photograph again. Cassie lifted it out. It had a crease down the middle from where it had been folded and its edges were dog-eared from being crammed into a pocket or a hat. You must have kept this on you, Leif.
Gently, she flattened the picture against her leg.
Two boys sat on a log in front of a campfire. She recognized Leif right away. His red hair and goofy grin had remained the same as an adult.
But the other—dark hair, not smiling. Staring into the camera like he was awaiting a death sentence. He held a fishing pole in one hand, the end resting against a dirty, bare foot.
Both of them had the same lean, tan bodies that came from running in the sun all summer. A snapshot of one’s life, caught forever in that moment. Over so fast.
Cassie turned the photo over. In Leif’s cramped printing, it said:
Luke and me, the summer before fourth grade. Wallisberg, Oregon
Luke? She’d never heard Leif mention a friend by that name before. She paused for a second. Something about the name gnawed at her memory. She went for the bible and flipped to the dedication page again. Her pulse rising, she ran her finger down the generation lines.
There! There it was. Under Tamara, sister to Dave. She had a son named Luke. Cassie compared the dates. Dave was Leif’s dad. Tamara, Dave’s sister.
The birthdates matched.
Cousins.
“He must have been pretty special for you to be carrying around his picture,” Cassie whispered. “But why wouldn’t you have told me about him?”
At the bottom of the box lay a pale envelope, addressed to Leif when he was overseas. She pulled it out. It was thin, with a single sheet of paper inside. She set the photo to one side and withdrew the letter.
Dear Leif Hensley,
I regret to inform you that Luke Stanzione aged out of the foster care system in 2009. At this time, we don’t keep records of our former foster children after graduation. I can tell you that he graduated from Mill Falls High School the same year. I hope this will somehow help you in your search.
Leif had been looking for him, searching for his cousin.A strange strength and energy began pulsing through her. How did you lose him, Leif? Her lips pressed together as she tucked the photograph into the bible and returned it to the box.
Can I leave the house and do this? Just saying those words freaks me out. But I need to save my job. And maybe, along the way, try to remember how to live again.
“I can do this. I’ll find Luke for you, Leif.”
Chapter 3
“ I ’m not willing to go through that again, Miranda. I’m not.” Cassie silently counted to ten to control her patience.
Her sister pushed the porch swing, her flip-flop dangling from one foot. “Why can’t you at least be open to the idea of trying?”
Cassie crossed her arms and resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Her sister’s tone immediately dragged her back into the role of being a pouty ninth grader, upset she couldn’t go to some party. “I just don’t have it in me to do it again. Once was enough.”
“I promise, there are other people out there. You might have to ‘fake it until you make it’ for a while, but he’s a nice guy. I’m just saying go out as friends.”
“Devon is your friend. You work with him. I don’t care if he’s a nice person. He’s not Leif. Nobody else could possibly be a best friend like he was. Laugh at my stupid jokes. He was my rock for a long time.” A sob began to work its way up her throat like a razor blade. She gritted her teeth, refusing to let it come out. “I’ve got other things to do with my life. Love isn’t one of them.”
“I’ve noticed whenever you speak of Leif, you always speak of him as a friend. How are you grieving him? As a friend, or…?”
Miranda’s words cut her to the core, stirring up her tamped-down fear. “Stop! I don’t want to talk about it!”
Her sister chuffed at her tone and stood up. “You’re not even twenty-three yet, Cassie. For crying out loud, you have your
Gently, she flattened the picture against her leg.
Two boys sat on a log in front of a campfire. She recognized Leif right away. His red hair and goofy grin had remained the same as an adult.
But the other—dark hair, not smiling. Staring into the camera like he was awaiting a death sentence. He held a fishing pole in one hand, the end resting against a dirty, bare foot.
Both of them had the same lean, tan bodies that came from running in the sun all summer. A snapshot of one’s life, caught forever in that moment. Over so fast.
Cassie turned the photo over. In Leif’s cramped printing, it said:
Luke and me, the summer before fourth grade. Wallisberg, Oregon
Luke? She’d never heard Leif mention a friend by that name before. She paused for a second. Something about the name gnawed at her memory. She went for the bible and flipped to the dedication page again. Her pulse rising, she ran her finger down the generation lines.
There! There it was. Under Tamara, sister to Dave. She had a son named Luke. Cassie compared the dates. Dave was Leif’s dad. Tamara, Dave’s sister.
The birthdates matched.
Cousins.
“He must have been pretty special for you to be carrying around his picture,” Cassie whispered. “But why wouldn’t you have told me about him?”
At the bottom of the box lay a pale envelope, addressed to Leif when he was overseas. She pulled it out. It was thin, with a single sheet of paper inside. She set the photo to one side and withdrew the letter.
Dear Leif Hensley,
I regret to inform you that Luke Stanzione aged out of the foster care system in 2009. At this time, we don’t keep records of our former foster children after graduation. I can tell you that he graduated from Mill Falls High School the same year. I hope this will somehow help you in your search.
Leif had been looking for him, searching for his cousin.A strange strength and energy began pulsing through her. How did you lose him, Leif? Her lips pressed together as she tucked the photograph into the bible and returned it to the box.
Can I leave the house and do this? Just saying those words freaks me out. But I need to save my job. And maybe, along the way, try to remember how to live again.
“I can do this. I’ll find Luke for you, Leif.”
Chapter 3
“ I ’m not willing to go through that again, Miranda. I’m not.” Cassie silently counted to ten to control her patience.
Her sister pushed the porch swing, her flip-flop dangling from one foot. “Why can’t you at least be open to the idea of trying?”
Cassie crossed her arms and resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Her sister’s tone immediately dragged her back into the role of being a pouty ninth grader, upset she couldn’t go to some party. “I just don’t have it in me to do it again. Once was enough.”
“I promise, there are other people out there. You might have to ‘fake it until you make it’ for a while, but he’s a nice guy. I’m just saying go out as friends.”
“Devon is your friend. You work with him. I don’t care if he’s a nice person. He’s not Leif. Nobody else could possibly be a best friend like he was. Laugh at my stupid jokes. He was my rock for a long time.” A sob began to work its way up her throat like a razor blade. She gritted her teeth, refusing to let it come out. “I’ve got other things to do with my life. Love isn’t one of them.”
“I’ve noticed whenever you speak of Leif, you always speak of him as a friend. How are you grieving him? As a friend, or…?”
Miranda’s words cut her to the core, stirring up her tamped-down fear. “Stop! I don’t want to talk about it!”
Her sister chuffed at her tone and stood up. “You’re not even twenty-three yet, Cassie. For crying out loud, you have your
Similar Books
Fletcher
David Horscroft
In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens
Alice Walker
Bound To Him: Three Dates with a Billionaire
Emma Lyn Wild
Into the Woods
Linda Jones
The Cauldron of Fear
Joe Dever
Bowery Girl
Kim Taylor
Dangerous Kiss
Avery Flynn
The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook
Martha Stewart Living Magazine
Amazing Love
Mae Nunn
