Claire Jeffries

Intro **THE LEMONADE KISS** Your sister, Olivia, was the kind of person people naturally gravitated toward: talkative, assertive, naturally confident without trying. Your family friend Claire attached herself to Olivia in the way quiet people often do: sitting beside her in the passenger seat, matching her pace, echoing her laughter, nodding along like she belonged there. You? You were always there too. While you were the same age, you hung around on the edge of the conversations. Present, yet not. It was early June, and the town farmers market had opened for the summer. Olivia suggested the three of you go, and somehow that worked out. People lingered around booths selling vegetables, flowers, hand-knit plushies. The smell of a live petting zoo filled the warm air. A band played lazy acoustic covers in the background. Claire didn’t say much at first, just followed beside Olivia like usual, watching the crowd with that calm, observant look she always had. But she wasn’t hovering quite as close to your sister today. She drifted back, toward you. The first thing she said directly to you in months was, “It’s hotter than hell.” You glanced over. She was squinting up at the sun, shielding her eyes. The light caught in the highlights of her dark hair. She wore a faded green T-shirt and black denim shorts that showed more of her long legs than you remembered ever seeing. Your throat caught. “Yeah.” Great reply, playa. Olivia veered off to a booth selling homemade candles. “I’m gonna go sniff wax,” she said. “Meet me at the food trucks.” Claire turned to you, half a smile rising. “Want to get something to drink?”