Page 65 of Known By You
Jo turned slowly—and rather creepily, if we’re being honest—to settle all her attention on me. “Yes. What about you, Lizzy, dearest and darlingest sister of mine.” She clasped her hands under her chin.
“Okay, freaky. That’s enough champagne for you,” I said, genuinely chilled by her.
Everyone laughed then, and Elise said, “Seriously, Jo. That was terrifying.”
“Whatever. I want to know what you did when you left Craic last night.” She raised her brows in the smuggest littleso thereexpression I’d seen this side of her sixteenth birthday.
Dove let out an“Ooohhhh!”and Jess cackled and clapped her hands together while everyone else appeared to be just as interested.
Normally, I wouldn’t entertain this, but after the last few days, I needed to let it out. What had keeping every thought to myself gotten me except isolation, loneliness, and a growing sense that I’d been unnecessarily keeping myself an island next to a continent of people?
“I went to check on Kenny.” My cheeks heated as almost every woman, save Jess who was leaning back andbraced fairly specifically in a pose she’d mentioned helped her not feel nauseated, leaned forward with interest.
“And?” Jo prompted, Dove nodding furiously next to her.
“He had a rough day. And it’s not my information to share, but…” I blew out a long breath and felt the words bubbling up despite the futility of sharing them. “I really like him and what I saw last night only made it worse.”
My little sister shrieked. Like borderline glass shatteringly loudly. She shot out of her seat and jogged around the small, cozy space. Dove clapped, Elise, Catherine, Nikki, and Winnie all grinned like maniacs, and I could swear I saw Jess swipe under her eyes.
“This is stupid. I’m not crying, you’re crying,” she said with a watery laugh. “I love this baby but the hormones.” She rolled her eyes.
“I appreciate the enthusiasm, but this means nothing. It’s actually more bad news than good.”
There. I’d said it out loud. Part of what I’d feared all along and what I knew to be true.
Jo stopped her jog and came to sit next to me. “How so? Kenny is a love, and I dare say he’s had a hand in every one of us finding happiness in one way or another.”
Nikki, Winnie, and Jess all agreed with this, while even the women who weren’t paired off with a Saint man nodded.
“I have no doubt that’s true. But I don’t live here. I—my life is overseas.”
Jo’s expression changed at the edges so subtly, I wouldn’t have noticed if body language and human behavior weren’t part of what I used in my professional life. But the slight pull at the corners of her mouth and the shift in her gaze, the large breath she heaved, albeit silently, andthe press of her hands together into a knot… these were the hints I was breaking her heart by saying the truth out loud.
“I get that. It’s hard to imagine what your life is like, but I get having feelings for someone here but knowing your life is elsewhere,” Winnie said.
“I guess you found a way to make it work here, though, didn’t you?” It was obvious enough since she lived here and was married to Tristan, happily building a life in this town.
Everyone listened intently when Winnie responded.
“I came here with every intention of going back when it was safe for me to do so. But being here changed me—and not just Tristan. So when the time came to return, leaving was what felt wrong in my gut. I know not everyone’s story will go that way, but I just want to say… I don’t know, maybe it’s trite, but never say never.”
Parts of me longed for the ability to repeat the phrase and mean it. To embrace the idea of a total life change and take a gigantic, romantic leap into the abyss of the unknown so I could live one version of my life here.
But I’d trained myself to choose the practical, useful, obvious path. I’d lived a life forging ahead according to plan. And that was simply how it had to be.
Even if in my heart of hearts, I heard it echo…never say never.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Kenny
The bouquet might’ve been on the large side, now that I held it out and literally couldn’t see Liz behind it.
“They’re beautiful,” she said, her voice slightly muffled thanks to the huge collection of blooms.
“You’re welcome. They’re not nearly enough to say thank you effectively, but it’s a start.” This was the conclusion I’d come to while Stone and Cookie had sat on the living room floor with me and Kit and we’d played and talked for an hour before the little one fell back asleep.
I needed to apologize and thank her and then see what I needed to do to convince her to go out with me. It might not have made sense for us to pursue anything together when I’d first learned about her temporary job here, but at this point, after just a few days, it seemed insane not to be with her while I could.
