Chapter 4
“Wait, seriously?!”
Honestly, I’m just as surprised as she is, but the last thing I’m going to do is raise my voice to our lawyer. The man in front of us is handsome, sitting tall behind his desk, his blond hair neatly managed, and bright blue eyes watching us.
“Yes, Ms. Pierce. The home in Boulder will go to you, and Wildhart Hollow will be given to your brothers. Speaking of…” Travis shifts away from the two of us before flipping one of the papers. “Where is Keoni?”
The mention of his name has my heart doing stupid jumping jacks.
Looking at my sister, she shrugs her shoulders. “I’m not sure. He must’ve recently got a new number because I tried to call him but it was out of service.” She turns to look at me, a wink accompanying her smile. “I send him stupid memes from time to time.”
“Do you get them back?”
The hurt that crosses her eyes has me releasing a chuckle. She jerks away from me to address the lawyer. “He’s our stepbrother. That was another question I had…” Oh, Alysa. “Is he still that? Our stepbrother?”
He hums, and I roll my eyes. I can’t believe she would even go there.
“Technically, since your father and Keoni’s mother have both passed, you guys aren’t legally step-siblings anymore.”
I clear my throat. “Need I remind you of Joshua, lefty?”
A literal huff escapes her. “I’m just asking, jerk. He’ll always be my stepbrother.” She gives Travis her biggest smile. “I’m happily in a relationship. I’d never pine over him, I swear.”
Little liar.
That has the lawyer chuckling. “No judgement.” He clears his throat.
“Everything else was split three ways between their children. The estate has to go through probate, and if it’s straightforward, which it seems to be, it shouldn’t take more than six to nine months.
Only longer if there’s any hold up. Are you local? ”
Both Alysa and I groan. “I’m only here for a few more days. I live in London.”
“Lucky girl,” he says before looking at me.
“No, San Fran.”
He nods. “No problem. I’ll make you the point of contact if that’s alright with you, Ayden. It may be easier to get in touch.”
“Will I have access to the cabin right away?” I ask quickly. “If I wanted to move in.”
“You can stay in the home in Boulder, righty. Wildhart is isolated.”
Perfect…
“I’ve got a few more months of leave from work, it may be nice to be… alone.”
When our eyes meet, we have our silent-twin conversation. She knows exactly what I’m thinking without a word. I’ve been cooped up in a big city apartment with my ex and could really use some fresh air.
After she nods, we turn back to Travis, who wears a smile.
“Legally, it’s yours, but unfortunately we don’t have the keys.”
“Yeah, no… I didn’t expect—”
“You can have a locksmith go out there to get a set done. I’ll provide you the paperwork to give to the company so they know you are lawfully allowed to enter.
” He gives me a sympathetic smile, one that holds understanding.
“My girlfriend, Genevive, knows the couple across the lake; their cabin is being rebuilt after a house fire. If you find yourself wanting some company, I’ll give you my number and I can talk to her to see if the girl in Sanderson Pine would want to hang out.
” A nervous chuckle comes from him as he rubs the back of his neck.
“Just don’t drop by unannounced. From what Genevive has said, her boyfriend is extremely overprotective. ”
When we first spoke with someone about going over the will, it was with a woman. So seeing him when we popped in was a surprise. I guess it makes sense now—he probably saw the cabin and asked to take it on. What a small world, but one I’m glad to be in. It would be nice to actually know a neighbor.
“Thanks. I’m not sure I’ll actually stay there but just wanted it as an option.”
“No pressure, just offering is all.”
After that, we spend the next hour signing documents and reviewing the details of what the coming months will entail. Alysa asks most of the questions; I just listen and absorb the information.
On our way out, my sister asks, “Does Keoni need to sign the documents for it all to be solidified?”
“Yes. We will continue to attempt to reach out to him. If you by chance get in contact with him, can you have him come up to get them signed?”
The two of us agree, bidding him a farewell, and hit the road. It’s an hour drive back to Maple Falls from Denver, and I’m mentally exhausted.
As we get on the highway, greasy food stuffed between the console, Alysa turns down the music. “That wasn’t so bad. I thought it would’ve been worse. Travis was really kind. I felt safe and heard. He was great.”
I nod and shove a fry into my mouth. “Agreed. Do we go to the cabin now?”
“No key. We can see when a locksmith can get out there.”
That’s right.
As she stumbles around the bag, I reach in and take out her burger. After prepping it, I hand it to her.
“Thanks,” she coos.
“Mhmm.” I pause, putting a french-fry into my mouth before speaking again. “I’ve… not been there, so we could just drive up and see it, if that works for you?”
“Oh, sure! Nothing really else to do. I think being left unattended to my thoughts I may start crying and I really, really, don’t want to.”
I’m unable to stop from chuckling. “I feel that.”
Maybe I’ll see it and decide it isn’t for me. The last time I went camping was when I was twelve, and that didn’t go so well—we were attacked by bees right at the lake’s edge. I don’t mind bugs or the outdoors, but that definitely wasn’t fun.
And the whole point of camping is for it to be enjoyable.
Anyway, I know that’s not the only reason my stomach is twisting into knots at the thought of staying. I’d need to talk with Michael and convince him it’s for the best.
But first, I’ll have to persuade myself. It’s still better than going back, I know that. My head just needs to catch up with my heart.
I don’t want to move into the apartment in Boulder. It doesn’t call to me the way the cabin is. It’s hard to explain, but it feels like if I don’t stay in Wildhart, I’d rather just go back to San Francisco.
I hate this restless, rootless feeling of not knowing where home is. I’m starting to annoy myself at this point.
The GPS announcing, “Starting route to Sapphire Valley” drags me out of my overthinking.
One thing at a time, Ayden. You’ll be fine.
I’ll admit, the drive here was absolutely breathtaking. The moment we left the highway, entering Maple Falls and venturing deeper into the forest, I barely breathed, too awestruck to do anything but stare.
California is beautiful, but something about Colorado feels freeing—especially this place.
We pass through the gates of Sapphire Valley, and a small curse escapes my sister. “What the?” At the fork in the road, the right side is blocked off. She groans and turns left instead.
As we make our way up the road, Alysa rolls the windows down. It’s all trees, grass, dirt, and the lake. Wildlife is sparse—deer, rabbits—but that’s it. This isn’t a big city where people will just be wandering around. I love that it’s gated too; it feels safer.
On our right, we pass an A-frame cabin mid-renovation. I think this is the one Travis mentioned. It looks like it’s coming along nicely—I’ll have to look up information about the fire or ask the owners at some point.
About a mile up the road, we take a soft right turn and continue forward when once again to our right, is a cabin.
No. Not a cabin. A fucking mansion. “Holy shit,” I say through a laugh. “That seems out of place.”
“Dad and Leilani had said that the owner has been a recluse since his wife and daughter went missing last Thanksgiving…”
“What? Holy shit.”
“Yeah…”
I just wanted to admire the massive two-story home, and not be sad—because that is terribly tragic.
The cabin-mansion isn’t the kind of modernized house you’d see in a suburban neighborhood, but its size feels out of place compared to that A-frame—and from the photos I’ve seen of Wildhart.
This place’s stone structure is trimmed with dark wood, and is absolutely beautiful.
I imagine the windows must offer a stunning view of the cascading mountains to our left.
I adjust my gaze forward as we turn down the road that will take us to our cabin.
It takes just over twenty minutes to drive all the way around the lake. Our family’s two-story home comes into view, and a wave of peace washes over me. It’s far nicer in person—Alysa’s photos didn’t do it justice.
We come to a stop, and there’s zero hesitation to me jumping out. I don’t expect to go inside, and as anticipated, no cars are parked around the cabin besides ours. I round the front and head straight to the dock.
The weather is perfect—not too hot, and not cold. It’s August, and I know it will start to cool soon; before long, snow will blanket the area. I’m not particular about any season, though the sun does seem to lift my mood.
The sun equals happiness, right?
I take a deep breath, tuck my hands into the pockets of my shorts, and lean to one side. Dropping my head back, I smile. The wind lifts my hair and carries the scents of forest and the lake.
God, it’s glorious, and for a fleeting moment, I feel like I might actually be okay.
This cements it: this is exactly where I need to be, at least temporarily. I can clear my head, and make some decisions about my life. Here, I can finally do what I couldn’t back in San Francisco.
Be safe.
Even now, my dad and stepmom are taking care of me—as they always tried to do…
“You always have a place with us, Ayden. The spare bedroom here at the cabin is yours, all you need to do is say you need it. And don’t forget about Keo. He’d help you with whatever you needed.”
“Hey, righty, where’s your phone?”
I take a breath before turning to look down at my sister who gives me a grin.
“Left it in the car, why—”
She takes me completely by surprise, and since I’m at the end of the dock, her tackle sends us tumbling straight into the water. My laughter muffles as I resurface, spitting out earthy, mineral-tasting water.
“Alysa!!” The moment she is above the surface, I thrust a wave of water at her. “We have nothing to dry off with!”
She giggles and simply shrugs her shoulders. “We will ride with the windows down. What happened to my not-so-uptight brother!?”
Yes… Indeed. What did happen to me?
I smile, and for the first time, it doesn’t feel distant.
Swimming quickly toward her has her shrieking and attempting to get away.
“You’ve lost your mind if you think you won’t pay for that.”
“No, no, no—” She’s cut off as I dunk her under. The sound of my laughter bouncing off the surface of the water and echoing around the lake.
For the next who knows how long, I lose myself to a place that feels like home. I know a big part of this feeling is because of her, but it’s definitely being here as well.
Thanks, Dad… Thanks, Leilani.