Page 24 of Belonging: KT & Lolo (Good Hope: The Next Generation #2)

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Lolo stood at the window the next morning, watching as KT’s vehicle turned onto Paintbrush Lane and disappeared. The car windows were down, Braxton’s laughter trailing behind like a memory.

They were off to Green Bay, back to the city where their mother had started a new life, where their roots stretched a little deeper.

Lolo let the lace curtain fall and turned into the quiet of the kitchen. Two days. It wasn’t so long, she told herself. Not really.

There was plenty to keep her busy. But before she dove deeper into the Stillwell project, she sent a quick text to her best friends, Zoe and Brynn.

I have wine and chocolate, and I want company. My place. Seven p.m.?

The acceptances came quickly. Lolo set down her phone and smiled. Today’s covered, she thought, now I just have to figure out tomorrow.

“This wine is dangerous,” Zoe said, lifting her glass. “Especially paired with chocolate.”

“That’s what it’s supposed to do,” Lolo replied with a grin, taking another sip of the chilled Lambrusco. “Especially with milk chocolate.”

“It feels like ages since we’ve just sat around like this,” Brynn said. “And the weather tonight is perfect.”

They’d started inside, but had moved to the porch. Zoe sat beside Lolo on the swing, while Brynn had taken the wicker chair.

The night was warm, with just enough breeze to keep the bugs at bay. Cicadas chirped in the distance, and an owl added its voice to the stillness.

“It sounds like your wedding plans are moving forward,” Lolo said, snagging another wrapped chocolate from the round tray on the table.

“They are, but let’s not talk about me,” Brynn said, exchanging a look with Zoe. “We want to hear what’s happening with you.”

“You’ll be returning to Lexington in a few weeks,” Zoe added. “Are you excited to get back?”

Was she? Lolo thought for a moment. “It’ll be good to see my parents. They’ll be back from Italy and full of stories.”

“How do you feel about seeing Jared again?” Brynn asked gently.

Her friends both knew the whole sordid tale.

Lolo crumpled the candy wrapper between her fingers. “It’ll be awkward. We don’t work in the same department, but I’ll still have to interact with him now and then.”

Zoe wrinkled her nose. “I’m glad I don’t have to see my ex again.”

“What about Sloane?” Brynn asked. “As your father’s admin, you’ll probably see her more.”

“I will, but I actually feel bad for her,” Lolo admitted. “She was just as taken in by Jared as I was. When I spoke with her this morning?—”

Brynn bolted upright. “You what?”

“Why is this the first we’re hearing about this?” Zoe demanded. “This should have been the lead story!”

Lolo laughed. “It wasn’t a heart-to-heart. She called because she needed my address to send me something.”

Suspicion clouded Brynn’s face. “What for?”

“Yeah, why not just email it?” Zoe added.

“Exactly what I asked.” Lolo popped another chocolate into her mouth. “She said it was something from Mr. Stillwell’s office and needed to be signed for.”

“What do you think it is?” Brynn asked.

“I’m not sure. I guess I’ll find out when it arrives.”

“So you’re still working on that project. How’s it coming?” Brynn asked.

“Surprisingly well.” Lolo gave a little laugh. “I’ve come up with a few solid concepts. Now I have to hope one of them lands.”

“I’m sure he’ll love whatever you show him,” Zoe said, squeezing Lolo’s arm. “You’re so talented.”

“If he doesn’t like what you give him?—”

“He’s a fool,” Zoe finished.

Brynn laughed. “I was going to say you’ll come up with more, but that works, too.”

Warmth bloomed in Lolo’s chest. She was lucky to have them.

Still, she remained realistic. “Stillwell was pretty set on KT being involved. That could work against me.”

“KT’s out of the picture for the project?” Brynn asked.

“He is. He’s focused on his own art. I’ve only seen one piece, but it’s magnificent. KT is so talented. I mean, so incredibly talented.”

Only when she noticed Zoe and Brynn exchange a glance did Lolo realize she was gushing and clamped her mouth shut.

“He may not be part of the project, but he’s very much in your life,” Zoe teased. “Is he home tonight? Maybe he’d show us what he’s working on if we asked nicely.”

“I’m sure he’d show you one of them.” Lolo thought of the canvas she’d yet to see. “There’s one he won’t show me.”

“Ooh, I love a mystery.” Zoe’s eyes sparkled. “Who’s up for a little stroll?”

Brynn, whose chair faced KT’s cabin, shook her head. “His cabin is dark.”

“Where is he?” Zoe asked.

“He and Braxton are spending a couple of days in Green Bay. Seeing old friends.”

“You miss him,” Brynn said.

“I do,” Lolo replied quietly. “He hasn’t even been gone a full day, and I’m already counting down the hours.”

“You like him,” Zoe said.

“I love him.” Lolo’s voice didn’t waver. “I haven’t said it to him. He hasn’t said it to me. But yes.”

“Love is a big step.” Brynn opened her mouth, then closed it before saying more, as if she needed time to consider her words.

Zoe didn’t appear to feel the need for the same restraint. “It hasn’t even been a month. You just got out of a relationship.”

Lolo lifted her chin. “I know what I feel.”

“I believe what Zoe is trying to say is that it often takes time to really know someone.” Brynn’s voice softened to be as smooth as butter. “Look how long you dated Jared before finding out he wasn’t worthy of your trust, or your love.”

“I never loved Jared.” Lolo shook her head. “The feelings I had were a pale comparison to what I feel for KT.”

Brynn glanced at Zoe before refocusing on Lolo. “All we’re saying is there’s no need to rush.”

“How can you urge me to go slow,” Lolo countered, “when you and Callum are already engaged after less than two months?”

Zoe picked up a chocolate and popped it into her mouth, apparently deciding to let Brynn handle this .

“It’s a valid point,” Brynn admitted. “But Callum and I go way back. I grew up beside him. I don’t think anyone knows him better than I do.”

Lolo could’ve countered that knowing someone and dating them weren’t the same thing, but she didn’t. Anyone could see how well Callum and Brynn fit.

“I think if Gladys were still here, she’d say you and Callum were meant to be,” Lolo said softly. “I think she’d say the same about me and KT.”

Several beats of silence passed before Zoe finally asked, “What’s going to happen when you go back to Lexington and he’s in New York?”

Lolo reached for the bottle and refilled her glass. “That’s yet to be determined.”

“Well, if anyone can make it work, it’ll be you two,” Brynn said, and Zoe nodded.

“I hope so.” Lolo looked toward the dark cabin next door. “I really hope so, because I can’t imagine my life without him in it.”

“When you said you had a project for us to work on together, I never expected it to be fishing coins out of a fountain.” Wearing gloves up to her elbows, Lolo skimmed the bottom of the fountain with a long-handled scoop, her brow furrowed in concentration.

She’d been making good progress on the Stillwell project when her sister-in-law had texted. Though Lolo wanted nothing more than to keep working, she’d reminded herself that her stay in Good Hope was limited, and time with family was precious.

“We try to clear out the coins every month.” Eliza, who managed to look effortlessly elegant despite the rubber gloves, straightened and dumped the coins from her scoop into a yellow bucket.

“We’ll put these into a solution of water and vinegar to remove the grime, then take them to the bank. The money will go to the Giving Tree.”

Lolo was aware of the Giving Tree, a neighbor-helping-neighbor fund that had been around for decades.

She admired the tradition, but couldn’t shake the curiosity tugging at her.

“I just don’t understand why you’re doing this.

You’re the executive director of the Cherries.

You help plan all the holiday events that take place in Good Hope. ”

Eliza met Lolo’s gaze, her brow arching slightly. “Your point is?”

“Shouldn’t someone else be fishing the coins out of the fountain?”

“You think this is beneath me?”

“I don’t think anything of the sort, and that’s not what I was saying,” Lolo sputtered, her voice tinged with urgency, not wanting Eliza to misunderstand. “I just meant that you already do so much.”

Eliza glanced up at the statue of the three town matriarchs, and her expression softened as if she was caught in a private moment of reverence. “I sign up for a shift once a month because it feels like I’m honoring Katherine.”

Tipping her head back, Lolo gazed up at the bronze statue, then let her eyes drift to the water shimmering beneath the overcast sky.

She’d wished for her time here to be the start of something new, but realization settled heavily in her chest. Her path forward was still a tangled web of uncertainty.

“Katherine always encouraged me to take risks,” Lolo said.

“Did she?” Eliza placed her scoop back into the water, barely causing a ripple. “That sounds more like something Gladys would say.”

Lolo sat back on the ledge of the fountain, her lips curving into a wistful smile. “No, it was Katherine. I remember the conversation vividly. She was talking about past regrets and mentioned letting the love of her life leave town without her.”

Eliza frowned. “I thought she was at peace with that decision.”

Lolo shrugged. “She may have been feeling particularly melancholy that evening. Anyway, that’s what she told me.”

“Have you done that?” Eliza asked, her voice gentle yet probing.

Picking up the scoop, Lolo dipped it into the water, her gaze focusing on a pile of quarters clustered together as if someone had simply dumped a handful into the same spot.

“Have you, Lolo? Taken risks?” Eliza pressed.

Lolo smiled in satisfaction as she managed to scoop up most of the coins in one clean swipe. As she dumped the heavy collection into the yellow bucket, she expelled a slow, measured breath. “I don’t believe I’ve been faced with many opportunities that required taking a risk.”

Thinking over her college years and everything since, she shook her head. “Most of my life, I knew what I wanted to do. I got into the college I wanted and was accepted into my preferred master’s program. When I graduated, I went to work for Kendrick Inc. I love what I do.”

“No regrets about not pursuing art as a career?” Eliza’s scoop skimmed the bottom of the fountain again, her voice dipping into a more contemplative tone. “When you spent that summer here, you were pretty sure that’s what you wanted to do.”

“I enjoy sketching,” Lolo admitted, her thoughts flickering to the drawing she’d done of KT, the lines capturing more than just his features. They held the essence of him, the way he made her feel. “But art isn’t my passion. Not the way it is for KT.”

“Now that you’ve brought him up…” Eliza shifted to face Lolo, her expression unreadable. “Do you plan to see him again once you leave Good Hope?”

“Absolutely.” Lolo spoke without hesitation, her heart skipping a beat at the certainty in her voice. She wasn’t exactly sure how their future would unfold, but she knew—deep in her soul—they would be together.

Surprise flickered in Eliza’s gray eyes.

“You didn’t think we would?” Lolo asked, tilting her head slightly.

“Like I’ve told Ava and Austin, some people come into your life for a season. Someone you date in high school rarely ends up being the one you marry.” Eliza met Lolo’s gaze with quiet intensity. “It’s the same with a vacation fling.”

“KT is more than a vacation fling,” Lolo said firmly, her voice laced with quiet defiance. “We just need to figure out our future.”

The words lingered between them, weighted with all her uncertainties, all the unspoken fears.

Beneath it all, there was love.

And love, Lolo knew, was worth taking a risk for.