When Stars Collide (Second Chance Romance #2) - Sara Furlong-Burr Page 0,146

limited to sharing the occasional meme by text.

I walked down the trail where Elle told me to meet her. After all the time we’d been spending together lately, what with the book tour and collaborating on a second book of poetry together, I would have thought she’d had enough of me. Turns out I was wrong.

As I rounded a corner, I found Elle perched atop a boulder. When I caught sight of the lively little girl balancing on her legs, nothing could have stopped the smile that overcame my face. Born the day after I moved back to Virginia, little Elizabeth—Lizzie for short, as I refused to call her Betsy—had both her parents and her godparents wrapped around her chubby, sometimes sticky, fingers. Elle had taken to mothering Luke’s clone like a natural, throwing herself into late night feedings, play dates, and tummy time like a boss, all while taking on the role of rising star in the literary industry.

“There’s my little bundle of recessive genes.” I stooped down to greet Lizzie, twirling one of her blonde curls around my finger, her blue eyes sparkling. She smiled at me, revealing a lone tooth. Every time she smiled my heart melted into a puddle inside of my chest. “Seriously, couldn’t your genes have shown up … somewhere? Even her toes look like Luke’s.” I glanced up at Elle, readjusting the sunhat I’d bought for Lizzie.

“Tell me about it. It doesn’t seem genetically legal, since my body was the one that made her, carried her, and birthed her. She does have my blood type, though. So, I guess there’s that.”

“It’s a good thing your daddy doesn’t look like hot garbage, then, isn’t it?” Lizzie giggled as I ran my fingertips up and down her bare, cherub-like, chubby legs.

“If ‘hot’ and ‘garbage’ are her first words, I swear I’m revoking your godmother status.”

“Psh … idle threats.” Elle rolled Lizzie’s stroller over with her foot and proceeded to strap her inside. “Are you going to tell me why I had to walk two miles to meet you?”

“Mena, I can see the parking lot from here.”

I looked over my shoulder, catching sight of my car in the distance. “Only because it’s not foggy.”

Elle rolled her eyes and proceeded down the trail without answering my question. Staring straight ahead, her eyes never left the trail ahead of us, no matter how much I tried to get her attention, a dead giveaway that something was up.

“Are you pregnant again?”

“What? God no. I mean, not for a while yet. Mommy loves you, Lizzie.” She patted Lizzie on the shoulder, comforting her from the sting of words she couldn’t understand.

“Okay … Are you and Luke doing okay? Because I meant what I said at your reception. If you decide to go all Elizabeth Taylor on me, you’re going to have to find another maid of honor for your subsequent weddings. Unless, of course, it’s his fault. Then I’ll help you hide the body.”

“Luke and I have never been better.” She chuckled. “Although, it’s nice to know you aren’t above murder. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“More aiding and abetting than outright murder. I don’t like getting my hands dirty, and—” A sudden impact with another person on the trail, interrupted me. “Oh, geez. I’m sor— Wait … Kirsten?”

“Hey!” Surprised, she hurried in for a quick hug.

“Fancy meeting you here.” I looked back at Elle, who met my curious stare with a simple shrug.

“Yeah, you know. It’s such a nice day. I thought I’d get my hike on.”

“Do you normally hike in sandals?”

“Uh … yes? Doesn’t everyone?”

“Only those named Kirsten, apparently.”

“Why don’t you join us?” Elle asked her.

“Only if I’m not going to impose.”

Confused, I looked between Elle and Kirsten. Something about the way Kirsten answered Elle had felt so … rehearsed.

“You’re no imposition whatsoever.”

Elle began walking with Kirsten, with me following in their footsteps. It wasn’t like Elle to keep secrets from me. I thought our friendship had moved past that. But maybe it hadn’t, after all.

Before I could mull things over any further, Kirsten’s shrill shriek startled me, tearing me away from my thoughts.

“Violet! Alex! Whatever are you two doing here?” Kirsten looked back at me with faux surprise written all over her face. An actress she was not.

Annoyed, I peered over to where Elle stood off the side of the trail, shaking her head as she pinched the bridge of her nose, clearly frustrated.

“Hey, ladies!” Violet exclaimed far too animatedly to be real. “How did the book tour