Chapter 4
“I thought you’d sworn off love, John.”
John stumbled, pulling out of Celeste’s minty haze to find Marisol, Breena’s longtime friend. She’d spoken loudly enough to get dirty looks from nearby birders, and her eyes settled coolly on Celeste. “But now you’re showing up here with a girlfriend.”
The last word hung in the air as Celeste stepped out from behind him, their shoulders just barely touching.
Things had moved so quickly after Breena walked away that he’d lost track of that thread, but obviously Breena hadn’t. And she’d started spreading the word.
As John hesitated, Marisol sauntered closer and stuck a hand in the air in front of Celeste. “Hi, I’m Marisol.”
Celeste’s hand was out in an instant, shaking Marisol’s with confidence just as she had Breena’s earlier. A tug on his hip brought his attention down, where her index finger threaded through the belt loop of his shorts. It was a small move, but possessive, and it tightened his throat.
A few feet away, Breena was watching the scene play out, one hand resting on her hip.
Marisol’s eyes narrowed at Celeste. “You’re a birder?”
Celeste radiated calm confidence. “Sure am. It’s always been a hobby of mine, but John is helping me step up my game.” She shot him a glance, the soft affection in her face warming his cheeks. Her eyes flitted over to Breena as she spoke more loudly. “I’m so lucky he’s available to partner with me this year.”
Breena’s jaw stayed firm as they all shared a few quiet seconds. Then something in the sky caught her attention, and Breena stepped forward to tug on Marisol’s shoulders. “Let’s go, Mari.”
Mari grinned and shot a finger gun toward Celeste. “See you on the trails.”
Celeste’s finger still hung in John’s belt loop as the two women walked away. He should have set things straight, but he’d hardly had time. “Listen, about that—”
But another hand tugged on his upper arm. “John!”
Linda pulled him in quickly for a hug. Still hooked into his belt loop, Celeste stumbled forward into his body, pressing briefly into his back. John concentrated on Linda, even as he tracked the soft shape of Celeste as she peeled herself off him.
Linda’s braid fell over the shoulder of her Natives Bird Best T-shirt as she beamed at John. He’d met Linda over a decade before on one of his first guided walks, and she’d easily taken him under her wing. She’d made sure John stayed with birding even when he cut his academic plans short. And it was her suggestion years later that he try his own hand at guiding that had spurred the idea to start his own business.
Now she turned quickly to Celeste, her smile lifting even higher. “I’m always happy to see John.” She leaned in with a wink, speaking loudly while she acted like she was telling a secret. “But I actually came over to meet you. I saw you two earlier. Then Breena confirmed it for me. A new partner in more ways than one, hmm?”
She introduced herself formally to Celeste, exchanging names and shaking hands before relaxing back into her normal posture, giggling and squeezing both of Celeste’s shoulders. “Now that our official greeting is out of the way, we can be best friends. I imagine you already know this, but I just have to take a second to tell you what a special man John is.”
Celeste’s wide eyes caught John’s as Linda continued. “He is just one of the kindest, most talented birders—no, people. One of the kindest and most talented people you will come across. When my wife was sick last year, John showed up every other day with a pot of soup. And let me tell you, this man can cook. He’s just so… competent.”
John raised a hand, his face warm from far more than the April sun. “Linda, I—”
But she only waved him off, keeping all her attention on Celeste. “I’ve told him forever that he is gifted, that birding should be his life, and I’m so glad he’s here for the contest with you.” She reached out and squeezed Celeste’s hand once, still beaming. “And I’m sure you’ve seen his woodworking. It’s amazing, of course. John is just so detail-oriented, so incredibly thorough.” Linda wiggled her eyebrows and elbowed Celeste in the ribs like they were old friends. “Though I’m sure you’ve experienced that yourself in a private setting.”
Celeste bit down on both lips, her cheeks going pink.
Oh, hell, Linda was trouble. Breena was one thing, but Linda would take this thing and run with it if he didn’t cut her off. “Actually, Linda, there’s been a misunderstanding. Celeste and I aren’t actually—”
“At the thorough stage.” Celeste burst in. “With each other.” Her eyes sliced across John before a smile settled back on her face for Linda. “We’re taking it pretty slow, you know. Two old codgers burned by past love and all of that.”
“Codgers, please!” Linda threw her head back, giving a little hoot into the sky. “What I wouldn’t give to be in my forties again. I was so limber then.”
Celeste coughed, but failed to suppress a giggle. Linda joined her, and soon the two women were covering their mouths with their hands, laughing loudly, drawing the ire of nearby birders.
Laughing in the sunshine, Celeste was effervescent. As she fiddled with her dangling earring, it caught and split the light, scattering rainbows across her neck, jaw, and cheek. She had a gift for thinking on her feet, whereas John had always approached life at a measured pace. Deliberate.
Thorough.
Like the way he could slowly twist his fingers into her ponytail and tug until…
John caught the thought and lassoed it back. The only thorough they’d be was with the birds.
Linda’s laughter settled down as she looked around the park again, smiling like a proud parent. She’d worked tirelessly as head of the association to bring new people into the hobby she loved so much, giving impassioned presentations at local high schools, arranging meetups at parks in underserved areas, doing anything she could think of to draw people to the outdoors.
She deserved all the credit in the world, not just for feeding his own passion but for a whole community made brighter. “It’s a great showing, Linda. You should be very proud.”
The smile on her face could have lit a campfire. “You know what? I really am! Just wait till you both see all the fun we have planned for this contest.” She turned back to Celeste. “It was so lovely to meet you. I’m sure we’ll have plenty more time to get to know each other. But for now, you two lovebirds better get birding.”
Linda engulfed John in a fly-by hug before heading off, smiling and slapping the backs of the closest birding team.
With Linda out of earshot, Celeste gave in to another round of giggles. “I like that woman,” she said, wiping a hand across her face. Her smile dropped slightly as she turned fully to John. “And boy, does she like you. And I just totally lied to her.”
Her energy shifted as she shook out her hands. “I just imagined her face falling, and how that would feel for you, and I just—acted. I do that sometimes, but between Breena’s friend and this, I think I totally snowballed this whole thing.”
Celeste paced in a small circle, the park’s dry grass crumbling beneath her Converse. She’d held still for a moment to spot the verdin on its green branch, but now she reminded him of the firecrackers he and his brothers used to throw on their front porch, the ones that zipped around in spirals shooting sparks.
“I could have said something, but you were faster than I was.”
She frowned, kicking dirt as she went. “I tend to do that. I’m sorry. I keep fucking this all up.”
“No.” His hand shot out, brushing her upper arm. Celeste skidded to a stop, glancing at where his fingers curled over her small, tight bicep before he thought better of it and dropped his hand. “All you’ve done is try to help. You haven’t messed anything up.”
Celeste swept her hand toward the expanse of park, where dozens of birders were going from tree to tree. “Well, thanks to my ‘help,’ I think all these people believe we’re dating. And with the contest, it seems like we’ll keep seeing them?”
“Probably.” Especially during the Bird Binge, the same people visited all the same best birding spots. And this year’s extra events meant even more interaction with the other birders.
“Okay.” Celeste nodded, blowing air out of her lips. “Then maybe we have to keep it up. Through the contest. It doesn’t have to be a big deal. We keep up the facade we created, which seems simpler than trying to set the record straight. Then, after we win, you can come up with a breakup story, and we’ll part ways.”
She fiddled with her fingers as John repeated her words in his head. It was an absurd suggestion, but also surprisingly logical. Coming clean with Breena and Linda, and however many people had already been told the lie, would be humiliating, and a huge distraction from the contest. He’d been through enough interpersonal drama when he and B split the year before, and the last thing he wanted now was for the contest to be overshadowed by gossip about him.
John just wanted to bird.
He shook his head, watching Celeste’s smile grow. “I can’t believe we’re even considering this.”
“It’s absurd, but it also goes with the theme of the morning, right? Unexpected twists.”
Her foot tapped on the ground, then she slid it toward his and nudged his foot with hers. Her white canvas shoes were dusted with bronze dirt. “So what’s it gonna be, John? Let’s pick one so we can get back to some kick-ass birding. Do we set the record straight, or do we carry on?” Celeste waved to the table where her box still sat, surrounded by a group of interested house sparrows. “Either way, I still have some pastries left. Maybe we could munch on them and find another bird.”
John looked back at Breena huddled close to Marisol, then at Linda, holding court in front of a small group of novice birders already under her thrall. Kick-ass birding was a much better alternative than spending time setting the record straight.
“Okay.”
Celeste caught him in a stare, raising her eyebrows. “Okay, let’s carry on?”
“Yes,” he managed. At some later point in the day, maybe everything that had happened this morning would make sense. “Let’s carry on.”
Celeste tugged on her ponytail. “But we should be totally clear,” she said. “The birding is real, but the dating… it’s not, and it can’t be.” She scrunched her face and laughed awkwardly. “I’m not saying you’re interested like that, I’m sure I’m not your type. I’m just establishing that I’m not dating right now, maybe not ever, I don’t know. I’m working some of my own stuff out.”
John didn’t know if he had a type, only that he didn’t seem to be what most people were looking for, quiet with his words and sometimes slow to act. His body was mixed up by the intimacy of his interactions with Celeste, but it wasn’t anything a few steady hours in his woodshop couldn’t make him forget. And one glance over at Breena was all the reminder he needed that he, also, was working out some of his own stuff.
“Understood,” he said. “I’m in a similar place, so that’s good to establish.”
“Cool.” Celeste kicked the ground, then laughed. “After all this”—she motioned between them, then at the park at large, filled with eager birders starting their lists—“did I finally just manage to make this totally awkward?”
So often John felt that conversations with people were puzzles he had to solve, sorting out the real meaning. But Celeste seemed unafraid to say what was on her mind, and it loosened something in his chest. Something he usually kept bound up.
“Not awkward, just honest.” Celeste smiled at his words, giving him an odd glow of pride. But behind her, their pastries looked to be in danger. “We better save those baked goods before those house sparrows find a way to open the box.”
Whatever tension sat in the air between them evaporated as Celeste clapped her hands. “House sparrow! That’s its official name, right?” When he nodded, she headed to the table, turning her head to call back. “One bird down! Isn’t this exciting?”
A streak of sun reflected off Celeste’s swinging earring just as a bright red vermilion flycatcher flitted over her head. He could have stopped her to point out the bird and add another to their brand-new list, but he resisted. It was only day one, and they had plenty of time.
“Yes,” he said, jogging to catch up with her. “This is exciting.”