“I’m not sure if I find this news creepy or thoughtful.”
He chuckles. “Maybe a little of both?”
“We’ll go with thoughtful since I don’t want to think about climbing into a truck with a guy that could’ve turned into an ax-murder after all this time.”
I allow myself a moment to admire the man Ashley’s become. He was already attractive the last time I saw him, but now, he’s something else entirely. It makes me wonder how Adam has turned out. And their sister Zuri. She’d be an adult, no longer the little kid I knew. But I force myself to swallow back the questions, at least for now.
* * *
The hour-and-a-half drive to the cabin in Ashley’s giant work truck is quiet. Pride swells in my heart, thinking back to when I first noticed the words King’s Lumbering on the side of it as I climbed into the passenger side. It seems his work ethic paid off, and I’m proud of him for now having his own business.
“King’s Lumbering, huh?” I smile widely at him.
“Yup.”
Same ol’ Ashley. A regular chatterbox.
“Are you still living around Egmont, or did you spread your wings to other areas of Sunshine Coast?”
“Nope. Roots are planted.”
I’m not surprised. Ashley always did seem to have a passion for nature and genuinely cared about all the people here. Speaking of people here—and the King family—where’s Adam?Even though I shouldn’t care. In fact, I don’t. Maybe I do care… just a little.
“How’s Zuri?” I venture. I’m hoping that by asking about his sister, he might offer information about his brother on his own.
“Good.”
That’s it? I release a frustrated sigh, which has Ashley turning his head to glance at me. I raise my eyebrows and offer a forced smile. “I see you’re still quite the talker.”
He gives me a crooked grin that momentarily paralyzes me from even breathing. I can count on one hand the number of times I saw Ashley smile in the sixty days I knew him. He’d always been handsome, and it seems his good looks have only improved with age, he doesn’t even look like he’s in his mid-thirties. Back then, both King boys were gorgeous, but I’d been drawn to Adam because he was closer to my age, being only three years older, as well as an outrageous flirt. Ashley was older and much more reserved, keeping to himself and acting like a parent rather than a brother. I can feel myself getting angry at Adam all over again, just thinking back to that time. He was such a shithead. Always running around having fun. Asking Ashley for money. For Adam, life was one big party, while his brother took care of everything and everyone.
The smile vanishes from Ashley’s face. His voice takes on a hard edge. “You’re thinking about Adam, yeah?”
“Why would you think that?” I snap, then curse myself for my rude tone. “I’m sorry.”
“Nah, I get it. I act the same way when he crosses my mind. Besides, from what I remember, you only ever frowned when it came to him. And for good reason.”
A surprise laugh bubbles out of me. “What? I was crazy about Adam.” My laughter dies and my mood turns somber. “Until… I wasn’t. But I don’t remember frowning.”
“I saw it more often than I would’ve liked. But that was Adam.”
A lump forms in my throat as I realize he’s using past tense. “Was?”
His face hardens.
“Ashley?” Those deep caramel brown eyes turn to me full of sympathy. In a hushed voice, I ask him. “Where’s Adam?’