The nice breezy days of spring were beginning to give way to hot, humid days of summer, and the closer it got to the end of June, the more Emersyn knew she would have to face the music. She'd promised Kiel she would start looking for a job at the start of summer, but the truth was she had no intention of finding a job. Not until she was finished helping Zeke find his family. She knew she would have to tell Kiel sooner rather than later, and she worried he was going to be disappointed in her choice. Part of her even feared she'd have a blowup fight with him just like the one she had with her mother. But she had to tell him the truth. Rip it off like a Band-Aid.

It was the Monday just before the first day of summer. Zeke was in Seattle doing whatever it was he did on Mondays, and Emersyn was having a tense lunch with Kiel. He seemed fine, really. But she was sick with anxiety about the conversation she knew she had to have with him. Out of all the loved ones she had left in her life (and there weren't very many), she dreaded disappointing him the most. He was like a father to her. She loved him so much, and all she ever wanted was for him to be proud of her.

They had just finished talking about the progress he was making on the new renovation with Zeke when Emersyn blurted it out, just as he was taking a bite of his cobb salad. "I'm not going to look for a job."

Kiel froze, naked fork suspended in midair, and Emersyn felt her blood run cold. She bit her lip, praying he didn't explode. That he would understand. He stared at her for a few seconds, and in those few seconds she thought she might faint. But then he rested his fork in his salad bowl, sighed, and said, "Emersyn, you told me you would start looking for a job when summer hit. What's going on?"

Her Monte Cristo sandwich looked totally unappetizing as she rubbed her hands anxiously against her ripped jean shorts. "I just... I'm so caught up right now in helping Zeke, you know? And then there's this new... thing I'm working on. And I just... don't really have time right now." Her uncle raised his eyebrows at her, and she grimaced. "I know. I know how it sounds. And I promise you, I am not going to blow through the entire estate. But Zeke even says he doesn't know how much longer he's going to be here, so I want to help him for as long as he is here."

She heard tinkling laughter somewhere behind her, and she jumped, having totally forgotten they were in a restaurant full of other people. Kiel stared at her, an unreadable expression on his face. And she was waiting for the explosion. A repeat of the night she left her mom's house. But he just sighed and pierced another lettuce leaf with his fork. "Okay."

It was like all the stress in her body just oozed out of her all at once. She blinked in surprise, waiting for him to say more. But when he didn't, she wrinkled her face in confusion and said, "Okay? That's it? Nothing else?"

Kiel chewed a bite of lettuce and egg, swallowed it quickly, and shrugged his shoulders. "What do you want me to say, Em? You're an adult now. I can't tell you what to do. All I can do is give you advice and hope you'll take it. But you don't have to. I want you to get a job because I'm worried you're going to blow through the estate. But if you don't feel like you need one, then I'm not going to force you to get one. I have to trust you."

She was not expecting the conversation to go this way at all. "Wait. So that's really it? You're not going to get mad at me? Yell at me? Tell me I'm making a stupid decision that'll ruin my life? Call me a loser?"

He blinked, surprised, and then gave her a small sympathetic smile. "No. Emersyn, sweetheart, I would never do that. Ever. You know me better than that. I just worry about you, but I could never say those things to you." He reached forward and placed his hand gently on top of hers. "I love you."

It felt like someone had reached into her chest, wrapped their fingers around her heart, and squeezed. Tears burned her eyes, and she took a quick bite of her tasteless sandwich in an attempt to steady herself. She swallowed it, and it slid down her throat like a lead weight. Then she took a shaky breath and said, "I love you too. I'm sorry. I've just got a lot on my mind lately, and I was worried you would be mad at me."

He steadied his gaze on her, watching her carefully for any of her tells that something was wrong. Then he furrowed his brow and said, "Em, are you okay? You've seemed a bit down lately, and I just... you know you can talk to me, right? I'm here for you."

She blinked hard and averted her eyes from his so he couldn't see the pain she'd been hiding. The journal was still sitting under her pillow at her house, and she'd even taken to reading it over a few more times. She didn't know why she'd done this. But there was something about reading her mother's words that appealed to her. Even if she didn't like what they said, they still belonged to her. And it was comforting. Sort of. She was so mixed up about how she was feeling and helping Zeke in the graveyard helped take her mind off it. Not to mention it was really inspiring her art. The studio was now filled with several finished paintings of gravestones, all with different flowers or other gifts covering them like blankets. But sometimes they reminded her of her family's gravestone and how lonely she felt knowing they were all gone. All except one. The one who never wanted her at all.

"I'm okay," she said finally, plastering a fake smile on her lips as she looked back up at Kiel. His face crumbled slightly, and she could tell he didn't believe her. "I just appreciate you not getting angry at my choice." Like her mother had, all those weeks ago. "Thank you. For trusting me."

He reached forward and patted her hand a couple times, giving her a hesitant grin before he returned to his salad. "Of course. I've got your back, kiddo. You know that. And besides, I like Zeke too. I want to see him happy just as much as you do. Well, maybe not as much as you do," he said, and she saw a little twinkle in his eye.

A blush rose to her cheeks, and she took another bite of her sandwich. "Don't know what you're talking about," she said, covering her mouth as she chewed her Monte Cristo. He rolled his eyes as she swallowed her bite, and this time she was pleased to find it was starting to taste good again. "It's not... like that with him."

And it was true. Although Emersyn couldn't help but notice that something had changed in Zeke after the night of the bonfire. He started waking up extra early to spend a couple hours at the graveyard with her before working with Kiel for the rest of the day. Then he'd meet up with her again in the evening and spend a few more hours working in the graveyard before it got dark. He was bringing a notebook now, writing down all the possibilities and crossing them off when they didn't quite fit the few things he did know. He knew his dad had been young when he'd hooked up with his mom. And he knew his dad had died young as well. Died before Zeke was born. And Zeke was hellbent on finding him.

She didn't know why he was spending more time in the graveyard now, but she hoped it was because of her. Even though she knew it was silly, and it had to be because he just really wanted to find his family. Still though... she hoped. He hadn't given her any reason to. Since the night of the bonfire, he'd been on his best behavior. No unnecessary touching. No flirting. Nothing. It was back to the old Zeke. But sometimes she would swear she'd feel him staring at her, watching her when he thought she wasn't looking. And the idea of that made her stomach flip even now, as she sat across from Kiel eating lunch.

"Sure it's not," Kiel replied as he shook his head. Now it was Emersyn's turn to roll her eyes. "Look, Em, I know this may come as a surprise to you, but I know what it's like to be a young man in love. I know the signs. And I tell you what, sweetie... that boy is crazy about you. I mean, he hums while he cooks dinner now. Did you know that?" She smiled and shook her head, fighting back a laugh. "Yeah, he does. He never did that before you came back. Not once. And yesterday, I could've sworn I heard him singing a love song in the shower."

She busted up laughing, nearly choking on her sandwich. "Good grief, Kiel. You are worse than those three old biddies at the church with your speculation and gossip." He chuckled and took another bite of his salad. "Besides, I hate to break it to you, but everyone sings in the shower. There's just something about the acoustics that makes everyone think they're Celine Dion. So Zeke singing in the shower really isn't that much of a tell."

"Emersyn," Kiel said, a look of complete seriousness on his face. "The boy said your name in his sleep the other night." The warmth was back in her cheeks again, and she took a sip of water to fight it. "He loves you. I'm telling you."

She shook her head, still trying to wrap her mind around the fact that Zeke said her name in his sleep. What did that even mean? "We spend several hours a day together in that graveyard. He was probably dreaming about that. So if that's all you've got, I think we can successfully say this myth has been busted."

Kiel sighed and took one last bite of his salad. "Okay. Whatever. Don't believe me. But I'm telling you. I know. Even Doris said the other day—"

She interrupted him with another laugh. "Okay, that's it. You are done spending all of your time with old ladies who have nothing better to do than talk about other people. I insist you go out and get yourself a girlfriend or something. Find yourself a love life and stay the heck away from mine. You nut."

He wiped his mouth off with his napkin and tossed it on his empty plate. "I'm only teasing you, sweetheart. But hey, it worked. Look at you. You're laughing." She rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but smile, nonetheless. "I'm glad I could cheer you up. But seriously, I meant what I said before. You can talk to me about anything, okay? I love you to death. Always have. Always will."

This was what she loved most about Kiel. He had this unbelievable way of making her laugh when almost no one else could. After spending so many years in Seattle with her mom, she'd found she had missed laughing with him during their outings together. There weren't many moments like these she'd had with her mother, and she was happy she was having them now. Every day she was back on the island was just another day she was happy she'd left the city. If it was up to her, she would never go back. Even if it meant never seeing her mother again, she didn't care. This island was where she truly belonged.

Emersyn finished what was left of her sandwich as Kiel handed their server his debit card. She had long since stopped trying to convince him to let her pay for their lunches. But she didn't think he cared about the money. He just wanted to spend time with her. To enjoy her company. She thought back to all the times they'd gone out when she was a child. To baseball games or early morning breakfasts or drive-in Disney movies. He was always one of her favorite people to spend time with. The best uncle she could've ever asked for.

The server brought back Kiel's debit card and receipt, and as he was signing it, she had a thought. Kiel had been her dad's best friend. He'd been very close with her mom too. Maybe she could ask him without asking him. She bit her lip nervously as he signed his name on the receipt and dropped a ten dollar bill on the table. He looked up at her, and she knew he was about to ask if she was ready to go. But before he could get the words out, she stopped him and said, "Hey, when you and my parents were younger, did you guys ever know anyone named Ed?"

He pursed his lips, and she knew he was thinking back to all those years ago. Back when her dad was still alive and everything was still right with the world. He considered her question for a few moments, and then he said, "There was Eddie Rice down at the seed and feed store. And Edward Taylor, the man who captained the ferry. But aside from that, no. I don't think so."

"Were they your age?" she asked, trying to sound innocently curious.

He shook his head. "No. Eddie was old even then. I think he's over a hundred now and he still works at that store. And Edward was in his fifties. He died about ten years ago of a heart attack. Nice guy though. He let me hang out with him a few times when I was hungover. Didn't want your dad or grandparents to see me, so I'd hide."

"Why didn't you want them to see you?" she asked, now truly curious.

He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I went through a whole thing back then. Broken heart. Drowning my sorrows at the bottom end of a bottle. And my dad had a problem with alcohol, so they were worried I'd follow in his footsteps. I didn't want them to know I was drinking as much as I was, so I'd hide it from them. But of course, your dad found out anyway. He was the reason I stopped. Helped me get it together again."

"Sounds like it was a rough breakup," she said, and he nodded his head. "So, no Ed? Just those two guys, and that was it?"

"Just those two," he replied, and she didn't know if she was relieved or disappointed. Her mom must've really hidden the relationship from everyone. "Why do you ask?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Eh, I don't know. Just saw something in grandma's old things. It's not important." She silently prayed for him not to ask any more questions. She could tell he wanted to, but he could probably see it in her face that she didn't want to talk about it anymore. So he just grabbed his wallet and phone, slid them back into his pocket, and began heading out to his truck. She followed him, her mind racing with new thoughts as one question still lingered in the back of her mind.

Who the heck was Ed?

Chapter Sixteen

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