we all wanted to spy on the nuns,” Matt countered. “I was convinced they were really witches in disguise. I mean ... nuns? Who wants to be a nun?”
“I think it’s a noble pursuit,” Monica countered, her eyes flashing as she glanced between Hunter and me. It was obvious she didn’t like trekking through memories to find a safe topic of conversation. “There’s nothing better than being closer to God, right?”
“If you say so.” Sebastian made a face and retrieved two beers from the cooler, handing me one before cracking the tab on another. We were going old school and drinking our Bud Light from cans. “I can think of a million other jobs I would rather do.”
“Like touching dead bodies for a living?” I asked.
He laughed and elbowed my arm. “You need to get over that if you’re going to hang out with me. There’s nothing wrong with working in a funeral home. In fact, it’s one of the few jobs unlikely to be downsized or shipped overseas. People are always going to die.”
“I guess.” He had a point. “Maybe I should’ve gone into the funeral home business. It’s probably preferable to where I ended up.”
“I don’t think you ended up in a bad place,” Hunter argued, somber. “It’s not where you thought you would be at this point in your life, but it’s not as if you’re destitute.”
“And you were on television,” Sebastian enthused. “Who doesn’t want to be on television?”
“Yeah, but because of that everybody knows I had to come back here a failure. I’m right back where I was when I was sixteen.”
“Which is probably the worst thing in the world to you,” Hunter muttered. “Your life sucked back then, right?”
The vitriol in his voice surprised me. “I ... no.” I shook my head, unsure how I was supposed to answer. “I look back on those years as the best in my life. It’s just ... I thought things would be different.” I didn’t know what else to say.
Perhaps sensing trouble, Monica cleared her throat, forcing my gaze to her. “Do you want to leave again?” She looked hopeful. “Are you just back long enough to save money, maybe write another book and then head back out on the road?”
I’d been wondering that myself. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that seemed unlikely. “I don’t know.” I opted for honesty. “I didn’t realize how much I missed Shadow Hills until I came back.” My eyes lingered on Hunter a moment and then moved back to the stars. “I would like to find some balance, maybe live in both worlds, but that’s probably not possible. I think my moment in the sun is over.”
“It’s only over if you let it be over,” Hunter growled. “The Stormy I knew would’ve chased her dream no matter what. You act as if you’ve already given up.”
“Not given up. I think I’m just coming back to reality.”
“You can live your dreams in the real world,” he persisted. “It might not be what you always pictured, but it doesn’t have to be one thing or the other. You can live multiple lives.”
It was a nice thought. “Maybe.” I took a long pull on my beer, working overtime to ignore the dark looks Monica cast in my direction. “Right now, I’m just happy to be back with old friends. Everyone needs to tell me what they’ve been up to. I want to get caught up.”
“Oh, I’ll start.” Sebastian’s hand shot in the air. “I’ve got great gossip.”
I arched an amused eyebrow. “About yourself?”
“Is there any better kind?”
8
Eight
I was drunk. Again.
This was becoming a bad habit, and I regretted it the second I stood and realized I wasn’t completely steady on my feet.
Sebastian laughed at the way I gripped my chair and immediately reached out to steady me. “Need help?”
I shook my head. “I’m totally fine.”
“Uh-huh.” He looked dubious. “Where are you going?”
That was a delicate question. “Um ... over there.” I pointed toward a stand of trees. “Nature calls.” I laughed at my own lame attempt at a joke. “In this case, kind of literally.”
“Ah.” Sebastian nodded in understanding. “Do you need someone to go with you?”
“I think I can manage.” My eyes inadvertently went to Hunter as I straightened. As teenagers, he’d always stood guard when I had to relieve myself after a night of drinking in a field. He looked concerned, but didn’t get up to help, for which I was grateful. “I’ll be totally fine.”
“You have