He frowned, not appreciating the repeated sentiment. It felt like Josie saw something in his future that he didn't see and didn't want to see. "I don't know where my life is going to go, but at some point, it will lead away from here," he said firmly.
"If it does, it does. That just means your next chapter, whatever that might be, happens somewhere else." She paused as a knock came at the door. "That's Javier."
He was more than a little relieved to let Javier in. He didn't want to hear more about how everything happens in its own time. He didn't know where he was going, but he didn't think this place, with its faulty air conditioning and nosy neighbors, was his final destination.
As Josie and Javier went into the bathroom, he grabbed his keys and headed out the door.
He was in such a hurry to get away from Josie and her unsettling predictions about his life that he ran right into a woman coming down the hall. Of course, it was Kaia.
"Sorry," he said, catching her arm to steady her. "I wasn't watching where I was going."
"Always in a hurry to get away," she muttered as she pulled away from him. "Where are you off to?"
"I thought you were respecting my privacy."
"Is it a secret mission? Are you a spy?" she asked with a sparkle in her eyes. "That would explain a lot."
"I'm not a spy."
"But you are on a mission…"
"To get out of my apartment, yes. Josie has the handyman working on a leak coming from upstairs."
"That makes sense. I'm glad we ran into each other. I've been curious about what else Walter said to you yesterday."
Speculation ran through his gaze. "Why do you care what he said?"
"I'm concerned. He spends a lot of time alone. He seems confused and also determined to find something that might not exist anymore. I'm worried he'll keep looking for that red door, and the next car he walks in front of won't stop as fast as you did."
"All he said was that the door led to a nightclub where one of his favorite singers used to perform. He was stationed at Camp Pendleton at the time, and I got the feeling there was some sort of love affair that happened between them."
"Really? You didn't mention that before."
He shrugged. "It wasn't a big deal. But I did just ask Josie about a nightclub with a red door, and she said she thought it led to a club called the Starlight Lounge, which tracks with what Walter told me. She said it closed years ago, and it might be a bookstore now."
A light jumped in her eyes. "I know the bookstore. It doesn't have a red door, at least not the front door." She paused. "Maybe there's a side door or a back door. We should check it out."
"Uh, I don't think so," he said, thrown by her impulsive suggestion.
"Why not?" Kaia challenged. "You just said you had to get out of the apartment. I got too much sun yesterday to lie by the pool today, so I was going to go into town and look for a wedding present for Emmalyn. It would be easy enough to swing by the bookstore."
"You should do that, and I'll do something else."
"Oh, come on. You're interested in this story, too. We're both going to end up there. Why don't we just go together?"
She had a point. He was more interested than he should be. "Maybe I'm curious because I'm bored," he admitted.
"I'm a little bored, too. My friends are all in love, and I have to hear about it all the time."
He couldn't prevent a smile from spreading across his lips. "That does sound torturous."
"All the hearts and flowers are getting to be too much for me. Not that I don't want to support my girls. I love Em and Lexie. They're like my sisters. And they have great guys in their lives. Once Em ties the knot, Lexie won't be far behind her. It's going to be romance land for a while. So, I want to focus on something else. Let's go to the bookstore. Let's try to find the red door."
"I'm sure it's not there anymore."
"If it's not, we can tell Walter that the lounge isn't there anymore, and maybe he'll stop wandering out of his apartment alone looking for it."
Seeing the determination in her eyes, he said, "You're a very stubborn person, aren't you?"
