Chapter 21 Luna
Chapter Twenty-One
LUNA
“We should get the variety plate platter,” Stella announced, closing the menu emphatically.
“Are we getting anything other than appetizers?” Casey prompted.
Madison glanced between them, her lips twitching at the corners. “Stella always wants the appetizer platter.”
“Really?” Stella looked surprised, her brows hitching up at the observation.
I leaned over, lightly bumping my shoulder against Madison’s. “I’ve never seen you order anything other than the appetizer platter here. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.”
“I like the variety,” Stella explained, just as Tish, Phoebe, Maisie, and Tiffany arrived.
“Let me guess,” Tiffany began with a smile as she sat down beside Stella. “We’re talking about the variety platter.”
“I can’t believe I’m that obvious.” Stella shrugged with a sheepish smile.
“It’s the easiest option,” Casey chimed in. “Trust me on that. I don’t cover shifts here anymore, but it’s absolutely the easiest thing for waitresses to get a few of those for a group. Otherwise, we’re entering long orders, and the kitchen has to deal with them.”
We were all on board for the variety platters. After we had ordered our drinks and food, I glanced around the table. “There’s a lot of us here tonight,” I pointed out.
Maisie leaned back in her chair. “It’s because three of the crews are out at fires. That’s seventy-five firefighters gone from town.”
“That many?” I exclaimed.
“Each hotshot crew has twenty-five firefighters,” Maisie explained.
“Do you get updates at dispatch?” I couldn’t help but ask.
Casey glanced toward me, a knowing glint in her eyes. “She’s wondering because she has a thing for Parker.”
My cheeks were burning up. “Casey!”
Unbothered, Casey shrugged, while Maisie laughed softly. “We only get updates at dispatch when they’re on the way back or if something happens. For the most part, they’re completely out of range. Otherwise, I don’t get much information.”
Holly arrived with Lucy. They snagged two empty chairs from a nearby table. Holly glanced around once she was seated. “Holy wow. Busy tonight.”
After the collective round of greetings, Maisie gestured toward Holly. “She might be the first to get information aside from me.”
“About what?” Holly asked.
“Luna has a crush on Parker and was wondering if I got updates when the hotshots are out at fires,” Maisie explained nonchalantly.
Holly’s blond ponytail swung as she turned to look toward me. “Nate’s one of the pilots. You’ve met him, right?”
“I met him at Firehouse Cafe.”
“Oh, that’s right. He loves your donuts, by the way,” she added.
I felt a little flush of pride at that. It didn’t matter how many times people told me they loved my donuts, I loved hearing it. “Thank you. I was just curious about whether anyone knew anything when the firefighters are out in the field.”
“I would know when Nate’s scheduled for travel for the firefighters, or if he’s out working the fire from the air, dropping flame retardant and monitoring. If there’s an emergency, and he gets called out early, obviously I’ll find out,” Holly explained.
I felt Madison’s gaze on me and glanced over. “Welcome to loving a hotshot firefighter,” she said softly. “You learn to live with the worry.”
My heart gave a tricky twist in my chest as I glanced around the table. I knew all of these women, some better than others. Most of them loved firefighters. I let out a sharp sigh. “Well, that sucks,” I said flatly.
“Yeah, it kinda does,” Lucy chimed in. “You get used to it.”
“And when they come home, you can have awesome coming-home sex,” Tiffany quipped, and my cheeks burned up all over again.
“How is it going with Parker?” Tish asked.
I paused, considering our last night together. “Good, but—” I took a breath. “I don’t know where it’s going to go.”
Stella looked over at me, her eyes warm. “Hudson thinks Parker’s in love with you.”
I’d just taken a sip of my water and choked on it, coughing hard enough that Madison helpfully patted me on the back. When I recovered, I looked over at Stella. “What?”
Stella bit her lip to keep from laughing. “That’s what Hudson told me. He and Parker are good friends.”
“Well, what do you think?” Casey pressed her. “Parker is your brother.”
Stella shrugged. “He’s my half-brother, but I didn’t know that until over a year ago. I haven’t known him long enough to guess if he’s in love with Luna, and he hasn’t talked to me about it. He also hasn’t talked to Hudson about it. It’s just what Hudson thinks.”
“How did you and Parker connect?” I asked.
“Oh, my mom did this DNA thing, and Parker did too because he suspected he might have siblings through our dad. When my mom and our dad were together the first time, our dad didn’t know about Parker because Parker’s mom never told him she was pregnant and moved away.
” Stella’s curls swung when she shook her head.
“It’s complicated. The best summary is young adults being stupid, not using birth control, and having kids. ”
“Well, okay,” I replied with a chuckle.
“Hudson said it’s just a gut feeling about Parker loving you,” she added.
“Oh.” I was trying to contain the burst of joy at that possibility.
“How do you feel about Parker?” Madison asked.
My eyes arced around the big table filled with my friends, some new, some old.
Even though part of me felt a little uncomfortable, this was what I had always craved.
To have friends. I took a quick breath. “I don’t know.
I’m not ready to say the word love because that seems really big, but I guess it feels serious. ”
“How much do you miss him?” Tiffany asked.
“More than I’d like,” I said flatly.
“Well, that’s a clue,” Maisie said. “I can’t wait for Beck to get home. I’m used to him being gone because we’ve been together for years now, but I miss him. I want him home, and the kids miss him.”
Conversation meandered along with those who had kids commiserating about juggling everything on their own, while I was busy wondering what it might be like to have a family with Parker.
There were so many things that I never really let myself think about.
Falling in love, having a committed relationship, having kids, all of those things seemed like asking for too much from the world, so I tried not to hope for much.
I didn’t trust the universe enough to hand it to me.
If I did, the old resentment toward my parents would burn a little hotter inside.
I’d missed so many of the milestones while we traveled.
No regular school, no friends. It all added up to not trusting the world.
When we were walking out of Wildlands later, Casey stopped with me beside my car. “I hope it’s okay that I teased you about Parker.” Her brow creased with concern.
“Of course, it is.” I paused. “I kind of like being teased by friends. It wasn’t something I got to experience much growing up.”
Casey threw her arms around me in a big hug, and I savored the feel of it.
Her smile was warm as she stepped back. She put her hands on my shoulders, her gaze somber.
“Parker likes you. A lot. I don’t know if he loves you because, well, I don’t know him that well.
But have some faith in yourself. You deserve to have good things happen. ”
“What do you mean?”
Casey’s hands fell away as she studied me.
“I know we haven’t been friends that long, but you’re always cheerful and sweet and kind, and I love that about you.
You do our tarot card readings, and you kinda have this woo-woo vibe.
” She giggled a little, drawing one from me.
“But it feels like you don’t want to ask much from life.
You moved away from the whole RV mess.” She waved a hand dismissively, annoyance flashing in her eyes.
“And, if I ever get the chance, I’ll have a word with your parents about what a shitty thing that was, but that’s not my point.
You don’t ever talk about wanting more than what you have.
Maybe it is enough, but you can fall for a guy.
Until I met Leo and sorted out everything that happened to my sister, just being somewhere and kind of hiding away was all I wanted from the world.
I didn’t let myself want more. You can want more.
You are an awesome human being. I think you’re falling pretty hard for Parker, and I think that’s amazing.
Whether it’s Parker or something else in your life, don’t be afraid to hope for more. ”
Tears wicked up into my eyes, with emotion tight in my throat as I stared at my friend. “Thank you,” I whispered.
She gave me another fierce hug and blew me a kiss before she climbed into her car.
I went home that night, questions swirling in my thoughts. Casey’s point was spot-on. I didn’t dare ask for more from life. Maybe it was because I didn’t even have my own bedroom in the RV. Just having my own space felt like an incredible luxury.
When I got home, Fuzzy greeted me joyously. Dog sitting was the best.
“What do you think, Fuzzy?” I asked a little while later while I rested against my pillows, and he curled up on the bed beside me. “Do you think Parker’s falling for me as hard as I’m falling for him?”
Fuzzy looked at me and swished his tail against the bed. Little bursts of hope shot upward inside my heart, tiny firecrackers in the darkness.
You can’t really assume the dog knows how Parker feels. I could always count on my cynical mind.
I mentally rolled my eyes. I trusted dogs more than some humans. They were pure of heart.