Page 80 of Set to Love

Theo checks his watch, looking apologetic. “I hate to run out on you, Katie, but I need to head out. I’m catching the red-eye to New York.”

I know he doesn’t hug, but I meet his gaze and give him a big smile. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me, Theo. I won’t forget it.”

He flashes me a smile back. “Do let me know when you’re settled. We’ll meet for lunch, dinner, a cuppa, or whatever else you can fit into your new schedule.”

“I’d like that.”

He and Kaori depart.

Randy shows Zoe something on his phone, and they immediately huddle together, laughing over whatever’s on the screen. Have they always had this vibe, or am I just seeing it now that I’m leaving?

With the table covered in the remains of our feast and the panna cotta, tiramisu, and gelato waiting to be brought out, I realize this is the perfect opportunity for me to step out and make a quick call.

“I’ll be right back,” I murmur. Neither of them looks up.

I step out into the humid Orlando night. The alleyway smells of roasted garlic and asphalt. A lone cricket is chirping somewhere near the grease trap. I can’t put this off any longer.

My fingers tremble slightly as I hit Max’s name. Miraculously, he picks up on the first ring, his voice cutting through a burst of static.

“Keller!”

Just the sound of his voice makes the anxious knot in my chest unravel.

“Hey.” I lean my head back against the cool brick wall, looking up at the few faint stars still visible through the city lights.

“I was beginning to think we’d need to schedule our first proper chat for Christmas.” I can hear the rustle of bedsheets over the line, followed by a heavy yawn.

I laugh softly. “At the rate we were going, it wouldn’t have surprised me. Did I wake you?”

“Don’t you dare feel guilty. I’ve been staring at the ceiling waiting for my brain to switch off anyway,” he murmurs in a low voice. “The workshop is running me ragged, but I’m wide awake now. Go on, then—before something else interrupts us, I need the rest of your news.”

“The mysterious news I’ve been dangling over your head all week?”

“The very same. Out with it, Keller. The suspense has been killing me.”

I take a deep breath, tracing a loose line of mortar with the toe of my sneaker. “Well, you know I have a new coach.”

“Mm-hmm,” he says.

“Well . . . there’s one part I haven’t told you.”

“Which is?” he says slowly, and I can hear him sitting up in bed, the casual teasing dropping away.

“Well . . . ”

I take a steadying breath.

“Drew’s based in London.”

Another beat.

“So I’m moving there.”

The silence that follows is absolute. The cricket suddenly sounds incredibly loud.

Five seconds pass.

Then ten.