CHAPTER 9
Katrina
Katrina and Ryan walked beneath the redwoods in companionable silence, Skylla trotting several yards ahead before stopping every so often to make sure they were still following. The trail was one Katrina had known since childhood. She could have walked it blindfolded.
Ryan couldn't. He slowed now and then to admire a particularly enormous tree or the way sunlight filtered through the branches.
He asked questions about the forest, the creek, the spring that gave Cedar Springs Road its name.
She answered automatically, smiling whenever his curiosity got the better of him.
She was still embarrassed about earlier, crying in Ryan’s arms. She almost never cried in front of other people anymore. Not like that.
Eight years had passed since the accident. She had talked about her parents before. Friends from college had asked. Coworkers in San Francisco had asked. Even strangers sometimes asked why two young women lived alone in the woods. She had learned to tell the story without falling apart.
So why Ryan? Why had she ended up in his arms?
She could still remember the warmth of his embrace, the quiet way he'd held her without trying to fill the silence with empty words.
She shook her head. She didn't want to think about it.
It was easier to focus on the trail, on Skylla racing ahead through the trees, on Ryan stopping every few minutes to admire another towering redwood.
For a little while, she let herself enjoy the hike without thinking about what she'd already decided. It was almost possible to imagine they were simply two friends spending an afternoon together.
Then Ryan laughed at something Skylla did, and the sound tugged at her heart again.
She'd liked him almost from the beginning. Not because he was handsome, although he was. And not because he surfed, although he was certainly enthusiastic. He was awkward, genuine, and somehow... safe.
It would have been so much easier if Marina hadn't liked him too.
She glanced ahead, watching Ryan duck beneath a fallen branch before holding it aside for her without thinking.
He was considerate that way. Little things seemed to come naturally to him.
The gesture made her wish, if only for a moment, that she hadn't made up her mind.
A tightness gripped her chest. She had made her choice, and now she just had to accept it.
They reached the top of the hill about twenty minutes later. The trees thinned out, revealing a rocky outcropping that jutted over the valley below. From there they could see all the way to the ocean. The afternoon fog had retreated from the shoreline, lingering only in pale bands over the water.
To the north, the coastline curved away, dotted with tiny houses and the occasional glint of sunlight on distant windshields. To the south, the mountains rose in soft blue layers, their peaks wrapped in wisps of cloud.
"Wow," Ryan said, walking to the edge of the outcropping. "This is spectacular."
"I know, right?" Katrina sat on a broad, flat boulder and patted the space beside her. "Best view in Cliff Harbor, and hardly anyone knows about it."
Ryan sat beside her, leaving a respectful few inches between them. Skylla settled comfortably between them, leaning against Ryan's leg. He reached down and scratched behind her ears. Skylla closed her eyes in contentment.
Traitor. Katrina smiled to herself.
The breeze carried the scent of pine and salt. For a few moments neither of them spoke.
She had been thinking about this conversation since they left the house.
This was the whole reason she had invited him up here.
Once she started, there would be no taking it back.
She took a slow breath.
"So," she said, "how was your lesson with Marina this morning?"
"It was great," Ryan said. His face brightened almost immediately. "I was surprised she showed up. She made it pretty clear yesterday that she wasn't interested in teaching me."
Katrina couldn't help smiling.
She still remembered coming home and seeing Marina's wetsuit hanging over the porch railing to dry. Even then, she had hardly believed her sister had actually gone.
And now Ryan was smiling the way people smiled after something they wanted to do again.
"Yeah, well, that's Marina. She acts all tough, but she really isn't."
"Are you sure you didn't push her?"
Katrina laughed. "Guilty as charged."
"Thank you."
"Honestly, I didn't do it just for you. I'm hoping Marina will surf more. It's sad to see her let that talent go to waste."
"I see."
The smile never quite left Ryan's face.
A tightness settled in Katrina's chest. She had hoped he would enjoy the lesson, but she hadn’t anticipated feeling the loss so intensely. Glancing out at the ocean, she took a moment before speaking again. "And, for what it's worth..." She paused briefly. "I think she likes you."
Ryan paused. "What makes you say that?"
Katrina shrugged. "I just know. I can tell."
"Has she mentioned me to you?"
There it was—hope, small and careful, yet unmistakable. Damn, this was tougher than she had expected.
"No," Katrina admitted. "But she doesn't talk about customers at the bar much. She's not usually interested in them." She grinned. "Must've been impressed by you."
Ryan chuckled, but his expression was hard to read. For a moment he looked almost amused, as though he found the idea difficult to believe.
Katrina felt a flicker of doubt. Had she misread him? Did he not like Marina after all?
No. That couldn't be it.
She had seen the way he'd looked at Marina at dinner the night before. There had been admiration in his eyes every time he looked at her.
"She's a great sister," Katrina continued, suddenly seized by the urge to help him see Marina the way she did.
"Our parents died eight years ago. I was seventeen, and she was twenty.
She was in her junior year of college, but she dropped out and came home to take care of me.
She said she'd go back and finish later, but...
" She shrugged. "She never did. She sacrificed everything for me. "
Ryan nodded. "You told me you went to college in San Francisco. Got a job there, but came back."
"Yeah. About two years ago. Marina had just broken up with her boyfriend, and she was..." Katrina searched for the right words. "I don't know. She wouldn't say it, but she needed someone. So I came home."
Ryan was quiet for a moment. "Was that... the last time she had a boyfriend? "
Katrina nodded. “Yep. Marina dated this Silicon Valley guy for about six months. Total tech bro. Nice guy, probably, but unbelievably boring."
"Tech bro?" Ryan echoed with a chuckle.
Katrina laughed. "Apparently Marina has a thing for smart guys who spend too much time staring at screens."
"That sounds judgmental."
"It is judgmental," Katrina admitted cheerfully. "But you're also a tech guy, so clearly she's into that."
Ryan laughed. "I'm not—she’s not—"
"I know, I know." Katrina held up both hands. "But I can tell she feels differently about you. You're her type. Smart. Nice. Not some beach bum looking for a summer fling."
Ryan turned his gaze toward the ocean, taking a moment to gather his thoughts.
Katrina observed him in silence, noting the absence of his smile. He appeared almost overwhelmed, and she hoped that meant he was seriously considering her words. "Sorry," she said softly. "That might have been too much. Are you seeing anyone?"
He shook his head. "No. Not for a while."
A small flutter of hope stirred in her chest, and for an instant, she regretted asking. It made her think about the possibility.
But then she recalled the restaurant—the way Marina had blushed and how Ryan had looked at her sister throughout the evening. That feeling faded as quickly as it had emerged.
"Perfect," Katrina said, forcing a smile. "Then we can figure this out."
Ryan chuckled. "I'm not sure Marina wants to 'figure this out.'"
"Oh, she will," Katrina said with far more confidence than she actually felt.
She checked her watch and stood. "We should head back. It's getting late, and Marina will be home soon. You should stay for dinner."
Ryan hesitated. "I don't want to intrude—"
"You're not intruding," Katrina interrupted. "She started her afternoon shift early today, so she'll be home in an hour or so. Right around dinner time. You can start working on the website while I cook."
Ryan hesitated only another second. The thought of seeing Marina again was written all over his face.
"Okay," he said. "That sounds good."
Relief washed over Katrina. She had done it. Ryan would see Marina again tonight.
Maybe nothing would happen. Maybe everything would. Either way, she had given her sister the chance she deserved.
"Great!" Katrina whistled for Skylla, who came bounding back from wherever she'd been exploring. "Race you back?" she challenged, already starting down the trail.
Ryan laughed and followed, Skylla racing between them.
Katrina glanced over her shoulder. Ryan was laughing as Skylla darted around him, weaving from one side of the trail to the other.
The sight made Katrina smile. Maybe she'd done the right thing after all.