Page 64 of One Last Run

Kiera looked at her with shock, like Danica had just slapped her across the face. “Well, when Pete breaks your heart again, like she always does, I’m not going to be there to pick up the phone at 3 a.m. to listen to you cry. So, I guess we really will bothbe miserable, won’t we?” With that, Kiera zipped her luggage shut and swung open the door, finding Maggie, Pete, and Eddie just outside of it and looking guilty. Pete was focusing very intently on some vintage ski art on the wall, oddly.

Kiera huffed and stormed past them, stomping down the hall and leaving Danica sitting on the edge of the bed. For all her worry, Pete wouldn’t be the one breaking her heart at the end of this week, because Kiera already had.

CHAPTER 20

PETE

Eddie’s metalwatch band clicked against the oak table, a small, precise sound in the otherwise silent room where he sat across from Pete. If she cared about this guy's feelings, she'd pity him for the obvious hurt and dejection in his expression.

So, this was Eddie. Dentist Eddie. He looked so normal in real life, though he had an air about him that screamed privilege. He'd probably grown up in an upper-middle class home, maybe he attended private school, and he dressed as though he could potentially be yacht-adjacent at any moment.

Izzy sat on the couch scrolling through her phone, pretending not to outwardly seethe after they'd ripped Kiera to shreds for inviting Eddie. Kiera had claimed that she was just trying to look out for her friend, but Pete wasn't buying it.

Maggie walked in the front door and paused in the entryway, seeing Eddie at the table. Her jaw dropped and her eyes widened. Thankfully, Eddie's back was to her as Maggie over exaggeratedly mouthed, "Is that Eddie?"

Pete gave her a panicked look, nodding. Kiera had off-handedly mentioned Maggie had gone shopping after lunch, but Pete knew Meddling Maggie was going to be sorely disappointed she missed so much drama.

Maggie glanced from Eddie to Izzy, then back to Pete, as if to ask where Danica was. Suddenly, Kiera's muffled voice raised enough to travel down the hallway. "You lied to me!"

Maggie's gawked, mouth falling open and she dropped her shopping bags and scurried off down the hallway. Pete was right behind her, trying to quietly hurry to listen at the door. She turned at the sound of more footsteps, expecting Izzy, but it was Eddie. She couldn't very well tell him to fuck off, not if she wanted to hear what was happening, so she instead didn't give him any room to listen at the door. The three of them lined up, crowding one another as Pete took the tallest spot, Maggie wedged between them, Eddie crouching lowest.

The two women inside of the room weren't exactly whispering, so it was easy to make out what they were saying. Eddie’s entire body winced as Danica reiterated that she didn't want to be with him, and Eddie made a smalloofsound, like he'd just stubbed his toe on the sharp corner of rejection. Pete almost felt bad for the guy.

Could she and Danica have finally gotten it right this time? She wasn't joking about the future with Danica earlier that morning on Galloping Goose — well, looking at the mansions and chalets, pretending they were shopping for real estate was certainly a joke — but she really did like the idea of a future where she and Danica could be together. She could work out of any city with an international airport, and?—

“I’m not dumb. I know that Pete and I don’t have a future.”

Danica's words hit her like she'd just been clotheslined by a tree branch and knocked her to the ground. Embarrassment made her chest ache and tears sting at the edges of her eyes.

Maggie tensed beside her, and before Pete could say anything, Maggie stood with a hiss as they heard footsteps approach the door. Pete spun around, trying to look like she hadn't just been listening to their conversation, panic blunting her rational thinking skills. Art. There was art. She was just admiring the artwork on the wall directly outside of Kiera's room. Half a second later, the door swung open to reveal Kiera's blotchy face, and further in, Danica sitting on the edge of the bed looking very small and upset.

"Where are you going?" Maggie asked, alarmed, as they saw Kiera's packed suitcase.

"I'm leaving," Kiera said with dramatic despair, the luggage wheels abrasive and loud on the hardwood floor as she headed toward the doorway.

Maggie went to follow Kiera just as a car pulled up in front of the condo, but Pete turned back to Danica, only to find that Eddie had started into the room. "Oh no, you don't," Pete said, grabbing Eddie's arm. "Go get in your Uber, man."

To his credit, Eddie barely put up a fight before turning and walking back toward the front door. He'd probably envisioned sweeping Danica off her feet, a romantic notion that now seemed pathetic, and she felt a pang of sympathy for his loss of such an amazing woman.

Now she, too, was now losing that incredible woman, the reality hitting her with the force of a physical blow. Pete wasn't some Eddie-type. Danica had said she didn't see a future with Pete, and that stung. But it didn't mean that Pete could just stop caring about her, and she didn’t want to. And it didn't mean they had to give up the present, either. She exhaled, then stretched, hooking her hands on top of the door frame as she watched Danica. "You okay?"

"No," Danica said, wiping at her eyes.

"What do you need?" Pete asked, swallowing the lump lodged in her throat. "Company? Alone time? Tea? Wine? A time machine?"

Danica laughed while sniffling. "A time machine does sound nice." She cleared her throat. "Did you... did you overhear us?"

Pete shrugged, stretching her shoulders as she rocked back and forth on her heels, still holding the door frame. "Not much," she lied. "I was mainly body-guarding Eddie from shoving through the door and bursting into song to win you back."

There was a tiny smile on Danica's lips as she rolled her eyes and wiped at her nose again. "Listen, I?—"

"Nah, don't worry about it," Pete said. "So, company or alone time?"

Danica pressed her lips together, looking around the empty room. "I think alone time. And maybe a bath before dinner, I guess."

"You got it. We can order in if you'd like.” Pete used every bit of self-control to suppress the profound hurt echoing through her chest in rhythm with her heart.

Danica kept her gaze down, standing from Kiera's bed. "Thanks," she murmured, and Pete moved to let Danica past her, walking into her own room. Danica's bright blue eyes shone with tears as she glanced up at Pete before closing the door.

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