“You should sit and rest,” I said, my voice low for only her to hear. “You can see the view just as well from the rocks.” Part of me was very aware how close she was to the edge. One small slip could have dire consequences. The thought made me uneasy, and my fingers itched to grab hold of her.
Wren’s eyes flicked to mine. “Sometimes I can’t believe this place is real. It scares me a little bit. Like this might be a dream and I’ll wake up at any moment.”
She looked both worried and fascinated. Full of hope and dread at the same time. “I forget to enjoy the beauty this place has to offer,” I admitted. “I guess you get so used to the privileges you have that you forget to be thankful for them.” I gave her a smile, wanting to distract her from whatever worried her. “Thanks for reminding me to stop and admire the small things.” I nodded toward the epic view. “And the big ones.”
She blinked at me a moment before her lips curled up into a bright, wide grin. My favorite sight, I think—even beating the one in front of us.
Yes, it was indeed the little things…
“I guess being a city girl is good for something, huh?” Her eyes twinkled.
I had finally asked where she was from. Chicago. The big city. I still wasn’t sure how she ended up here, but I was grateful.
“I don’t think you’re a city girl.” I shook my head. “Not really. Deep down, you’re all wide-open spaces and country sunshine.”
Her already flushed cheeks deepened in color. She stared at me another moment before she shook her head and looked away. “I think I should probably sit down,” she said, breathy and flustered. “I need some water.”
I wanted to laugh but held it in as we both headed back toward the rocks. Wren leaned next to Ellie as she fetched her water bottle from her backpack and started to chug. I sat near her, Ty on my other side. He had a small mound of honeysuckle blossoms piled next to him and he and Knox tore through them, sipping the nectar from the stems.
Wren frowned at them. She pulled her water bottle from her lips, eyeing them suspiciously. “What are you two doing with those cute little flowers?”
My brows rose as Ellie turned to her. “They’re honeysuckle.” She said it as if it were obvious what they were doing, but Wren looked confused.
Ty tossed a used bud over his shoulder as he licked his lips. “Haven’t you ever had honeysuckle?” He tilted his head.
Wren scrunched her nose as she slowly shook her head. “You, like, eat them?”
“Do y’all not have honeysuckle up North?” Ellie’s mouth dropped open.
Wren shrugged. “I guess we do, but I didn’t have a lot of nature around me growing up.”
Knox shook his head as he let out a low whistle. “Now that’s a damn shame.”
I plucked a flower from Ty’s pile. “Honeysuckle has a sweet nectar inside that you can eat. I think the flowers are edible too, but it’s the sweet stuff you want.”
“It’s like honey, but different.” Ellie sighed. “It’s so good. I can’t believe you’ve never had it.”
Wren glanced at the flower in my hands. “It’s really something then, huh?”
I nodded. Wren watched closely as I pinched off the end of the small yellow flower. I carefully grabbed hold of the thin, delicate stem inside and pulled it slowly. Right before the stem slipped all the way out, a bead of liquid welled at the base of the flower and Wren’s eyes widened.
“That’s the good stuff.” I placed my tongue on the small bead, a burst of sweetness hitting my mouth.
I hadn’t had honeysuckle in a very, very long time and the taste immediately brought me back to when I was little. Back at the tiny little shack we used to call home when my mama—my real flesh-and-blood mama—was still alive. Behind the house was a small creek where honeysuckle grew wild. Sometimes, Mama brought me out there to play. She was the first to show me how to eat the honeysuckle. Of course, that was when she still had good days. Before Ty was even born, during one of the times she gave up the drugs our father supplied her with.
“Can I try?” Wren’s voice brought me back to the present.
I blinked, clearing my throat, and tossed away the flower. “Sure.” I grabbed another from the pile and handed it to her.
She inspected it carefully, as if she’d never seen a flower in her life. “It smells lovely.”
I nodded. “It tastes good too.”
She eyed me doubtfully as she turned the flower upside down. “So, I pinch open the back part here?”
“Carefully. You’ll be able to feel the stem inside.”
She did as I directed. Her expression brightened when she grabbed hold of the stem and started to pull it out. The nectar welled and she gasped. “I did it!”
Ellie laughed. “Taste it before you drop it!”
Wren darted forward, her tongue lapping up the small bit of liquid. Her eyes grew bigger than I’d ever seen them. “Oh, it is sweet!” She pulled out the stem completely and sucked on it.
My stomach clenched.
“I almost didn’t believe you guys.” She tossed the stem and the flower on the ground and smiled. “Can I have another?”
I nodded, swallowing hard as I grabbed her one. It truly shocked me how the simplest things she did turned my blood to fire. I had a feeling I’d give her whatever she asked me for. Even if it ruined me in the process.