Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 86857 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86857 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 290(@300wpm)
But she’s not Josie.
“Hey, handsome. Nice tie.” She closes the door and fastens her seat belt.
“Thanks. You look nice too.”
If it were a date, I’d up the nice to pretty.
No … no, I wouldn’t.
You look pretty.
I’d use another word like beautiful or lovely.
“What are the chances that you could run by CVS so I can grab some lozenges? My allergies are acting up, and I know I’m going to get that crazy tickle in my throat during the performance and make a scene with my coughing if I don’t have a lozenge.”
“Sure. We can do that.”
When we get to CVS, I park and follow her inside.
“You could have waited in the car. It will only take me a minute.”
“It’s fine. I might grab some gum or something myself.” I follow her to the aisle with the lozenges.
“They don’t have cherry. I’m going to have to go with lemon eucalyptus. Not great, but it will do.” She grabs the package.
I turn to head toward the front of the store with her right behind me.
“Oops, sorry.” I nearly run into a lady with a walker.
She glances up.
She. Glances. Up.
And I … I … can’t breathe. I’m so fucking afraid to even blink. This … this isn’t possible.
“Hi,” she says in a weak voice I barely recognize.
If it weren’t for her eyes and the tattoos on her arms, I wouldn’t recognize her. She’s so … so incredibly frail. In one breath, she’s resurrected, only to look like she’s withering away. Loose skin. Hollow-eyed. Haggard.
It takes my brain a moment to decide if this is real.
“Colten?” I barely register Layla’s voice.
I don’t have one. Single. Word.
My heart has been ejected from my chest and shoved into my throat.
Josie’s gaze slides to my right. To Layla.
“We don’t want to be late,” Layla says.
I didn’t think it was possible for Josie to look any sadder, but with the downcast of her eyes, she says, “Nice seeing you.” She barely has a voice. Did she lose it?
“Josie, did you find—” A guy stops behind her, midsentence, eyes on me.
I can’t tell if he recognizes me. I don’t know him. But the way he gently rests his hand on Josie’s bony shoulder tells me he knows who I am. Is it just me? So fucking lost in the dark? I don’t know if this is a dream or a nightmare.
Again, Josie’s gaze drifts to Layla. “You l-look … pretty.”
Emotion punches me so hard, my eyes can barely see past the burning tears in them. “Fuck you … Josie.” My words break into pieces as I barely get them out in a whisper.
As I take a step forward.
As I take her into my arms.
As I support her when her knees wobble beneath her.
As my lips press to her thinning hair.
I don’t even have to blink for the tears to release.
She doesn’t wrap her arms around me. Maybe she can’t.
It wasn’t a mistake. It wasn’t by chance. I met Layla so that our path would bring us to this exact CVS pharmacy at six o’clock on this very Saturday night. So I would find my Artemis.
Josie was wrong. She isn’t a star. She is the galaxy.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
The Wedding
Reagan unzips my dress. I turn and press my palms to her face. She’s fighting tears. So am I. We are strong for each other.
“I love you. Okay?”
Her lower lip quivers. She’s so brave. She will get Colten through this life. Of that, I have no doubt.
When she gives me a tiny nod, I press my lips to her forehead. It’s warm, as it should be. She has so much life in her. “Bye, beautiful girl.”
A quick change, an Uber, a stop at home, and a long drive across town later, I arrive at Felix Trevino’s house. It’s a traditional, stone front two-story with a white mailbox that matches the snow and a neatly shoveled drive. Before I ring the doorbell, I kick some snow off my boots.
More than one dog barks before the door opens a crack. “Josie?”
I rub my hands together to keep warm. “Are you going to invite me in or leave me out here to freeze to death?”
Felix shoos the dogs away and opens the door. “I’ve never seen you with short hair.”
I step inside and remove my boots while the dogs sniff me. “I’ve never seen you with no hair.”
He frowns. “There wasn’t much left, so I shaved it.”
“Happy New Year, by the way. It’s been a while.”
“Uh … yeah. To what do I owe the honor?”
I shuffle my socked feet over his hardwood floor, snooping around his main level. “Is your wife home?”
“She’s out of town for a week.”
“Well, isn’t that perfect,” I murmur.
“Josie, I’m not trying to be rude, but are you going to tell me what you’re doing here? Are you looking for something?”
I turn, just inside his kitchen. “No. Sorry. Just checking the place out. You’ve done quite well for yourself. I read that you’re chief of cardiology, and you married the hospital administrator’s daughter. Well done. Glad I could help.” I offer him an exaggerated smile despite my heart bleeding out in my chest.