I turned my head toward her. “Have at it.”
“Will you tell me the story behind just one of them?”
Shit.
Dammit.
I got my act together and came up with an answer. “Another time, Lex. Every one of them has a long story behind it. You’re in pain, so get some rest.”
I woke up alone. Alexandra’s floral perfume teased my nose. My stomach rumbled and I rolled out of bed. Lex had laid my shirt on the foot of her bed for me.
I tugged it on and went downstairs.
The microwave in the kitchen indicated the time was five-thirty-five. An unyielding silence permeated the space.
I turned to the sliding glass doors and saw Cal and Lex strolling up the pier back to the house. The house sat on an estuary that fed into Julington Creek. They must have gone down to the water. I craned my neck and saw Aunt Mallory watching their progress from a lounger near the pool.
Cal wrapped an arm around Alexandra’s shoulders pulling her to him, then he kissed the top of her hair.
The door to a half-bath opened down the hall and Abby, Blood’s wife, aimed a questioning look at me. “Why are you hiding out like a lurker?”
“Just woke up, that’s all.”
“Mm-hmm,” she said skeptically. “Well, it’s a good thing you did. Trixie was gonna come get you.”
My brows furrowed. “Mom isn’t here.”
Abby slipped past me to open the door. “Yes, she is. You can’t see her from here because of the bad angle, but she’s sitting on the other side of Mallory.”
I followed her out onto the patio and immediately heard the splat of a beanbag hitting a cornhole board. My gaze cut in that direction. Dad and Blood were standing opposite one another in the middle of a game.
“Startin’ to wonder what happened to you, Raff,” Dad said, lobbing a bright orange beanbag.
“You need our prospect to do a beer run, Cal?” Blood asked.
Cal shook his head, let Lex go, and wandered toward Blood. “No. When he’s here he’s not a prospect - at least not today.”
Blood’s eyes narrowed. “Why? Because I assigned him to chauffeur duty for your girl?”
Cal shook his head. “You know better, brother. Besides, you made me tap a fresh keg.”
I nodded my silent thanks to Cal.
Five minutes later, I milled about the grill as Cal lowered the grill lid on some chicken and steaks.
Dad and Mom wandered up.
Mom said, “Your girl’s home safe.”
I almost nodded until she reached out to pat Cal’s bicep.
Dad shot me an assessing look and tipped his head toward the house. “Abby said the salsa’s running low and you knew where the extra tub was in the fridge, Raff.”
“I can grab that,” Cal said.
Dad shook his head. “Nah. You keep an eye on the steaks.”
In the kitchen, I opened the fridge only for Dad to close it.
