Page 28 of Shift the Tide

Not a full stop, not pulling away completely — but enough.

Izzy felt it like a cold rush of air between them. She stepped back, breath unsteady, suddenly aware of just how quiet the house was.

Kiera blinked, lips still parted, looking as dazed as Izzy felt. Her gaze flickered to the hallway, toward Maggie’s room and where Pete and Danica would eventually return.

Kiera’s expression shifted — not regret, but uncertainty. Izzy felt it settle around them like a weight. Izzy took another step back. The kitchen, which had felt so charged just seconds ago, now felt too small and too quiet.

Kiera opened her mouth like she was going to say something, but then closed it again, pressing her lips together. “Wow. Um. I—” Kiera started.

“Yeah,” Izzy cut in, forcing a lightness she didn’t feel.

They stood there, staring at each other, both waiting for the other to say something, to make the next move. Neither of them did. Because there wasn’t a simple answer.

Now that everything was out in the open, Izzy was absolutely terrified.

Izzy was forced to do what she did best, which was act cool and unbothered. She needed to avoid getting any more wrapped up in someone who wasn’t available. Again. Always. Kiera was straight, newly divorced, finding herself — she was unavailable whether she knew it or not. It was like the more someone couldn’t possibly give Izzy what she needed, the more she wanted it.

Izzy grabbed her bottle of water from the counter, and walked away before she could do something really stupid, like kiss Kiera again.

Izzy lay in bed,staring at the ceiling, the sound of the waves rolling in through the open window. It should have beensoothing. Normally, it was. The ocean had always been her place, the thing that calmed her when nothing else could. But tonight, the waves did nothing to quiet the electricity still running under her skin.

The taste of their kiss still lingered. The feeling of Kiera’s hands gripping her waist, the way she had leaned in so hesitantly and then kissed her with such passion, only to look so utterly confused after — it played over and over in Izzy’s mind like a song stuck on repeat. She should have expected it. Of course, Kiera would have doubts. Of course, she would second-guess. She was still figuring out who she was outside of being a wife and a mother. She didn’t even think Kiera was interested in women that way. The last thing Kiera needed was more uncertainty. Izzy didn’t want to complicate her life further.

And yet, Izzy hadn’t been able to stop herself. Not when Kiera had been looking at her like that, not when they had been standing so close in the dim kitchen, heat pooling between them.

Izzy turned onto her side, exhaling sharply, rubbing a hand over her face. She shouldn’t have done it. She knew better than this. Kiera wasn’t ready, and Izzy wasn’t trying to fall back into her habit of only chasing unavailable women. When she’d met Paisley, she seemed emotionally grounded and independent. Her coolness felt mature, sometimes even alluring. But it wasn’t long until she realized that Paisley was unreachable in the ways that mattered. They avoided conflict, didn’t talk about hard things, and wanted everything to stay on the surface. In the end, her marriage had turned distant and hollow. She’d told herself that it wasn’t Paisley’s fault, that she was just hard to love.

Maybe it was better to make that call now, with Kiera. Even if Kierawasavailable, which she wasn’t, she didn’t need anything difficult added in her life right now.

She reached for her phone on instinct, her thumb hovering over her flight itinerary. She hadn’t planned to leave until thelate afternoon the next day, around the same time as everyone else, but the thought of staying, of pretending like nothing had happened, made her stomach twist. It would be easier to go early, to rip the bandage off before this got messier than it already was. She pulled up the airline app, searched for an earlier flight, and found one leaving first thing in the morning. Without hesitating, she changed her ticket, locking her phone and tossing it onto the nightstand before she could second-guess herself.

She closed her eyes, willing herself to sleep, but it didn’t come easily.

The house was still darkwhen Izzy crept down the stairs, her duffel bag slung over her shoulder, her sandals tucked under her arm to keep from making noise. She walked as quietly as she had while sneaking out for an early surfing session, slipping into the kitchen for a granola bar before heading for the door. It was better this way. No drawn-out goodbyes, no awkward conversations. Just a clean break.

She had almost made it when a voice stopped her. “Seriously?”

Izzy cursed under her breath and turned to find Pete standing in the doorway, arms crossed, looking very unimpressed for someone who had clearly just rolled out of bed. Her dark curls were sticking up in all directions, her oversized sleep shirt hanging loosely over her frame, but her eyes were sharp, taking in the duffel bag. “Sneaking out? Really?”

Izzy sighed, adjusting the strap on her shoulder. “It’s an early flight.”

“That’s not an answer,” Pete said, brow raised.

Izzy exhaled through her nose, already tired of the conversation. “Change of plans.”

“Bullshit.”

Izzy pinched the bridge of her nose. “Look, I don’t have the energy for this right now, Pete.”

Pete leaned against the doorframe, studying her. “Does this have anything to do with a certain someone with short brown hair and glasses?”

“Nope.” Izzy rolled her eyes, turning back toward the door.

Pete snorted. “Right. Because it seems to me like you’re avoiding something big here by leaving without saying goodbye to anyone.”

Izzy sighed, running a hand through her hair.

“Why are you so afraid of things working out for you?” Pete asked, crossing her arms.

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