These Are the Moments Read Online Free PDF

curiosity? Too soon to tell.
    “I think you’re a good guy. Or that you want to be. I think all of that can get clouded by all of this. You’re honest. You’re smart. You just have the capacity to hurt a lot of people, and from what you told me, it sounds like you do.” She paused. Swallowed air. “But what do I know? I’m just a kid.”
    “Point taken. I’ll never call you a kid again.”
    “No kiddo, either.”
    “No kiddo. No Freckles. How about freshman? Baby? Curly?”
    She pointed her hand at him like a gun. “I’ll kill you.”
    He grabbed hold of it. And they were kind of holding hands, their wrists floating in the space between them. “Wendy.”
    “Yes.” She couldn’t stop holding his hand. She couldn’t stop watching their laced fingers, no matter how much her arm was throbbing.
    “You think I’m arrogant. Does everybody?” he asked, disconnected.
    “I don’t know. I doubt it.”
    “But you do.”
    “I don’t know you that well,” she said.
    “Let’s change that,” he said, “You owe me. Something personal. Why’d you really come on retreat?”
    Reese came into view, ready to join the conversation, then decided against it. A game of flashlight tag formed outside, and while half the party emptied into the front yard, Simon and Wendy stayed behind. Finally, he let go of her hand, and she rubbed her wrist discretely.
    In the corner of the living room, Wendy could see a pencil-thin brunette eyeing her from the rim of her cup. She was tall and overdressed, with kitten heels and hoop earrings. Wendy ignored her.
    The real reason she went on retreat. No one had asked her about that. Not even Reese.
    “My best friend moved to Texas. My mom kind of strong-armed me into the idea.”
    “That sucks,” Simon said, turning himself toward her. “Where’d she go?”
    “Austin. Her dad got a teaching position at the university.”
    “How’s she liking it?”
    “Honestly? I don’t know. I haven’t really heard from her. She’s not the best at keeping in touch.”
    He looked genuinely interested. Eyes wide open and fixed on her face. “So you’re lonely?”
    “I’m not lonely,” she said, defensively.
    “It’s okay. Everybody’s lonely to some degree.”
    “I highly doubt that,” she said.
    He shook his head. “Tell me more about your friend.”
    So, she did. She talked about growing up with Vivian, how it felt when she left, the way that retreat had given her this new place to settle. She told him the things she’d never admitted to herself out loud.
    “I like everyone so much. It’s like finding this new version of myself. I don’t want that to go away, too.”
    “It won’t,” he said. “We’re friends now. We look out for each other, remember?”
    How long had they been talking? Twenty minutes? More? His eyes finally broke away, feeling the glare of the girl in the corner. She waved him over, and he nodded back to her.
    “I guess I should go play host now,” he said, sounding honestly reluctant. “You going to be okay?”
    “Yeah, I’m great. Go play the birthday card.”
    He laughed. “I’ll check in with you later.”
    When he made it to the expectant girl, she draped her tiny arms around him and threw her head back laughing. She’s pretty. Not beautiful, but pretty , Wendy thought. And then she stopped thinking about it.
    He didn’t check in later.
    She didn’t notice.

Chapter 9
    Now
    Simon Guidry was one of the last things she thought about these days. He wasn’t completely erased from her list of things to think about, but when she did think about him, it was usually involuntary. Every now and again, she’d have a random, leftover thought about Simon, but there weren’t any feelings attached. Not anymore.
    But now that Wendy’s best friend was engaged to his, the thoughts were becoming more frequent, with tiny specks of emotion tacked onto them.
    Thank God for painting .
    Wendy spent most of her evenings hovered over her watercolors outside on the