Page 57 of The Trouble with Runaway Brides

“‘Why did you start a podcast about love, marriage and where to find it?’”

“I feel like I got off easy here.” She chuckles and everything about her voice sounds so professional. She’s obviously comfortable addressing large groups of people, even if she doesn’t usually see who she’s talking to with the podcast. “First, I ventured that way because I knew I wanted to be my own boss and I didn’t need a ton of capital to get started. But the real reason is slightly embarrassing, so maybe I didn’t get off that easy. This means I have to go back to the advice I read in a book once about creative endeavors—it said to be relatable and vulnerable. So, I’ll tell you what really led me to podcasting and hope I don’t want to run off this stage in embarrassment when I’m done.”

The students laugh. Even I lean back, intrigued by her answer.

“I moved to New York City after I graduated college. I had my parents and some family there, but I didn’t have any friends. I made a lot of mistakes in my life before arriving in New York, so don’t go feeling sorry for me, but I can’t deny that I just never connected with anyone at college. Sure, I had friends, but they weren’t lifelong friendships and that proved right when we graduated and I rarely heard from anyone afterward. Not that I was reaching out. So, I felt really lonely and having a podcast just…”

Brinley’s hand lands on my arm. I’m not sure if she’s silently telling me to not get sucked into her story or if she feels sorry for Kenzie.

“Well, a podcast connected me to the world. To people who were lost in a city of millions, a world of billions. I thought maybe I could connect with others, and they didn’t have to be within a one-mile radius of where I lived. They could be halfway across the country. I craved what I had lost when I left Lake Starlight. So, when I started the podcast, I wasn’t really searching for love or marriage. I think what I was really searching for was friendship. And I was lucky enough to find a friend when Blake answered the ad to engineer the show for me.”

Brinley sighs and I look at her. She’s about to cry.

A hand rises in the audience.

Aunt Holly lifts her hand and wipes away her own tear. “Go ahead, Ashlyn.”

The girl stands. “Now that your success is on the rise and you have one of the hottest podcasts, has that changed? The need to find friendship?”

Kenzie smiles at the girl, then touches Blake’s shoulder. “I was lucky enough to find this guy early on, and with him came a great bonus friend. But I think there will always be an empty part of my heart that will never quite heal.”

The teacher going around in the audience with the microphone tries to take it back, but Ashlyn turns her body so she can’t grab it. “And what exactly is the truth with you and Lance? We’ve all seen the pictures. Is he the one who got away? Is he the hole in your heart?”

I widen my eyes at my aunt, and Aunt Holly says, “Let’s try to keep it to career questions only and not personal ones. But thank you for sharing, Kenzie.”

Kenzie raises her hand to my aunt, indicating she doesn’t mind answering. “No, Lance is not the hole in my heart. May this be a lesson to all you girls if you haven’t learned it by now, when you’re older, you’ll be really lucky to have two people by your side: the man you love and a true best friend who knows you better than you know yourself. If you can find those two things, then you’ve struck pure gold. But put those friendships first. They’re what matters in the end. Even after you find the right guy, make sure he understands where that friend stands in your life, how important they are.” She turns to look at me and I act as if I’m not offended that she’s talking about Brinley and not me being the hole in her heart. “Sometimes you always ache for what you lost, but that’s okay too. Rarely does someone get through life without regrets.”

Kenzie slyly wipes at the bottom of her eyes and Blake hands her a Kleenex from the box on the table. Did they expect us all to start bawling up here?

I blow out a breath. Why did she have to say all that? Vulnerability is one thing, and I respect her for that, but she basically told them everything.

We go through more questions. Someone asks Van about his past experience in the Coast Guard and a couple people direct some questions to Blake. Everyone stays off personal topics, thank goodness.

One last question gets thrown my way. “Lance, I know you said you won’t be around as much as you are now, but do you ever think you’ll be back here permanently someday?”

“I’d love to be back in Lake Starlight permanently. This is where my family is. It’s hard at times, I’m not gonna lie. I have my own list of regrets, as Kenzie does. But I love this town and the people in it. If I could swing it, I would. But realistically, my life would have to undergo a major overhaul for me to come here permanently.”

“Like if you got married?” someone in the audience yells.

“More than likely, at this point, I’ll meet my wife in New York City, so I’ll probably be raising kids in the concrete jungle.”

“Again, everyone, no more personal questions. Stick to career questions only.” Aunt Holly blows an annoyed breath into the microphone.

But the kids don’t listen. Easton gets one final question about how many female fans wait for him after a game. Brinley gets asked about getting married a second time and how excited she is. It’s then I realize how much living we’ve done since we roamed these halls, how much life has happened to us. These kids are scared and worried, but they’ll still be standing after they make their mistakes. Most of us do in this world. All their questions come from fear, and Kenzie was right when she chose to be honest and answer from her heart.

She’s always led with her heart. That was one of the things I liked the most about her.

We’re excused an hour later, and we all file into the hallway. Without a word, Brinley turns around and brushes past me, wrapping her arms around Kenzie. My eyes find Easton, who looks just as surprised as me.

What the hell does this mean? Does Brinley want to put the old foursome back together?

Nineteen

Kenzie

Brinley puts her arm around me and guides me out of the high school. Being with my friend again feels so good that I could weep. Maybe I’d blocked out just how much I missed her in my life.

“We’re going to Lucky’s.” She walks me to a truck I assume is Van’s.

---