i can't remember her

"Well, shit," he said, sucking off the remnants of beer from his lips as she spoke of her return. "You come back just as I head out. Guess s'a good thing m'havin' a beer so we can still catch up over a drink. Think Johnny boy'd get you somethin' ta join in with me?" he asked with a small chuckle.

Although he couldn't help but wonder how much she'd heard of the shitstorm his life had become. He was sure if she'd spoken with Autumn she'd gotten the full rundown - gossiping about his failures and shortcomings one of her sister's favorite pastimes. Holden knew he couldn't blame the transparency of his life completely on her sister, however. Autumn Manchester's involvement or not, privacy just wasn't a luxury afforded the eldest Reynolds and Summer was bound to find out one way or another.

"Ireland, huh? Beautiful place," he agreed, having been there once before for filming - getting the horses there had been fun to say the least. "You get'cherself some shepard's pie while you were there? I couldn't get 'nough of it when I was. M'easy ta please, though. Meat n'tatas make me a very happy man," he teased of himself.

She wasn't going to think too much about the fact it must have been put up there to keep it away from her. Summer didn't want to start questioning who in her family had decided that her drinking habits needed to be monitored.

The talk of food made her stomach turn queasy. Probably too little of it in her stomach. "I stayed in a small Inn and this lovely older couple saw to just about everything. Greta cooked something for us every night and Rory took me out on his boat most days." Summer paused and lowered her nose to the heavy wool sweater she was wearing in place of pajamas. "I can still smell the sea. That was my favorite part." She'd never slept more peacefully than when the afternoon sun kissed her skin as she rocked over the waves.

She takes a drink from the bottle to fill the silence. And then she says the only thing she can think to say to Holden Reynolds after all these years. "I think I could've been a better sister to Auttie. I'm sorry that I wasn't."

"over facetime." maybe not her most elegant moment, but looking back she didn't regret a single word she'd said. it worked out so beautifully, like the third act turn of a script she'd been in the midst of living. "and then we talked about it, on the way to italy." the private jet had offered plenty of time and space for them to see each other, for her to look joel in the eyes and explain how much she meant it. "i can't believe it took me so long, really."

she sighed wistfully, the domino effect of events that had to happen just right, so that she could end up with this version of her life. the happiest version of her life, no matter what might have been in the past. "there wasn't time for a bachelorette." she acquiesced, everything had happened so fast, "las vegas could be fun! you, me, and emily?"

"Soon, please." Summer agrees to the idea and holds her to it. Not that Ingrid had ever failed to come through on a promise. She was literally the best. "We should add a fourth though." Trios always get weird. "Assuming you have more than two girlfriends." Again, teasing, happy to be back and have someone she can talk so easily to.

"Tell me he at least got you a ring." Ingrid may be modern but Summer had to draw the line somewhere for the sake of women everywhere.

"Jonathan, I only have a week to get Vivienne's suite ready and they haven't even gotten the castle playhouse ready for paint yet! They'll be here in a few days. It was supposed to be done by now!" And she wanted everything to be perfect. Even though she'd only just woken up from her post flight nap, Auttie already felt like her hands were so full. She had just realized how far behind the contractors were, she had to go and see Val and make sure she was okay, and then head to the sheriff's station to see if she couldn't use her influence to do something, hopefully at least to see him.

"What are you-?" Having been lead through the manor by the butler, her words stopped completely out of shock when her eyes rested on her sister. "Sum?! Oh my god! Welcome home!" Trotting over on her heels, she paused before throwing herself around her sister, surprisingly not thinking much of her newfound thoughtfulness. "I'm gunna hug you now, okay?" She didn't want to startle her, after all. But that warning was all she got because the moment she finished speaking, she did just that.

Hugged her sister.

So maybe this is her biggest secret. She never really leaves Carroll behind. Jonathan tells her everything because he's always been the line that tethers Summer to Auttie when they are apart. He's seen the two of them grow up so much and surely knows them just as well as their parents.

She can hear Auttie coming from the hall and Summer stands with an anticipating smile. "You absolutely better or else I'll kick you back out to that yacht." Summer teased as they hugged.

Various blind cane stims!

GIF 1: A white cane sweeping back and forth on a brown sidewalk. A person walks forward, feet near two colored stripes - the left green and the right red. They pass by a no smoking sign

GIF 2: A person walking down a sidewalk while moving around a black car. Their white cane is held out in front of them.

GIF 3: A white cane sweeps back and forth across a sidewalk. A green line stretches across.

GIF 4: A white cane tapping against gravel before sweeping across and tapping again.

GIF 5: A man dressed in black clothing unraveling his white cane.

GIF 6: A white cane tapping and sweeping across gravel.

GIF 7: A man in black clothing walking and sweeping his white cane back and forth. He walks by a brick wall.

GIF 8: A white cane sweeping back and forth. It bumps into a stone attached to a flyer.

He didn't have one voice after another telling him who he should be with and why his choice was so wrong for him, forcing him to constantly justify his love and carry the weight of their doubt alone. He wasn't fighting to prove himself, showing he knew the ranch inside and out. He wasn't juggling the responsibility of everyone else's emotional stability, being obligated to continually swallow back his own.

Holden Reynolds had never felt so free.

Despite the weight being lifted, his mind still remained full of every regret, every mistake, every wrong he still needed to right, and he silently picked through his thoughts as he finished penning up the horses - Penny always rising to the top, followed right behind by Valentina. He headed inside his RV and grabbed a few beers from the fridge before dropping onto the small couch with a sigh. His phone rang as turned on the television.

"I'm... back in Carrol." That was the closest thing to an answer Summer could come up with so she continued down that train of thought. "Well, that sort of feels like a secret right now. I flew in yesterday." And she was still feeling sick from the time difference. "And I'm only staying on the estate a few days until I sort out a condo."

Summer had no idea if Holden knew anything about her current circumstances but there didn't seem to be reason to really bring any of that up. The details didn't really matter anyway. She was just a girl trying to outrun her last name and Holden at least understood how futile that was in Carroll. "I was in Ireland. It was.. amazing." It fell short of how she wanted to describe it but she wouldn't make Holden endure her going on.

Location ⇥ Carroll Park

The late afternoon sun filtered through the trees of Carroll Park, casting long shadows across the winding walking paths. A warm breeze stirred the leaves overhead, carrying the scent of fresh-cut grass and blooming wildflowers still. Families occupied the playground in the distance while runners passed every so often, but away from the noise, beneath an old oak tree, sat Elena.

Two thick medical textbooks lay open on the blanket beside her, pages littered with colourful tabs and handwritten notes. One focused on trauma surgery, the other on cardiothoracics. A yellow highlighter rested between her fingers, though she'd been staring at the same paragraph for nearly five minutes. She exhaled sharply, running her hand over her eyes to keep them awake.

So it was nice to spend an afternoon in the park, listening to the various sounds of Carroll as the sun warmed the town. Her cane tapped against the metal of what she knew she be a park bench and Summer eased onto the seat. As she folded her cane a smile formed on her lips as she overheard someone near by reading from what had to be a textbook. "Are you studying?" She sounded about the right age.