“Can we talk for a minute?” she asks, and I find myself looking towards Mira for permission.
“It’s okay, I need to pack up my gear anyways,” she says, giving us space. “Find me in a few?”
I expect Katherine to lead me to the bar or her table, but she slips her hand into mine, bringing me back onto the dance floor. She’s in the same green color as the rest of the party posse, but unlike Vanessa’s dress, which is layered and long, Katherine’s is cinched at the waist, corset-like, with lots of buttons up the back.
“I just wanted to apologize,” she says, swaying against me, keeping a respectable distance between us this time.
“For what exactly?” I ask, knowing she has several things to apologize for.
“For everything. For what happened with Grant. But mostly for before. It wasn’t fair of me to keep our lives entangled this long. I guess I’ve just been feeling insecure about everything. I mean, I’m almost thirty, and I’m starting over. I’m single. I’m not great at my job, and my best friend just got married, is moving and growing up without me.”
“I get it, I do, but you could have talked to me about it. I would have helped you.”
“I know,” Katherine replies, turning away for a moment to compose herself. “It’s a lot of change at once. And I’m worried that I can’t handle it. But that’s not your problem.”
I soften at her words. Because even after everything, I’m not heartless to her plight.
“Have you thought about going to therapy?” I suggest.
“Meredith gave me a referral, and I have an appointment for later this month.”
“I think it’d be good. Just to have someone to talk to.”
She nods solemnly. “And just so you know I did hear you. I called a moving company and made an appointment but they couldn’t get me in until Thursday. I really tried, but ...”
“That’s okay,” I say, willing to give her a few more days. “Thursday’s fine.”
“I think I’m going to move back to Charlotte for a while. Save some money, and buy a house in a few years, or move out of state. I don’t know. But I’ll figure it out.”
“Where are you going to stay in the meantime?”
She glances over at Derrick, who’s finishing off a piece of cake. “Derrick said that he has an extra room. And he’s gone most of the week at work.”
He gives us a wave, and I have to admit I sort of see them together.
“I really want you to be happy, Kat.”
“Thanks,” she replies, her voice soft, and slips back into the crowd.
Itching for a change of scenery, I make my way over to Mira. She’s chatting with Vanessa and Adrian, who are currently bickering about whether Derrick is going to knock over the cake, when I butt in.
“Sorry to interrupt, but do you want to get out of here?”
39 Mira
“Where are we going?” Hudson leads me through the wildflower fields, the grass brushing against my legs as we make our way deeper into the property. When he asked if I wanted to leave the reception I thought we’d go for a drive, or hole up in our cabin, but we kept walking past everything until the sounds from the party became whispers in the wind.
“It’s a surprise,” he assures me, while I relish the quiet. There’s nothing out here but the sounds of nature, the crickets chirping, and the croaking of frogs from the pond. It’s the same tranquility I felt at the lake, as if there is no one else in the world but the two of us.
“Please tell me you didn’t plan an orgy with the adventure guides, because I’m going to have to pass,” I joke, trying to discern where we’re headed.
“That’s not a surprise, that would be the makings of a horror film,” he says, as we climb further up the hill.
The sky is an explosion of reds and oranges, like fire shooting up from behind the dark blue mountains, as the last rays of sun crest over the golden mountaintops. It’s the first night I’ve been able to appreciate the sunset, to see it not as the end of another horrible day, but as the opportunity for new beginnings, a chanceto start over—and with Hudson by my side that thought doesn’t feel as scary.
We climb the last stretch of elevation until the ground levels out and I realize what he’s done.
LED lanterns light a pathway towards a tent that’s been covered in fairy lights, the same variety from the wedding. Beside it a campfire is roaring. There is also a table set with a bottle of champagne and all the ingredients for s’mores.
