I go way over the speed limit on the way to Colton’s house, but when I get there, I find it empty. I run up the stairs and find the bedroom neat and orderly. Nothing out of place or out of the ordinary. Running back downstairs to the kitchen, there’s no note, and when I check the garage, his truck isn’t there. Where would he have gone?
I rush down the hallway to his office and don’t see any clues. I sit at his desk and rub my temples before pulling out my phone to call Kingston, putting it on speaker.
“Heard you’re in crisis,” he answers.
“Seriously, how fast does the Bailey phone tree work?”
“You know the answer to that.”
“Where would he go, King? He’s not here, and I’ve blown it. He’s finally reached his limit!”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Calm down first. You won’t lose Colton. You’re at his house, right? Is his suitcase there?”
“Hold on.” I take the phone with me and rush upstairs where he keeps his luggage in the closet. “It’s missing. Oh my God, he’s flying somewhere.”
“Boot up his computer. If he were home, let’s hope he’d book a flight on his computer and not his phone.”
I run back to the office and do as he says, entering Colton’s password. “I don’t see anything.”
“Go to his history.”
I scramble to click and finally find it. “There’s nothing that sticks out to me.”
“Go to his recent files on his computer. What has he been doing?”
“Okay.” I scroll to his documents and click on recent activity. I click on the first one and it’s a slideshow of pictures. “It’s a picture slideshow of…” I lean forward. “No way.”
“What is it? Please don’t tell me if it’s naked pictures of the two of you. I don’t want that in my head.”
“It’s a slideshow of all my success stories with SparkFinder. Pictures of them now, married or with kids. Each one thanking me. One of their kids is holding a sign that says, ‘Juno the Matchmaker—if it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be here.’”
“Way to go, Colton,” Kingston whispers.
“Oh, Kingston, they all look so happy and in love.”
“And they found each other through you,” Kingston says. “Still doubting that whole matchmaking thing?”
I click off the slideshow. “I need to find Colton right now. Where else do I look?”
“Let me see if he’ll answer a call from me. I’ll call you back.”
“Okay, I’m going now to drive around.”
“Just sit and wait. Maybe he’ll return there.”
“He took his suitcase. I’m going.”
He blows out a breath. “Okay, I’ll call you if he answers.”
“Thanks.”
We hang up and I grab my keys, going back to my car and thinking I’ll drive to the airport. I press on the gas, and the streetlights pop on as the sky darkens. I try to call him again, but he doesn’t answer. I hit the highway toward Anchorage with so much anxiety, I can’t stop tapping my hand on the steering wheel.
A while later, my phone finally rings and it’s Kingston. “Did he answer for you?”
“Juno, can you come and get me?”
“Where is he?” I ask.
“Just come and get me and I’ll drive you to him.”
“Kingston!” I yell.
“He’s on his way up north to his parents’ cabin.”
My stomach sinks to the floorboards. “Wait.” I pull over. “Did you talk to him?”
There’s silence. “No, he didn’t answer, but Mrs. Stone did.”
“And what did she say?” I can barely get the words out, afraid of the answer. Do they know how stupid I’ve been? That I’ve jeopardized my future with their son?
“She said he called her and asked about the code. Told her he had to get away. Just come get me.”
“Oh my God, King, she probably hates me.” I can’t get enough air in my lungs. It feels as if my throat is closing in. “I think I know my way there. If anyone asks, that’s where I am.”
“Juno, I’m not letting you to drive up there by yourself when it’s almost dark. He’s let me use the place a few times. I can get you up there, and I’ll drive your car back. You can stay there and enjoy the makeup sex.”
I cannot lose Colton because of my idiocy. I almost did once. I won’t let it happen this time. “No, I don’t have time to waste.”
I click off and pull back on the interstate.
Ten miles down the road, I skid to a stop before I plow into the back of a semi-truck. Before I can breathe a sigh of relief, a car hits me from the back and I careen into the cement wall.
Thirty-One
Colton
My mom texts me to say that the keycode is the same as it was the last time I was at the family cabin up north. She follows up to ask whether Juno and I are going together. I can’t very well tell her Juno’s coming because she’ll see Juno around town. I have no choice but to tell her I need some time away and I’ll call her tomorrow after I settle in. Surprisingly, she doesn’t push me for more answers.
I turn up my music and turn off my Bluetooth.
My mind runs through the events since Juno and I got together. The last months, we’ve been happy. Juno was happy. I know she was. Sure, she didn’t want to move in yet and I knew we’d have to take the wedding planning slow… but to actually say no to my proposal? It feels like maybe I don’t know her anymore. Would she really throw all our happiness away because she’s scared something bad will happen?
I understand losing her parents was hard on her. Hell, I understood why she constantly pushed away the possibility of us being more than friends. Her fear is real, and I respect that, but now I feel naïve that I thought she was over that fear.
My foot presses on the gas, eager to disappear before the embarrassment of Buzz Wheel reporting that Juno broke my heart hits the internet.
When a love song starts, I punch the button on the stereo, wanting anything other than a song that speaks to my feelings of heartbreak. Hell, I’ll take opera over that.
I replay the conversation in my head, her words echoing in my ear. That she’s committed to me. That she’s happy living in limbo right now. And I think about how long it took to get her to admit her feelings for me in the first place. Maybe I am rushing her. Maybe I should’ve waited longer to propose. Let her get comfortable with us.
How can I forget the one thing Liam told me on that hill that dreary day in Lake Starlight fifteen years ago? That we have to be there for them. I’ve stuck by that with my friendship with Juno. Tried to be there for all of them in any way I could.
The day of Mr. and Mrs. Bailey’s funeral comes back to my mind. Juno at thirteen with no tears pouring down her face.
Who am I kidding? She feels for me. Juno feels a lot. She just feels so deeply, it takes her time to come to terms with it.
I pull off the interstate only to pull right back on going the opposite direction, heading back to Lake Starlight. We’ll figure this out, but we’ll do it together. Not by me leaving her.