Page 59 of Shift the Tide

Kiera froze, her hand still half-raised, like she could pretend she’d just been… gesturing.

Izzy straightened, cheeks flushed, but to her credit, she didn’t bolt. She smiled — smiled, like this wasn’t mortifying — and gave a small wave. “Hi. Sorry. I was just heading out.”

Kiera wanted to crawl under the couch and die. “We were just… uh…”

“Kissing, yes, we noticed,” her mom said, not unkindly. “Izzy, it’s so nice to see you again after so long. We’ve heard so much about you lately.”

“You have?” Izzy asked, voice a little too high.

Kiera groaned internally.

Her mom smiled. “Only good things, I promise.”

Her dad gave a nod that somehow managed to be both chill and conspiratorial. “She lights up when she talks about you.”

“Dad.”

“What? It’s true.” Her dad raised a shoulder in a shrug, tossing his keys onto the entryway table behind Kiera.

Kiera wanted to melt into the floor. She could feel Izzy trying very, very hard not to laugh beside her.

“Well,” Izzy said, eyes dancing, “I should probably go before I get you in more trouble.”

“You’re not in trouble,” her mom said cheerfully. “Unless you count making us feel ancient for interrupting.”

Izzy bit her lip, grinning now. She turned to Kiera, her voice softer. “Text me later?”

Kiera nodded, still pink with embarrassment but also strangely, absurdly happy. “Yeah. Definitely.”

She walked Izzy to the door, this time without touching her, and watched her go with a flutter still working its way through her chest.

Her parents disappeared down the hall, already talking about leftovers, like nothing had happened at all.

Kiera stood there a moment longer, hand on the doorknob, trying not to grin like a fool.

She felt fifteen. And seen. And maybe just a little bit adored.

CHAPTER 18

Izzy

The air waswarm with the lingering heat of the day as Izzy and Kiera walked side by side along the path encircling Sloan’s Lake. The sky stretched out in front of them — deep oranges melting into dusky pinks, fading into the quiet glow of twilight. They walked slowly, their arms occasionally brushing, each touch easy, unspoken.

Izzy glanced over at Kiera, who was staring out at the horizon with a small, thoughtful smile on her face. The last bit of sunlight caught in the loose waves of her hair, and Izzy had the absurd thought that she wished she could take a picture, just to remember the moment

“This is nice,” Kiera said, looking over at her, voice quiet but certain. “I’m glad this is our re-do and not something weird like staring at each other across a tablecloth.”

Izzy smiled. “Yeah,” she admitted. “I like our goo phase.”

Kiera laughed. “What the hell is a goo phase?”

Izzy shook her head, but she didn’t stop smiling. “Okay, so when caterpillars go into their little chrysalis to turn into abutterfly, they don’t just sprout wings. They literally turn into a liquidy, soupy substance, and that metamorphoses into the butterfly. This isourgoo phase. You know. As us.”

“Goo,” Kiera said, nodding. “The goo phase of metamorphosis. I like that. You know, you’re adorably nerdy when you’re spouting off random animal facts.” She teased, bumping her shoulder against Izzy’s. “It’s very cute.”

They walked on in silence, stepping out of the way for joggers, kids on bikes, and people speedwalking their dogs. Izzy kept glancing over toward Kiera, trying to find the right opening.

“I’ve been thinking about the mentorship program at Second Star,” she said finally, voice more casual than she felt. “It’s grown fast. I kind of built the framework on instinct and vibes — and a few too many Google Docs — but now it’s real. There are expectations. Actual structure. And I want it to be more than just... throwing cool adults at overwhelmed teens.”

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