She looked ready to go. Hair up in a high ponytail that showed off her delicate neck, dressed in a white tank and jean shorts.
“Did you see the messages from Miles and Amanda?” I asked, my grip tightening slightly around my fork.
“I just saw them,” she said, stepping up to the island where I was standing.
“Do you think we should still go?” I asked, glancing down at my plate before looking back at her.
“I don’t know…” She hesitated, her brows pulling together slightly as she thought about it. “Do you think the balloon company would be okay with us rescheduling this late?”
“Probably not.”
“Yeah…” She bit down on her lower lip.
My gaze dropped to her mouth before I could stop it. Just long enough to notice that I had to consciously drag my attention back up to her eyes.
I cleared my throat. “Would you feel weird if it was just the two of us going?”
Because as much as I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable… I also didn’t hate the idea.
She studied me for a second, like she was trying to figure out where I stood. “I mean…” she said, giving a small shrug. “I’m cool with still going if you are.”
“Okay,” I said, nodding once, trying to keep my tone neutral even as a swarm of nerves filled me. “Then let’s just stick with the plan.”
She pulled her phone out of her pocket. “But I am going to text Miles first and let him know he’s officially lame for ditching me twice in one week.”
“Who knew Miles Hawthorne was such a flake?” I huffed out a quiet laugh.
“Probably just with me,” she said, shaking her head as she glanced down at her screen.
“No, I think something’s actually going on with him,” I said, not liking how she seemed to actually believe that. “He was acting off at our book club this week, too.”
A second later, my phone buzzed again. I glanced down to see her messages in the group chat.
Nora: I’m so sorry, Amanda. I hope your son gets feeling better. We’ll miss having you.
Then another.
Nora: And Miles… you’re officially blacklisted for ghosting me twice in a week.
Followed by a GIF of an animated character dramatically shaking their finger with the wordsYou should be ashamed of yourselfflashing across the screen.
I shook my head, a smile tugging at my mouth. “You really let him have it, didn’t you?”
She looked up, a hint of a grin playing at her lips. “Someone has to.”
39
NORA
The balloon was already half-inflatedwhen Theo and I arrived at the launch site, the massive envelope stretching across the grass like it was just waiting to wake up.
The sun was barely peeking over the horizon, casting everything in that soft, golden light that made the world feel quieter than usual.
It was kind of perfect.
“This is my first time seeing one of these up close,” I said as we approached. The early morning air was cool and crisp, and I was suddenly very grateful Theo had let me borrow one of his jackets.
“Same,” Theo said, his gaze taking in the sheer size of it.