Page 16 of With Stars in Her Eyes
“My head’s been so much better. I’m good. You need a break. And you need to stop worrying about me. Ms. Jeannie said she could help while you’re gone if I have any trouble.”
Sam took my arm as we headed into the wind. “I know you can handle it. I just wasn’t planning on a potential natural disaster for your first weekend covering.”
“Never a dull moment, and that’s why I love it here.” I smiled, feeling the absolute honesty of the words. Iwashappy here in this strangely compartmentalized part of my life. Even with the lingering embarrassment of the awkward conversation with the beautiful woman working next door, it was strange to feel that certainty in saying how much I loved it here.
“I love having you here.” Sam shivered. “I’m glad I said that to you since there’s a chance we’ll both get frostbite and die while walking home.”
“Always with such happy thoughts.”
“Always.” She pulled me into a fast trot down the sidewalk against the blistering wind.
CHAPTER 5Thea
I glanced into the viewfinder. It was my third time trying to use this kind of color film. It wasn’t as fun as astrophotography, but the early morning mist in the trees was almost as mysterious.
“Magical.”
“If I freeze my fingers off, it’s onyouto magic me out of trouble with the league. I thought since the stars weren’t visible you would let me avoid the hypothermia.” Marshall blew heat onto his gloved hands.
“Look at the mist. It’s perfect. So haunting. The big tree with the brick building behind it. God, it’s stunning with the city lights and the old renovated church building. Also, for the record, I didn’t wake you up to come out here with me so early.”
“Is it even early? I’m pretty sure this still counts as ‘late.’ Do you really think I was going to let you come out here at noon?” He pulled his hat more securely over his ears. “Everyone else in your family except your mom is a lawyer. If you move here and end up dead a few weeks later because you got up ass crack early to take photos and ran into a murderer, I’m going to get blamed for it and go to jail.”
“Are there a lot of early rising murderers here you didn’t warn me about?” I didn’t let myself laugh because I didn’t want a tremble in my hands to ruin the shot.
If my face had looked weird yesterday when I had been crabby, Marshall’s was practically unrecognizable today from his usual self. Had he not slept at all? He sipped his coffee, which reminded me that he was also holding mine, and I should drink some before it sprouted icicles. “Are you going to tell me what’s wrongand why you were awake?” I took a few more photos because the light could change at any moment as the sun rose another inch over the horizon behind the thick clouds. “You’ve been acting weird since yesterday when you left to call your agent. So… is it something with football or the pub?” I hung the camera over my shoulder and took the coffee, enjoying the burn from a larger than advisable swallow.
“Why don’t we talk about literally anything other than either of those things? Tell me something else I haven’t heard yet about your first couple weeks?”
“Hmm…” I handed the travel mug back. Marshall followed me across the frozen grass as I went to get a different angle on the tree. Maybe he needed some cheering up. Something a little bit happier. He loved gossip. “I have a crush on someone. Just a small one. It’ll pass though.”
“Oooh.” His frosted beard spread in a smile and his blue eyes shone. “Why do you want it to pass?”
“I want to actually like living here. What if I jump into something, and it doesn’t work out—like always—only now I can’t blame my mom’s meddling making me doubt things anymore or the fact that a lot of people come and go back home. It’ll just be me. Being too sweet. Being not good enough. They move away. They ghost. It’s always the same thing. I’ll be all in, and they’ll be out the door because I’m ‘too good for them’ or ‘too tied down.’ All the toos. The second I make it clear I’m interested for real, they run away as fast as they can.”
Eesh. That was a lot for not-quite-dawn o’clock.
“First of all, only an idiot would think you’retooanything. Who’s the crush on?”
My cold-numb bottom lip was pinched between my teeth. “No one.”
“Why won’t you tell me?”
“Because you’ll tease me about it.”
“I would never.” He barely maintained his straight face. “Hopefully it’s not Denise or Samantha since they’re both married. Andthat Vlad guy you work with is a little scary, so probably not him. Trying to think who else…”
“Not any of those.Shit.” My phone was buzzing. “Just my mom.”
“Your mom calls you at five thirty in the morning?”
“Sometimes.” I pulled off my glove so I could answer. “Hi, Mom, actually, I’m—”
Before I could finish telling her it wasn’t a great time to talk, she launched into a long story about some drama happening at the pickleball club. When she finally paused, I tried to get off again, but she interruptedagain. I waited for another pause before trying a new tactic. “But have you thought any more about coming to visit Kansas this summer? I’d love to show you where I work and Marshall’s pub. It’s a three-bedroom condo, so there’s plenty of—”
“I’ll talk to your father about it.” My mother’s voice was a little shaky, and I couldn’t tell anymore whether that was affectation or emotions. “It’s just hard to have you so far away and making choices I just don’t understand.”
Marshall’s sigh could probably be heard across an entire football field. He handed me back my coffee, and I took a long sip before answering.
