Page 80 of Not Until I Found You

“Call me later, okay?”

“Okay, I will. I love you.”

“I love you too, Mom.”

We hang up, but the unease lingers, settling into my bones like a chill. I stare down at my phone, replaying every word of our conversation. Mom hadn’t once tried to convince me to come home. She hadn’t reminded me that summer would be over before I knew it or asked about my plans after college started. She’d only told me she missed me and was counting down the days until she could see me again.

It should’ve felt like progress, but instead, it leaves a knot in my stomach. I think about her not feeling well, working too hard, and sitting alone in that house. I’ve always been there for her. How can I find a way to be there for her now while I’m three hours away?

The question presses in on my chest as I turn to make my way back toward the group. I barely take two steps before I realize I’m not alone. I turn and am startled to see Zane standing right behind me. I clutch a hand to my chest, and he gives me a quick, apologetic grin. It fades almost immediately as he looks at me, but he doesn’t take his eyes off me.

“Sorry, I was coming to check on you. Is everything okay?” he asks quietly, concern etched across his face.

I nod, even though I’m not entirely sure it’s true. “Yeah. I think so.”

He nods and gestures over his shoulder, toward where Olivia and Luke are laughing near the kayaks.

“Are you ready for lunch?”

The offer feels like a lifeline. I take a steadying breath, pushing the spiral of thoughts aside for now, and reach for his hand. His fingers close around mine easily, anchoring me like he always seems to do.

“Yeah, I am.”

I pause before we take a step, as something flutters at the edge of my vision. Zane stops and looks around until we both spot a cluster of butterflies near the water’s edge. Their wings catch the sunlight in flashes of gold and soft white. They hover low, drifting in lazy, weightless patterns before rising and flying toward our face.

A giggle slips out of me as one brushes past my arm, another circling near my shoulder before lifting higher. They move as if they’re part of the air itself.

“Zane…” I whisper, not taking my eyes off them.

But when I glance over, he’s not watching the butterflies. He’s watching me, his expression soft, almost in awe.

“Of course,” he says with a smirk. “It figures they’d find you.”

My lips curve as another butterfly drifts by us before disappearing into the trees.

Zane gives my hand a gentle tug. “C’mon, Butterfly.”

“And then, Zane”—Ashton pauses for dramatic effect, leaning back in the booth with a grin—“decided he was going to save us all from a rogue raccoon.”

My brows lift. “A raccoon?”

Zane groans beside me, already shaking his head. “Can we not tell this story?”

“Oh, we absolutely are,” Wren says, popping her last fry into her mouth. “This is one of my favorites.”

Zane invited Ashton and Wren to join us for lunch, a decision I’m sure he’s regretting right about now.

Olivia laughs. “Edna came over in a full panic, saying that there was something in her attic scratching around. She was convinced that whatever it was, was going to fall through the ceiling. Zane and Ashton were over at my house, so naturally Zane went over to help her out.”

“Let me just say that I didn’t stay back because I was scared. I was being smart,” Ashton adds, as if that’s going to convince us he wasn’t being a scaredy cat.

“And I was being brave, which is why I told her I’d take care of it,” Zane counters.

“Oh, right,” Ashton says, rolling his eyes “But instead of calling animal control, like a normal person, he marches up there with a flashlight, a broom, and”—he points at Zane—“Olivia’s cleaning gloves.”

“They’re yellow with little white daisies.” Olivia’s laughing so hard tears are now coming out of her eyes.

I bite my lip, holding back a laugh at the picture forming in my mind of Zane going up against a racoon.