“It’s safe now,” I say to Stella, who peeks up over the partition.
“Thank you. I do not want to be in Buzz Wheel again.” Stella sips her drink that’s halfway gone now. “So are you and Colton finally together?”
I shake my head. “No, he’s actually getting married next week.”
Her eyes widen. “Really?” She looks at her friend. “They were, like, the best friends you always thought would get married.”
“You’re one to talk. What about my brother?”
Her friend sips her wine. “Do tell? Stella’s like a vault. I’ve yet to figure out the combination to get her to talk about her life.”
Stella sips her drink and her eyes plead for me not to say anything.
My head rears back when I remember who else is supposed to be here tonight. “I forgot! Kingston and his firefighter buddies are coming tonight.”
This time the drink does fall from Stella’s hands. There’s no time to react because I hear a gaggle of men walking down the hall. I’m guessing they’re firefighter because they’re loud and boisterous, razzing one another about something.
“Um. Just stay here,” I say.
This is not what I had planned when I came here.
Walking out the door of our private room, I shut it behind me and see one of Kingston’s buddies who’s been to the apartment a few times.
“Juno.” Lou hugs me so my feet lift off the floor. “Kingston said we had to come tonight. Plus, you know I like the ladies.” He sets me back down and winks. “This here is Cory, Shawn, and Jorge.”
I say hello to them all. “Where’s Kingston?”
“Oh. He’s running late and then there’s the paperwork, so I wouldn’t expect him.”
Just as Lou tells me, my phone dings. I pull it out to see it from Kingston.
Kingston: Sorry, I can’t make it tonight. Next time, I swear. But I sent some guys over for you. ;)
I can’t be upset with him. Work is work and he’s done more than enough already by arranging this room. The anxiety squeezing my body eases a little.
“Well, boys, just give me a minute to get all the ladies set up.” I smile and rush back into the private room, shooting Stella a look to say no worries.
After I get all the women situated at their tables behind the cardboard partitions, I pop my head back in the hallway. “Come on in.” I open the door for them, and they file in.
A few more people come through the door and I position everyone in a seat.
After the speed dating is over, some couples go into the other bar area to continue their conversations. I’m packing up my stuff when Stella approaches me.
“Hey, it was a great event.”
“You didn’t find anyone, right? My brother might kill me.”
We both giggle nervously. Kingston’s always an awkward conversational topic between us.
“About him,” she says. “I don’t want to put you in this position, but could you keep it to yourself that you saw me here? I mean, I’m not ready to see him just yet.”
“Sure.” I hate that I’m keeping a secret from Kingston, but he’s better off not knowing until I’m sure Stella can deal with the ramifications of seeing my brother.
“Thank you. I promise I’ll come out from the shadows eventually. I wasn’t really planning on coming home at all, but…”
I stop putting paperwork in my bag. “Are you okay?”
She sighs, looking crestfallen. “I don’t want to burden you with yet another secret, but it’s hard being back and not telling anyone. It’s like I’m alone on an iceberg in the middle of the ocean. Cami’s great, but we haven’t really gotten to the ‘call me if you’re in jail and I’ll bail you out, no questions asked’ stage yet.”
“What’s going on?”
“My mom is sick and she’s being stubborn, saying that she doesn’t need my help. So I moved to Anchorage to be closer, but not too close, for reasons you must understand. But you’re telling me that Kingston works for the Anchorage Fire Department?”
I nod. “Yeah, but he’ll likely be mostly smoke jumping soon. He’ll be gone more than he’s home.”
“Okay. Again, I’m sorry. You won’t have to keep my secret forever. One day I have to face Kingston and deal with everything and put it behind me for good. We chatted at Austin’s wedding, but it wasn’t about anything of consequence. I know the day is coming when I’ll have to deal with what happened, but at the same time, I can’t imagine putting your brother permanently in my rearview mirror, you know?”
I offer her a small smile that I hope conveys how sorry I feel for her. Grabbing a pen and paper, I scribble down my number. “Call me if you need to talk.”
She puts it in her purse. “Thank you. Do you want to talk about Colton getting married?”
That’s like opening one of those cans of slinky snakes and a million silky fabric-covered coils flying up in your face. Then again, I can’t really talk to my sisters, because I know what their advice will be. Break up his engagement. But Stella understands how horrible it is to love a man enough to want his happiness over your own. It’s the reason she disappeared all those years ago.
Still, I feel like a boat lost at sea and all these lighthouses are shining to guide me to shore, but I have no idea which way is the best way to go. Who’s to say I won’t end up following the wrong light and end up on an island all by myself?
“No. Not yet.”
Her hand covers mine and she smiles as though she’s saying touché. “I get it, but at some point, you have to face that you’ll no longer be the first woman in his life. Are you ready for that?”
I shrug.
She squeezes my hand again before stealing the pen and writing her number on a napkin. “You can call me anytime.”
We say goodbye and I get in my car, hammering a text to Colton to ask if it’s okay that I come over. Brigette could be over there. He tells me he’s up and to come right over.
Here goes nothing.
Sixteen
Colton
I answer the door to find Juno standing on the porch. Usually she slides past me with a brief hello and a long story of what just happened to her because something weird always happens to Juno. I figured she’d be talking nonstop about Stella’s reappearance before I opened the door all the way. But she’s just silent and stands there.
“Do you want to come in?” I ask, stepping to the side.
She looks me over. “Are you alone?” She clears her throat. “I mean, is Brigette here?”
I narrow my eyes. “No.”
“Phew. Okay.” Now she slides by me. “I realized when I knocked that I can’t just barge in anymore. I’ll have to ring the bell so I don’t interrupt the newlyweds.”
I shut the front door and ignore the squeeze of my heart at her comment. “How was the speed dating thing?”
She shrugs, burying her head in my fridge. “It was okay but made a decent amount of money. I feel like I should pay Kingston a portion. Almost every guy there was a first responder of some kind.”