13. Kara
13
Kara
S tepping out into the lobby, Kara watched through the large plate-glass window. A wave of melancholy washed over her as Ethan’s truck disappeared down the main road. Releasing a deep breath, she turned from the window and walked back toward the reception desk, rounding the corner as the door swung open from the opposite end. She nearly collided with Emma, her breath catching as she spotted the takeout bags swinging from her friend’s arms.
“Thought you might be hungry, so I grabbed something from Phil’s after grabbing the supplies,” Emma said.
Kara’s mouth began to water as the aroma from the bags hit her nostrils. “Is that the new Beyond Cheesesteak?”
Emma reached into one of the bags, pulling out a slightly steaming styrofoam box and handing it to Kara with a flourish.
“With extra banana peppers?”
Emma put her hand on her hip. “Now, what kind of friend would I be if I didn’t get extra banana peppers on your sub?”
“Ah, you’re the best.”
“Hey, why don’t we eat outside? It’s gorgeous today,” Emma said, walking toward the side door. “Come on. We’ll sit at the table.”
Kara followed Emma to the side yard, where a small picnic table waited. Spreading out everything on the table, they went to sit down. But as Kara was about to take her seat, she hesitated, glancing back towards the building. “Don’t we need to unload your car with all the supplies—”
“It can wait,” Emma said, patting the bench next to her. “The rescue ain’t gonna fall apart if you take a ten-minute break. Sit. Eat. Relax.”
Realizing how tense she’d been, Kara made a conscious effort to relax her shoulders, before releasing a quiet sigh as she settled across from Emma. “Yeah, you’re right. I guess I’m always on edge about this place.” She flipped open the box, revealing the steaming Beyond Cheesesteak sub nestled in its paper wrapper. The aroma of sautéed peppers and onions wafted up, making her stomach growl.
“This smells incredible,” Kara gushed, picking up the sub. “Think it’ll live up to the hype?”
“Only one way to find out.” Emma held up her own sub in a mock toast. “Cheers to trying new things and awesome friends.”
They each took a big bite, their eyes widening as they savored the flavors. For a few blissful moments, the only sounds were those of contented chewing, the gentle whisper of leaves from the lone oak tree swaying nearby in the breeze, and the cheerful chatter of birds flitting among its branches.
“This is so good!” Emma said between bites, but when Kara didn’t respond right away, she raised an eyebrow. “So, how did it go with Ethan? Anything happen?” Kara reached for a napkin. “Nothing really.”
Emma sighed. “Nothing really?”
Kara nodded. “Yeah, nothing.”
“Come on, spill.” Emma leaned in. “Was it as awkward as you were thinking?
Kara put her sub down and leaned onto the table. “No, not really. It was okay. He helped bring in the dogs and set up that security camera.”
“You’ve been wanting to put that up forever now!”
“I know. He helped me out a ton today.” Kara looked down. “It was nice of him.”
“So strictly business? Nothing about the past got brought up?”
An unexpected tingle traveled up her arm as she recalled the fleeting moment their fingers brushed. “I don’t think there’s anything there.” Her eyes flickered down. “He’s just killing time while he’s around. That’s it.”
“That redness in your cheeks would say otherwise,” Emma said.
Kara took a deep breath, shaking her head, avoiding eye contact.
“You don’t have to be embarrassed, you know. I mean, this guy meant a lot to you once upon a time. Y’all started hanging out right after high school graduation, right?”
“Yeah, that summer when we were working together at the pharmacy.”
Emma took a bite of her sub. “Right, I remember that.”
“It feels like a lifetime ago.” Kara paused, her thumb idly tracing the edge of the table. “He kissed me one night when we were closing the pharmacy, and I guess that’s when everything started.” A smile graced her lips. “Mom knew about us. She loved him.” Then her happiness flatlined. “Dad didn’t know until after the accident.”
The sound of chewing stopped and Kara looked at her friend, whose dark brown eyes were filled with warmth and sympathy.
“You don’t have to keep going.” Emma reached out to grab Kara’s hand. “I didn’t mean to bring all that up, was just trying to remember what you had told me before is all.”
Kara let out a sigh. “No, it’s—it’s fine. It doesn’t sting like it used to. Thinking about Ethan and me. But the way he just up and left without a word after that night on the beach.” She shook her head. “And right when I was dealing with losing Mom.” Her sub sat on the wax paper it came packaged in, looking anything but appetizing now. “What was I thinking? I waited for a call, a letter—anything.”
“Did you consider asking him about it today? Why he ghosted you like that?”
“I mean, yeah, it crossed my mind. But how do you even bring that up? Besides, I’m not sure I want to open that can of worms. He’s coming back tomorrow to finish up, and—”
“Tomorrow? That doesn’t sound like someone who’s just ‘killing time.’”
“Heh, I’m not getting my hopes up or anything. He’ll be gone soon. Better if we keep things strictly professional.”
Emma studied Kara’s face. “There’s something else bothering you, isn’t there?”
Kara met Emma’s gaze. “How are you so good at that?”
“It’s the power of being a best friend.”
“Right, well, I can’t stop thinking about telling him about Charlotte—and Charlotte about him. I know I need to, but once again, where do I even start? How do I drop that bomb on either of them?”
“That’s—” Emma nodded, her tone softening. “Yeah, that’s huge.”
“I’m terrified, Em.” Kara’s voice dropped to barely a whisper. “What if Charlotte hates me for keeping the truth from her? What if Ethan ...” She trailed off, her stomach tightening at the thought of seeing the hurt—or worse, the anger—in Ethan’s eyes when he found out.
Emma reached across the table and squeezed Kara’s hand. “Hey, you’ve faced tough situations before. Remember when you had to testify against that puppy mill last year?”
Kara nodded, a faint smile playing on her lips. “It wasn’t easy.”
“And you crushed it, Kara. Granted, this is a whole different ball game, I know, but you’ve got this too.”
A gust of wind swept through, catching the edges of Kara’s styrofoam box. It wobbled, lifting off the table. She quickly placed her hand on top, the sudden motion making her heart skip for a second.
“But when’s the right time? How do I even begin?
“There’s never going to be a perfect moment for something like this. But Ethan being here? That might be the opening you need. Remember, you don’t have to solve everything in one go.”
Kara exhaled, feeling some of the tension leave her shoulders. Her gaze drifted back to the rescue, reminding her of all she had built here—and all she had yet to confront. “You’re right, as usual. I just need to take that first step.”
“And you will, Kara.” Emma reached over and grabbed her hand, giving it a squeeze. “And don’t worry about when or how. When the time’s right, you’ll know.”
“Yeah,” said Kara, not too convinced, eyes dragging back down to her sandwich—but still, she didn’t touch it.
Emma squeezed her hand. “Kara, look at me.”
Kara sighed but did as her friend requested.
“You’re not alone in this either. I’ll be right here when you need me. Okay?”