"I want to go home."
"One more hour and we get to stop driving for the whole day."
I expected to be in Missoula by now, so I was exhausted. The trip should have taken us thirteen hours, but there was traffic and we had been on theroad for fourteen hours already. We still had over an hour to go. It was after eight o'clock in the evening, and the sun was setting. I had been on the road since before dawn, and I was feeling it.
I walked inside the small grocery store holding Luna's hand. She was tired of being on the road, and she was dreading Montana in general, so she leaned into me. I could feel wisps of her curly hair touching the back of my hand as we walked.
There was a nice guy working, and he saw that we were in a hurry and told me where the restrooms were located. Two of them were in the hallway, and they were each private and unisex. I told Luna I would wait for her in the hallway. She had just turned five, and we were still working on her restroom hygiene skills, so I stood close to the door listening for her cue so I could go in and help her when she finished. It was a routine we did all the time. I stood with my back against the door, listening for her little voice.
"I thought that was you," I heard the statement being said by a male voice. It was a small town in the middle of nowhere, Montana, so I knew he wasn't talking to me, but I turned and glanced his direction, anyway.
He smiled.
I knew him.
I scanned his polished appearance, and my eyes fell onto his face, his mouth. I saw his smile—histeeth and his lips, and I knew exactly who he was. My stomach flipped.
"Oh, hey," I said, looking as surprised as I felt. It was Alex from California. I remembered meeting him like it was yesterday, but I instantly went into 'play it cool' mode.
"What are you doing in the middle of nowhere?" he asked, looking me over.
"I was going to ask you the same thing," I said.
"We're making the series!"
"Oh, that's great."
"Jojo?" Luna yelled my name through the door.
I leaned toward the door. "Are you ready?" I asked her.
"Noo!"
"Why are you calling me?" I asked.
"Cause, who were you talking to?" she asked.
"My friend, just finish, and yell when you're done, okay?"
"Okay," she said.
I glanced at Alex, who was devastatingly handsome. He looked different than he did last year. His hair was longer and lighter. He was a tall, tan Los Angeles boy, and I might not have recognized him if he hadn't spoken to me first.Oh, who was I kidding?I knew this guy at first glance.
"Lu and I, we're heading back to Missoula," I said.
"I went to the restaurant and asked about you. They said your sister was working."
"Yeah, she's been back for a while," I said.
"They said you moved back to Denver."
"Did you talk to my sister?" I asked.
He shook his head. "No, it was that other girl."
"So, what happened with your series?" I asked. "You're making it?"
"Yes, that's why we're here," he said. "Henry's ranch is like fifteen miles from here. That's where we're filming most of it. This town is the closest form of civilization, and it's the best store they have here, so we come here all the time."
