Hitched & Hitched Again: A Comedy of Marital Mayhem novel Chapter 1582

Meanwhile, Winona had already arrived at the airport. She was wearing Keaton's clothes, a face mask, and sunglasses, completely bundled up. Her flight wasn't boarding yet, so she was waiting in the VIP lounge. She took her phone out of her pocket and, after a moment's hesitation, turned it on. As soon as it booted up, a flood of new messages appeared—missed calls, unread texts. Before she could even look through them, a call from Keaton came through. Seeing his name flash on the screen, her heart hammered in her chest, a wave of irritation washing over her. After a brief thought, she ignored the call. Noticing a missed call from Elysia, she composed herself and called her back, forcing a light tone. “Hey, Elysia, are you in Jindale City already?” Elysia's voice was frantic. “I got here at noon! Where have you been? Your phone was off. I asked Blossom, but even she couldn't reach you, so she had Tarquin ask Keaton, and he couldn't get ahold of you either! You scared me to death.” Winona was too embarrassed to explain what had happened with Keaton, so she laughed it off. “My phone died. I just turned it on. I'm actually at the airport right now. A last-minute event came up out of town, and it's so rushed I didn't have time to say goodbye. We'll catch up when I'm back.” She had known about this event before and originally planned to turn it down. But after leaving Keaton's house today, she felt a sudden, desperate need to get away. Though she had acted calm in front of him, the moment she was out of his sight, her composure crumbled. If she had slept with anyone else, she might not have cared. They could just never see each other again, no harm, no foul. But not Keaton. They had far too many mutual friends and family. Keaton's parents, Richard and Janelle, adored her like their own daughter. His sister, Jessamine, was as close to her as a real sibling. His best friend, Tarquin, was her own best friend's husband. No matter what, they would definitely see each other often in the future. Avoiding him forever was impossible. But now that they'd slept together, they couldn't go back to the way they were. And they certainly weren't about to start dating. So she was stuck. She had no idea how to handle this. That's why she didn't want to see her parents, or Elysia and Blossom Blythe. She just needed to get away by herself for a bit, to breathe. Get away from this city, away from him. So she called her agent and took the gig. Being a celebrity meant traveling all the time anyway. Winona had only been staying in Jindale City because of the situation with Zane. So her excuse didn't raise any alarms for Elysia, who had no idea she was actually running away from Keaton. Elysia was just worried. “With Zane still on the loose, is it safe for you to be at an event?” Winona smiled. “It's safe! I have plenty of bodyguards with me, don't worry. I have to get back to work eventually. I can't let Zane stop me from chasing my dreams.” Elysia let out a long breath. “Okay, then. When will you be back?” “I'm not sure yet. I'll see how things go over there.” “Even with bodyguards, you need to be careful.” “I know.” Winona chatted with Elysia for a little while longer before hanging up. The second she did, Keaton's call came in again. She didn't answer, but he kept calling. Not knowing what to say to him, she sent him straight to voicemail again. [What's up?] He replied instantly. [Couldn't reach you. Everyone was worried.] Winona: [I'm not a three-year-old. Nothing to worry about.] Keaton: [The cleaners were here today. They asked if you still wanted that dress.]