He chuckled, then took his first big bite and moaned as salsa slid down his chin. He grabbed a crumpled napkin, looking thoughtful as he mopped off the tomatoey goodness. “What are you saying? That Rowdy wants to be a dad?”
“I guess?” I took a bite as I mulled over my answer. “Or at least I hurt his feelings by dismissing the possibility.”
“Really?” Emery took another bite, his brows stitched in confusion. “Dare I even ask what the second thing was?” he asked through a mouthful of egg.
I shrugged. “I don’t know, but he got a text and took out of here like a bat out of hell. Said he had to go back into town to take care of a friend.”
“Town? Which town?”
“Austin, I’m guessing.”
Emery finished his first taco and grabbed another one, dousing this one in green salsa. “We should be happy that he said ‘help take care of a friend’ instead of ‘emergency trip to Pound Town’ in front of my daughter.”
“You know he would never do that.”
Emery brought the second taco to his lips, then caught my eye. Something he saw made him set it down.
“What does that look mean?” He gestured a circle around my face. “You’re wrinkling your nose like...What?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted, lost. I ate half of my taco, giving myself a few extra moments. “You know how Rowdy and I have this sort of fun little back-and-forth where he calls me a city boy, and I call him a slut, and it’s fun?”
“Yes. We’ve had many, many dinners together.”
I ignored the light snark and watched the morning sun stream through the broad windows, drowning the already bright kitchen in leaf-dappled God rays.
“Kess?” Emery nudged, wiping chorizo oil off his cheek.
“I think something’s shifted with that,” I finally said. “He doesn’t seem to like it anymore.”
“Really? I thought he got a lot of mileage out of trading jabs. I mean, you’re definitely not the only one who banters that way with him.”
“Exactly.” I ran my fingers through my hair, frustrated that I couldn’t work it out. “Maybe it’s just me, but everything I say to him seems to fall flat now. I don’t know what to do about it.”
“Wait.” Emery held my gaze as he crumpled the foil. “Well, shit.”
“What?” I asked, self-conscious.
“Youlike himlike him. Don’t you?”
I felt my cheeks heat. “Shut up.”
“Whatever. You flirt with him all the time.”
“Yeah? So? That’s our thing: banter-slash-innocent flirting.”
His look was a little too knowing. “Innocent, my ass. I’m surprised you haven’t fucked him yet.”
Great. This was basically the grown-up version of the conversation I’d had with Stevie. I scowled, and Emery’s eyes widened.
“What the hell wasthat?” he asked.
I cursed under my breath, feeling like a kid caught skipping school. I grabbed my second taco and sprinkled the onion-and-cilantro mixture on top. Em rested his weight on his forearms as he slid forward, eliminating the distance between us.
“What’s going on, Kessie?”
“I don’t know.” Em raised his brows, not believing me for a second. “I just...You’re gonna think I am an idiot.”
“No, I won’t,” Emery promised, ever the faithful friend. “I know I’ve been joking around, but it’s Rowdy. If I’m wrong about him, I should know. I love the guy. He’s like a brother to Woody and he’s made such a difference in my life.”
