Page 133 of When Stars Collide
“More aiding and abetting than outright murder. I don’t like getting my hands dirty, and—” A sudden impact with another person on the trail, interrupted me. “Oh, geez. I’m sor— Wait … Kirsten?”
“Hey!” Surprised, she hurried in for a quick hug.
“Fancy meeting you here.” I looked back at Elle, who met my curious stare with a simple shrug.
“Yeah, you know. It’s such a nice day. I thought I’d get my hike on.”
“Do you normally hike in sandals?”
“Uh … yes? Doesn’t everyone?”
“Only those named Kirsten, apparently.”
“Why don’t you join us?” Elle asked her.
“Only if I’m not going to impose.”
Confused, I looked between Elle and Kirsten. Something about the way Kirsten answered Elle had felt so … rehearsed.
“You’re no imposition whatsoever.”
Elle began walking with Kirsten, with me following in their footsteps. It wasn’t like Elle to keep secrets from me. I thought our friendship had moved past that. But maybe it hadn’t, after all.
Before I could mull things over any further, Kirsten’s shrill shriek startled me, tearing me away from my thoughts.
“Violet! Alex! Whatever are you two doing here?”Kirsten looked back at me with faux surprise written all over her face. An actress she was not.
Annoyed, I peered over to where Elle stood off the side of the trail, shaking her head as she pinched the bridge of her nose, clearly frustrated.
“Hey, ladies!” Violet exclaimed far too animatedly to be real. “How did the book tour go?” It was hard to tell who she was asking. Her eyes darted back and forth from Elle to me and back again.
“Oh, you know,” I answered her before Elle could, “we went from city to city, and Elle talked about her book while I tried not to say something that would get us both banned from the bookstore. The usual. So, is the fact that you two are here together a coincidence, too?Alex, did you choose today to fly in from Indiana, where you just happened to run into Violet in the park we’re all at now?”
Violet and Alex exchanged a brief glance before responding in unison, “Yes.”
I nodded. “That checks out. Well, we may as well keep on moving to see what pot of gold awaits us at the end of this rainbow.”
Elle moved to walk next to me, and I joined her in avoiding eye contact as we plodded down the trail with our band of merry women in tow.
“How many more people are we going to encounter?” I asked, already knowing I wouldn’t be receiving a straight answer.
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”
“Seriously, Elle, what the fu—” I glanced down at Lizzie, who’d taken to gnawing on her fingers, “—udge is going on?”
“Hey!” A familiar voice caused me to stop dead in my tracks. “Are you just going to walk past me without saying hello?”
“Jo?” I turned around, my eyes taking in the woman belonging to the voice I’d just heard. “What are you doing here?” Dumbfounded, I held her into my arms without even realizing I was doing so.
“Virginia’s made you soft.” She patted me on the back when I let go. “I can see why. It’s very scenic—not much concrete in sight.”
“I take it you being here is by sheer coincidence and not at all planned, too?”
Jo shrugged. “Sure.”
“It must be a full moon,” another voice said behind me.
My head whipped around so fast it was a miracle when I didn’t give myself whiplash. “Melissa?” Stunned, I walked away from Jo to greet my sister with the same awkward hug, peering anxiously over her shoulder.
