Page 30 of Belonging: KT & Lolo (Good Hope: The Next Generation #2)

CHAPTER TWENTY

Lolo drove past the home of KT’s grandparents, but his Jeep was nowhere in sight. Her fingers tightened on the wheel as she kept driving. Where could he be?

When tears blurred her vision, she pulled to the side of the road. She sat there for a moment, trying to will the sting in her eyes to pass. Once her vision cleared, she picked up her phone and texted Zoe and Brynn.

Have you seen KT this morning?

The responses came quickly, both negative.

She cast a wider net. Daisy? Another no.

Where are you? she texted KT, even though she doubted he’d reply.

Out of instinct more than reason, she stopped at Outfitters. Striding past the row of pink mopeds felt like taking a punch to the chest. She swallowed hard and stepped inside.

A young woman with a bright smile approached. “Hi there. Can I help you? Looking for something specific?”

Lolo forced a polite smile. “Is Callum working today? Or Anders?”

“Anders is in. Want me to check if he’s available?”

“Yes, please.”

Moments later, Anders Cross came through a side door, his brows lifting in surprise. “Lorraine Kendrick. It’s been too long.”

Lolo managed a small smile. “It’s good to see you, Anders. How’s Poppy? And the kids?”

“They’re great.” He studied her, his expression shifting to something gentler. “I heard you were back in town. What brings you in?”

“I’m looking for KT Slattery.” Her voice hitched despite her best effort. She cleared her throat quickly. “Have you seen him today?”

Anders’s face softened. “I ran into him at the market last week, but not since. Everything okay?”

She smiled too brightly. “Just trying to track him down. If you happen to see him, would you let him know I’m looking?”

“I’ll do that.” He paused. “Are you sure there’s nothing else I can help with?”

Can you wind back the last twenty-four hours?

Lolo shook her head. “That’s all. It was good to see you.”

She stepped out onto the porch, blinking against the sun. Where to now?

Across the street, the Ding-A-Ling’s swinging doors beckoned. She couldn’t picture KT spending time in there this early, but maybe…

Inside, a few tourists nursed drinks. Two older men at the bar gave her a cursory glance before returning to their conversation. The place smelled like beer and fry grease.

Ted, the burly bartender, spotted her and ambled over. “What can I get you, pretty lady?”

“I’m looking for KT Slattery,” she blurted.

Ted’s brows rose. “Matter of fact, I know him.”

“Have you seen him today?” Her eyes darted around the room again, but she already knew the answer.

“Haven’t seen him since the night you two came in together.” His expression softened. “You don’t look so good. Everything all right?”

If a heart coming apart in pieces qualified as all right , she was doing great.

“I’m okay,” she lied. “Thanks for your help.”

She was halfway to the door when Ted called after her, “If you leave your name, I’ll let him know you were asking.”

She turned back. “Lolo. Just tell him Lolo was looking.”

“I will.”

Outside, the sunlight was almost too bright. For a moment, she gripped the railing, her balance faltering. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Then another.

When she opened them again, her jaw was set.

She wasn’t giving up.

Back in her car, Lolo drove until she reached the highway, then turned east.

Even for a weekday, Anderson Dock teemed with people. Some posed for pictures in front of the painted barn, others browsed the art inside, and still more added their own colorful signatures to the building’s weathered exterior.

At first glance, she didn’t see KT.

Still, she parked and walked to the dock. Without him beside her, it felt entirely different. No linked fingers. No shared smiles. No lingering pleasure in making their marks together.

Now, everywhere she looked, she saw him.

Him handing her markers with a grin. The warmth of his skin against hers as they swung their held hands on the walk toward the building. Him standing quietly beside her in the gallery, watching people admire his work.

She didn’t want to go inside. But she made herself.

Maybe he’d parked farther off. Maybe he was already there .

Inside, the gallery was cool and softly lit, and a small crowd gathered before his painting. Her heart skipped at the sight, but KT wasn’t there.

She stepped back outside, the air too bright, the ache too raw.

Unless he’d left Door County, he had to be somewhere close.

So she drove.

To the clearing in the woods where they’d once sketched, kissed and imagined a future. The memories hit her like a wave, and this time, she didn’t fight them.

She cried—hard. Until she couldn’t anymore.

Eventually, she made her way back to the car. She sat for a long time, numb and silent, before backing out and heading toward town again.

The beach was next. She kicked off her shoes and let the warm sand sift between her toes. But the sound of laughter, the sight of families, of couples strolling hand in hand, made her feel hollow.

A teenage couple crouched near the water’s edge, tracing their initials in the sand and circling them with a heart.

Lolo turned away, blinking fast, and walked back to her car.

Her final stop was the cabin that KT had called his maybe . No Jeep in the driveway. No signs of life, except for birdsong and a buck she spotted just beyond the tree line. She didn’t get out. Just sat there for a minute, then turned around and drove back into town.

She didn’t know how she ended up at Kyle and Eliza’s. She only knew that when she climbed the porch steps of the old Victorian, she had nothing left. No more plans. No more places to search.

She rang the bell.

Half a second later, she was already turning to leave. What was I thinking coming here?

“Lolo?”

She froze at the sound of Eliza’s voice.

“Where are you going?” her sister-in-law called from the doorway.

Lolo hesitated, half turned back.

Then came Kyle’s voice. “Lolo?”

His footsteps pounded down the stairs, faster now. “Hey. What’s going on?”

She didn’t answer.

He reached her, placed his hands gently on her shoulders and turned her to face him. “You’ve been crying.” His brow furrowed. “What’s wrong?”

“Everything,” she whispered. She let her forehead rest against his chest. “Everything is wrong.”

Then the tears came again—quiet, helpless and unrelenting.

“Then he stormed out.” Lolo sipped her water, the cool glass still trembling faintly in her hand.

The quiche Eliza had placed in front of her had helped—something solid in her stomach, something warm to ground her. But it was the telling—finally letting the whole story spill out—that had steadied her most.

“I’ve texted him,” she added quietly. “And I’ve looked everywhere I can think of, then I came here.”

Sympathy softened Eliza’s gray eyes. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. That shouldn’t have happened.”

Kyle frowned, his arms crossed as he leaned against the kitchen counter. “KT has to know you weren’t working with Jared. He’s not a fool.”

“Does he?” Lolo asked, not unkindly. Her hand trembled again, so she set the glass down carefully.

“Put yourself in his shoes. The first thing he asked when we reconnected was if I was here to persuade him. He’s used to people wanting things from him, and it was a pretty big coincidence that I ended up in the cabin next door.

Then a stranger walks in like he was invited and claims I’m engaged to him.

Says the whole thing was a setup. That I was sent here to manipulate him.

The exact thing KT was first fearful of.

I mean…can you blame KT for believing it? ”

Kyle hesitated. “I might wonder,” he admitted. “But if he really knows you—and I mean knows you—he has to see Jared was just blowing smoke.”

Lolo’s lips curved in a humorless smile. “Jared’s built his whole career on manipulating people. He’s good at it. Too good. He got into my head—that’s what made me come to Good Hope in the first place. Maybe he got into KT’s, too.”

Kyle opened his mouth to argue, but Eliza placed a gentle hand on his arm. “Feelings don’t always make sense,” she said softly. “Especially when love is involved. You know that as well as I do.”

Kyle gave a slow, reluctant nod, then looked back at Lolo. “It’s nearly time for you to go back to Lexington anyway.”

Lolo stared down at the table, her voice quiet but certain. “I’m not sure I want Lexington anymore.”

Kyle blinked. “What are you saying? Your life is there. Your career. Everything you’ve worked so hard for.”

Before she could answer, Eliza spoke, her voice firm but kind. “She has a lot on her plate right now, Kyle. First, she needs to find KT. Let him hear the truth from her lips, not Jared’s.”

“Exactly,” Lolo said, lifting her gaze. “Then I’m going home to talk to Dad. About all of it. No more hiding.”

Kyle’s expression shifted, still protective, but gentler now. “You’ll figure it out. You’re smart. And stubborn. That’s a powerful combo.”

Eliza leaned in with a smile that radiated pure encouragement. “Whatever happens next…just know we’re in your corner. Always.”

KT sat on the edge of the fountain, trailing his fingers through the cool water. Coins glittered beneath the surface—more than before—but he was sure he could spot the quarter he’d tossed in. The one that had carried his wish.

Clarity.

He gave a soft, bitter laugh. Funny, considering he’d never felt more lost.

The town square was nearly empty, unusually quiet for this time of day. Maybe it was better that way. He’d driven for hours, letting the winding roads of Door County blur past while thoughts of Lolo circled.

He didn’t believe she was engaged to Jared. Not for a second.

Everything she’d ever said about the guy rang true—smarmy, manipulative, arrogant.

But the other part? The reason she’d come here? That was harder to shake.

Had she shown up in Good Hope just to win him over for Stillwell?

It didn’t fit. It didn’t feel like her.

But then again…he hadn’t seen it coming with Sonya either.

KT leaned forward, elbows on his knees, water slipping off his fingertips. He stared into the rippling surface of the fountain, his reflection warping in the shifting light. The thought of Lolo betraying him twisted through his chest, but no matter how he turned it over, it wouldn’t settle.

Then came a voice, firm, no-nonsense, with a thread of theatrical flair.

“That’s because she wouldn’t. And you know it.”

KT froze.

The words echoed, not just in the square, but inside him, resonating like a bell struck deep. His breath hitched. He turned slowly, heart pounding, half expecting to see someone standing there. No one. Just the square, quiet and still, bathed in golden morning light.

His gaze lifted to the statue. To Gladys. Bronze and unmoving, yet somehow…knowing.

The woman who had built so much of this town’s heart and soul. Who’d never hesitated to speak her mind. Even from beyond the grave, apparently.

Had she just…

No. That was crazy.

Wasn’t it?

Or maybe it hadn’t been her voice at all. Maybe it had been his own—some buried certainty finally pushing through the noise.

Because deep down, KT knew Lolo. The way she looked at him. The way she listened. The way she never tried to make him be anything but who he was.

She wasn’t capable of that kind of betrayal.

“KT?”

This voice was softer. Familiar. Real.

He turned.

There she was.

Lolo stood a few feet away, hands clasped tightly in front of her, as if holding herself together took effort.

“Can we talk?”

KT stared at her for a long moment, his emotions a tangled mess. Then his gaze drifted to the statue one last time. The expression on Gladys’s face was as unreadable as ever, and yet…steady. Anchoring.

“For a second,” he said, his voice quiet, “I thought you were?—”

He stopped himself just in time. She wasn’t a talking statue. She was real.

And finally, finally, he was ready to hear what she had to say.