Page 30 of The Love Bus

LONG DAY…

B y the time the gondola clicked into its dock at the base of the mountain, the park was closed, and the sun had dipped behind the trees.

And that’s when it hit me.

I had no idea where to go.

The spa group would be long gone. My itinerary? Stuffed somewhere in my suitcase—on the bus. Along with my charger, my snacks, and, apparently, my entire sense of direction.

I wasn’t panicking yet, but I would’ve gotten there eventually if Noah hadn’t steered me toward the curb. “Our ride’s here.”

Wait, what ?

An Uber was already pulling up. After opening the door, Noah rattled off the name of the hotel like it was his home address.

Of course, he’d handled it. Of course.

And I…I hadn’t even thought about any of this.

The realization crept in quietly. If I’d been alone, I would’ve been stranded at the base of a mountain.

I’d let Noah take care of everything.

The same way I’d let Leo take care of everything.

The thought flickered in, and suddenly, instead of feeling limitless, I felt…small.

By the time we stepped through the hotel’s glass doors—ironically just down the street from the spa—my nose was stinging from the sun, my cheeks ached from smiling, and a confused sort of tired had settled into my bones.

Whether I was ready or not, I realized I was going to have to make some changes.

And yet... I was also still coasting on the strange, fizzy high of the afternoon. Something had shifted between Noah and me. I felt it. In the glances. The easy touches.

Part of me wanted to keep the day going. But another part, the more rational one, was like, slow down, Luna.

But the moment we spotted Tay waiting in the lounge, any residual fizzle…fizzled.

She clocked us instantly, setting her nearly empty wine glass down with the kind of precision that said a lecture was incoming. Her narrowed eyes and pressed lips made me feel twelve years old and ten minutes past curfew.

“You two have a good time?” she asked, voice too breezy to be casual.

I should’ve texted. I should’ve asked where we were supposed to meet. I should’ve?—

“We did,” Noah said smoothly, stepping up beside me, his hand landing on my shoulder. “Luna gave up her appointment at the spa, so we hit the adventure park instead. Apologies if we caused any worry. We lost track of time. That’s on me.”

Tay blinked.

“I’m aware, that’s why we waited,” she said coolly. “A heads up would have been nice. When neither of you answered your phones, the bus moms nearly had a collective stroke.”

“Bus moms?”

“Noah’s mother and Babs.”

Oh. Oh, no .

I cringed. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t?—”

“We caught the last gondola down and came straight here,” Noah added, calm and steady. “Didn’t think it’d be a problem. But again, apologies.”

His voice wasn’t defensive. Just firm. Friendly. Adult.

Tay’s jaw eased. Her brow lowered. And after a beat, she gave a faint nod. “Fair enough.”

I exhaled. Okaaaay then.

Noah hadn’t let the blame fall on me. He’d shouldered it all.

I wasn’t used to that.

Just then, his phone lit up. An incoming call. He didn’t answer immediately, but I could tell he was distracted. That maybe, he’d already left the mountain behind.

“Won’t happen again,” he told Tay.

She handed over two room keys. “Try to stay on schedule tomorrow.”

He took them with a nod, then turned to me. For a second, it looked like he might say something else.

Then the phone buzzed again.

“I’ve gotta take this,” he said. “Thanks for coming with me.”

Of course, he had to take the call. He’d spent all day with me. That was more than enough. We’d had a good time…

But honestly? I needed a reset, too. A deep breath. A step back.

So I smiled. “Thanks for asking.” Light and easy. “Go. I’ll catch you tomorrow.”

He nodded. After one last look, he turned and disappeared into the elevator.

I glanced down at my room key, but before I could start second-guessing being on my own again, Babs swept in out of nowhere.

Dressed in another purple tracksuit—darker this time, with a hint of sparkle—her gray hair frizzed around her face like she’d shampooed it and let it go wild. But her lipstick was bold and bright, and she looked as fresh as she had that morning.

“There you are!” she said, beaming. “See, Tay? Didn’t I tell you? Just two young people out on the town together.”

No symptoms of a stroke. Collective or otherwise.

Tay rolled her eyes, still visibly annoyed, but something in her softened when she looked at me. “Just please, let someone know if you plan on skipping out again. If you don’t mind.”

“Definitely,” I said.

“No harm, no foul,” Babs chirped, already looping her arm through mine. “You must be starving. Or did you and Noah grab dinner?”

“We didn’t.”

I might have ducked out to my room if she hadn’t already started steering me toward a table at the back of the bar.

“They serve a full menu here, and I’ve been waiting for you. To thank you again. That massage. It was heavenly!”

“I’m glad. But Babs, you didn’t have to wait for me.”

She waved that off. “I just thought it’d be nice for you and me to have dinner together. That’s all.”

Well, I couldn’t say no to that. It was probably a good idea for me to have an actual meal anyway, considering I hadn’t eaten anything but junk food since the soup I’d had way back in… Was that Granby?

I was already losing track of where we’d been.

The server came—a young woman with a slick ponytail, wearing an all-black uniform. Babs and I both ordered their signature chicken salad and a glass of Pinot Grigio, and the server left us with a couple of ice waters.

Once we were alone again, Babs sighed, stretching her legs. “Not sure what relaxed me more—the massage or the caves. Nature works better than half the medicine they throw at us these days.”

I smiled faintly, trying to shift away from all the tangled feelings left over from the day. About Noah.

About the way I was handling things. The way I should handle things.

But Babs caught the flicker of something on my face.

She leaned in. “How was your outing with our Doctor Noah ?” She said his name with exaggerated care, her red-framed glasses dipping with each eyebrow waggle.

I rolled my eyes, though my heart definitely fluttered. “It was…fun,” I said, too quickly. “Nice. We had a nice day. We just went to the Adventure Park—rode the gondola, a rollercoaster. Took a cave tour.” Talked. A lot.

“It’s good,” I added. Had I said that already? “We’re becoming friends—exactly what I need right now, actually.” I reached for my water glass, dragging a fingertip through the condensation.

“He went upstairs to take a call?”

I nodded. “He was probably relieved. We’d been together all day.”

Babs arched a brow. “I can’t imagine the amusement park was your idea.”

“It wasn’t. But he’s just a genuinely nice guy, you know? Besides, I’m still pretty raw from a breakup.” But was I? “And…I don’t think his mom likes me.”

That last part slipped out before I could stop it.

“Hmm. I wouldn’t be so sure,” Babs said, her voice dropping. “She can come off a bit prickly, but I think that has more to do with everything she’s been through this year.” She gave me a knowing glance. “You know about that, right?”

Right. Noah’s divorce. And the fact that his mom was having a harder time moving on than he was.

“Yeah, we talked about it a little bit.”

Babs nodded. “Christine and I talked about it too, while we were in the vapor caves—quietly, of course. She doesn’t want people feeling sorry for her.

” She gave a small shake of her head. “At least she has Noah. Even when someone comes out the other side, cancer wreaks havoc on the mind and body. I imagine it was hard on him, too—watching her go through all that.”

I blinked, my brain coming to a screeching halt. “Her—” I cleared my throat, lowering my voice. “Cancer?”

Babs froze. “I—didn’t you say he told you already?”

“I thought you were talking about the divorce.”

“Well, that, too.”

I buried my head in my hands. Here I was complaining about a woman who’d spent the last year fighting for her life. “He didn’t say anything…”

Babs kind of winced. “I just assumed, since you two went off together, that he’d told you. She’s in remission now, but she doesn’t want everyone to know, so…”

“I’ll keep it to myself,” I promised.

“She’s still recovering.” Babs was unusually sober now. “And then dealing with her son’s divorce on top of everything else? That’s a lot for anyone.”

Something inside me twisted. I thought of the way Noah sometimes seemed to hover over his mom. How he’d touched her hand on more than one occasion, how he’d held her arm when they’d walked through the snow.

He’d mentioned she’d had a rough year.

“He didn’t say anything,” I admitted. “I had no idea.”

“We never really know what someone’s going through. We think we do, we make our little judgments, but half the time, we’re missing the real story.”

I swallowed, looking away. That felt…personal.

And suddenly, my mom’s face came to mind.

Two years since she’d lost my dad. Then this injury.

And the constant animosity between us. Her constantly judging me.

Me judging her?

But I was already operating on overload. I had zero bandwidth to examine my relationship with my mom.

And yet instead of basking in the fun I’d had with Noah, I suddenly found myself wondering—really wondering—if I was missing something where she was concerned.

“Anyway.” Babs leaned in. “Did he kiss you yet?”

“ Babs!”

She cackled, delight twinkling in her eyes. I appreciated the lighter mood.

“You weren’t really worried, were you? When Noah and I didn’t come back to the spa?” I asked.

“Not really. You should give me your number, though. That way, if you and the good doctor decide to go on another private excursion, I can smooth things out with Tay. Handling all forty of us can’t be easy.”

I rambled off my phone number and had Babs put through a call so I had hers as well. I did feel a little guilty when I noticed several missed call notifications but ignored them for now and went to work entering Babs’s contact information.

“I wonder what Tay does on her vacation.”

“I imagine she stays at home. Smile, dear.” I glanced up to see Babs holding her phone up, aimed right at me. “I need a picture to put in your profile.”

I guess we’re doing this.

I lifted my own phone and opened the camera. “Be gorgeous,” I said, and Babs immediately struck a dramatic pose.