“You caught it,” Sadie hollers from somewhere to my left.
“I was defending myself,” I say.
Kate makes a beeline to me and folds me into a hug, her eyes bright and a little wild. I hold up the bouquet.
“This does not mean a thing,” I say, brandishing the beautiful flowers in her direction.
“Did I say anything?” She bats her eyelashes, feigning innocence. She then leans in, her voice serious I have to strain to hear her because the DJ has fired up a Fleetwood Mac song, which apparently gets the locals dancing. “I need to tell you some good news.”
“Let’s move to the side,” I yell.
We shuffle away, and I have to navigate around a woman in a cowgirl hat and a white leather jumpsuit.
“Hey Sage,” Kate says to her.
They embrace, and I scoot over to a table. Kate joins me.
“What’s going on? You ok?”
“Damien talked to Chief Patterson tonight. The Cypress Grove fire chief.” She squeezes my hands. “He got out of his California contract, well, mostly. He's joining the Cypress Grove Fire Department. Full-time.” Her voice cracks on the last word. “He's coming home, Lauren. For real.”
I stare at her. “Kate.”
“He has a ninety-day notice obligation to fulfill out west first, so he still leaves next week.” Her smile wobbles. “But then he's home. Three months and he's home for good.”
I pull her into a hug, bouquet and all, and she laughs into my shoulder.
When she pulls back her eyes are wet. “Three months,” she says, like she's testing the weight of it. “I can do three months.”
“You can absolutely do three months.” I squeeze her hands. And then, privately, a thought I'm not quite ready to say out loud:Three months is exactly enough time to stay.
Max materializes at my elbow, grinning. He takes one look at my face and the bouquet and laughs harder.
“Don’t,” I start to tell him, but he kisses my mouth. Kate cackles and walks off.
“I’m not saying a word,” Max murmurs.
“You’re saying everything.”
“Ready to call it a night?”
I look around the room — Kate and Damien are now on the dance floor, Ginger and Carolyn are deep in conversation, Sadie is teaching Remy something that may or may not be a sword-fighting stance. The bouquet is still in my hand.
“Yeah,” I say. “I’m ready.”
He picks me up like it’s easy, and I loop one arm around his neck and hold the bouquet with the other, and he carries me upstairs.
