Chapter 32

 

 

A red balloon floated above a small bag. The breeze fluttered the balloon, making it bob and swing, the string tugging on the bag. Kate scanned the yard, but no one was in sight. Whoever had placed the pouch was already gone.

“I just talked to him,” Kate said. “But he must have been already on his way here.”

“You’re asking that now?” Ember asked. “Open it.”

Kate stooped and picked up the pouch. Glancing at the sunlit yard, she retreated indoors. Setting it on the table, she opened it with trembling fingers. Inside, a small card lay nestled in silk. Kate picked it up and read the note.

 

Kate,

Please forgive the marks, of a past now gone from sight.

Our last date ended with sparks, our next will end in light.

If you’ll have me.

 

Kate stared at the words, her heart inflating like the balloon that hovered above her head. Questions and emotions flooded her in bursts of hope, doubt, and curiosity. How had he picked that exact moment to leave the invite? How had he made his decision? When?

Brittney cried out in excitement, causing them all to jump. “Sorry,” she said. “I’m just excited.”

Marta laughed. “Did you have to scare us?”

Ember folded her arms. “I don’t like it. Why now? Why this moment?”

“I was wondering the same thing,” Marta said.

“He always had excellent timing,” Kate said, her smile turning soft.

“But aren’t you curious?” Ember asked. “If he decided to ask you on another date, surely he knew before this moment.”

“Perhaps,” Kate said. “But I don’t care. I’m just glad he’s here.”

“You think he wants to date for real?”

“This certainly sounds like he does,” Kate said, holding the letter up to emphasize her point. “But I was certain last time too, and it didn’t work out.”

She frowned, her elation fading into worry. Abruptly she picked up her phone and pressed his name. Her roommates fell silent as she stood in their midst. She wasn’t surprised when he picked up on the first ring.

“However did you manage the timing?” she asked.

“I’ve planned to invite you for a couple of days,” he said. “You called as I was walking to your door. Nearly gave me a heart attack, by the way.”

“What took you so long?” she dared to ask.

He paused, and she held her breath. “You were right,” he said. “And I needed to figure out some things.”

“And have you?”

“I have.”

Her heart clattered against her ribs. “And the date?”

“You’ll find out tomorrow night. I hope you can make it.”

“I wouldn’t be anywhere else.”

“See you at 4:00,” he said.

Kate hung up and stared at her phone. Then she turned to find her roommates on the verge of exploding. They’d huddled around her so all could hear the conversation. Then Ember shook her head.

“And just like that, you’ve forgiven him?”

Kate considered her response and then shrugged. “I have. He listened to Aura die, remember?”

“So, what do you expect out of this date?” Brittney asked.

“A kiss,” Kate said, and then grinned. “And a boyfriend.”

The previous elation burst across her and she grinned stupidly as her roommates celebrated. Marta snatched her phone and called Jackson, while Ember called Shelby. Brittney called Reed’s mother, who Ember had called two months ago on Kate’s behalf. In an hour the blondes had gathered all the information possible and the full story came out.

“Jackson and Reed got back two nights ago,” Marta was saying. “Reed spent the entire drive planning this date, but Jackson refused to say what you’re doing.”

“Shelby concurs,” Ember said. “But whatever it is, it’s going to be outside. Jackson kept it to himself despite her best efforts to get him to talk.”

“What about Reed’s mom?” Kate asked.

Brittney stared at her phone like it was a foreign device, her silence quieting them all. Kate nudged her, and Brittney looked at them, her gaze focusing on Kate. Then she blinked and shook her head.

“Aura’s not dead.”

“What?” they asked in unison.

“She’s in a coma,” Brittney said. “I guess the doctors think she’ll never wake up and want to take her off life support. Aura’s parents have refused.”

“She’s alive?” Kate asked, stunned.

“Sort of,” Brittney said uncertainly, and shared the events of Reed’s visit to Miami.

“If she’s breathing, she’s alive,” Ember said, folding her arms.

Brittney shook her head. “Machines breathe for her.”

Ember scowled and looked away, and Marta gestured to the bag and balloon. “So Reed went to say goodbye to her and a week later he’s on your doorstep?”

“I guess,” Kate said uncertainly.

Suddenly overcome with the vacillating emotions, she sank into a seat, trying to come to terms with the volume of information. Remembering she still had the note, she lifted and read it to herself. Then she shook her head.

“He spent the last month trying to resolve his past,” she said. “He wouldn’t have left this note if hadn’t done that.”

“So, you’re going to trust him?” Marta asked.

“I think so,” Kate said slowly. “I know I want to be with him.”

“Then you need to get ready,” Brittney said.

“No,” Kate said. “Last time we spent hours figuring out the perfect outfit. This time I get to wear what I want.”

“Not even shopping?” Ember asked.

Kate’s lips twitched. “Perhaps a little shopping.”

Her roommates whisked her out of the house and into Ember’s jeep, and less than an hour after the invitation they were in the mall, looking for tops. Most of their conversation was speculative, with even Kate wondering what Reed had in store for her. Several times she wondered about Aura, but the timing was not a coincidence.

The cold knot that had settled in her stomach when she’d first heard Aura’s name had disappeared. Like an anchor had been cut, she felt as if she were floating on air. And her heart soared.

The whirlwind of shopping culminated in new clothes for all of them, and they returned to the house flush with excitement. Unable to sleep, they stayed up late, talking and eating a variety of desserts that Brittney concocted.

Brittney eventually fell asleep on the couch, as did Marta. With The Notebook playing on the TV, Kate sat curled up under a blanket while Ember sat beside her. They sipped on root beer floats and continued to talk.

“Do you think he’s really resolved everything?” Kate finally asked.

“I think you’re right,” Ember said. “He wouldn’t have asked you out if he hadn’t.”

“You think so?” Kate asked.

“Is it wrong that I’m jealous?” Ember asked.

“No,” Kate said.

Ember gestured to the screen. “We’re taught to hope for a fairytale guy that will show up and sweep us off our feet. I never thought I’d see it happen for real, and I guess I’m afraid it will never happen to me.”

“At least we know decent guys exist,” Kate said.

Ember shook her head. “I just wonder if there’s a guy I won’t drive away.”

Her voice was uncharacteristically vulnerable, causing Kate to lean over and put her arm around the girl’s shoulders. Ember didn’t pull away, and instead released a mournful sigh before draining her drink.

“Your fire is what makes you attractive,” Kate said. “And I suspect it will be what lands you the guy you truly want.”

Ember laughed, the sound filled with rancor. “So far it’s only gotten me a handful of restraining orders.”

“I hope that Reed is my match,” Kate said, “that we fit together. There’s a match out there for you, I know it.”

“I hope so,” Ember said. “I don’t want to think that Hollywood has lied just to make money.”

“They’ve certainly done that,” Kate said, stifling a laugh when Brittney twitched. “But that doesn’t mean it’s all false.”

Ember yawned. “I hope you’re right. Now that you’ve found your forever man I want mine.”

“My forever man?” she asked, trying out the phrase. “Let’s just start with tomorrow.”

Ember laughed and patted her on the knee. “You keep telling yourself that.”

She lay down and was asleep in seconds, leaving Kate to finish the movie alone. As the credits rolled she snagged the remote from where it had fallen next to Brittney’s feet. She turned off the movie and stared at the blank screen, a smile forming on her face.

“Reed,” she murmured. “I hope you’re my forever man.”