Page 92 of Shift the Tide

But as the memory settled in her chest, one realization hit harder than all the rest: Izzy hadn’t walked away. She hadn’t demanded anything. She had been patient.

Kiera didn’t want to live her life standing on the edge of something that mattered, afraid to leap. She wanted to choose this — all of it. The chaos, the risk of being hurt again. She wanted Izzy. Not someday. Not maybe.

Now.

“Oh my god, I love her, too,” Kiera said aloud.

As that realization sank in for Kiera, the other three people on the line yelled as if they were winning a Championship match.

Danica said, “You’ve got this Kiera. We’re all rooting for you guys.”

Maggie chimed in, “Hey, Kiera?”

“What?”

“If you don’t tell her that you love her within the first five seconds of seeing her, I’m legally allowed to punch you in the arm the next time I see you.”

Kiera shook her head. “That isnothow legality works.”

“Agree to disagree” Maggie said cheerfully.

Kiera rolled her eyes, but her cheeks were aching from how big her smile was. “Fine,” Kiera muttered. “I’ll call you all later.”

Kiera could perfectly envision Maggie’s face as her friend said, “Not if we call you first.”

Shaking her head, Kiera hung up the phone, shifting the car into reverse, tires crunching over gravel as she pulled out of the driveway. The image of her parents’ moon ritual disappeared in the rearview mirror.

Her hands trembled as she drove, streetlights passing in a blur. She drove past the turn to the townhouse. She wasn’t going home. She wasn’t going to spend another night wonderingwhat if.

As she hit a red light, she realized she didn’t know where she was going. She cursed under her breath and hit redial.

Maggie answered instantly. “Did you forget to ask where she’s staying?”

Kiera let out a low sigh. “Yes,shut up.”

Maggie laughed, but it was gentle, warm. “She’s at the same hotel as before, room 604.”

“Thanks, Mags.”

“Now, go get the girl, dumbass.”

By the time she pulled up to the hotel, her heart was pounding so hard she could feel it in her ears. She threw the car into park and stumbled out, barely noticing the valet attendant waiting for her keys.

She rushed into the lobby, not registering the polished wood floors, the soft of jazz playing, the people checking in.

And then, all too quickly, she found herself standing in front of room 604, her breath unsteady.

Kiera knocked, sharp and quick, the sound too loud in the quiet hallway. She waited, but no footsteps came. No voice. Nothing. Her stomach clenched. She knocked again, harder this time, glancing toward the window like she might catch movement behind the curtain.

Still nothing.

Fumbling for her phone, she tapped Izzy’s name and held it to her ear. One ring. Two. Three. Each one wound her tighter. When it clicked to voicemail, her breath caught. Panic surged, wrapping around her chest and tightening like a vice.

The elevator chimed behind her.

Kiera turned, heart slamming against her chest.

Izzy stood there, mid-step, her phone still in her hand, as if she had been about to call Kiera back. Her hair was damp, and she was wearing an oversized sweatshirt. Her eyes locked onto Kiera’s, wide with surprise, and for a moment, neither of them moved.

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