warmer, earthier olive-green than I remembered, study my face.

“Look at you. All grown up. And working somewhere cool.”

A soft smile lifts her lips. “I own this place.”

“Seriously? That’s amazing.”

“Yep. I bought the building two years ago with money my grandfather left me. Everyone said it was a mistake, but it’s become my home.”

I count backwards from my age of twenty-eight, so that makes Eden twenty-two. Emotion stings behind my eyes. “I’m proud of you, Eden.”

“How long are you in town?”

“Just a few days.” I take her hand, squeezing. “Sorry, I tried to sneak out. I panicked.”

“I saw.” She laughs. “And honestly, it was adorable.”

I drop my forehead to the table. “I never outgrew my awkward phase.”

“Trust me,” she says, “there’s no universe where you could’ve gotten out without Luke knowing. Knowing everything is part of being the town sheriff.”

My head snaps up.

I saw the uniform, but it never sank in. Luke Wild is the town sheriff.

A wave of pride sweeps through me. It’s hot, inconvenient, and impossible to ignore.

He carved a different path from his father. We talked for hours about that dream. I thought I’d walk beside him while he chased it. Turns out he walked it alone.

“Now that he knows I’m here,” I murmur, “he’ll do everything in his power to steer clear of me. It’s best for everyone.”