Good. That had been Kayden’s response to her not dating Jake. Why did that single word give her more questions than answers?
Of course, instead of asking those questions, she’d just about run out of the room like it was on fire to take a shower, and it was only after changing into the comfiest clothes she owned—yoga pants and a loose sweater—that she’d returned to find Kayden had set up their meal on the coffee table and turned the TV on.
It felt oddly intimate to see him so comfortable in the same space she’d grown up in.
She nibbled the end of the fry, almost jumping when Kayden broke the silence.
“I don’t understand why you eat your fries with sweet and sour sauce.”
She frowned. “Lots of people eat fries with sweet and sour sauce.”
“You’re the first person I’ve met who does. Most people eat their fries with ketchup.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t like ketchup.”
He looked like she’d just admitted to hating baby animals. “You don’t like ketchup? Everyone loves ketchup.”
“Guess I’m not everyone.”
She expected more banter, but his blue eyes held hers, turning to an almost navy. “No, I’m starting to realize that.”
Her heart gave a little twist, and for some reason she had to look away. Quickly, she shoved the rest of the fry into her mouth.
“Why did you spend so long with Jake at the hospital today if he didn’t wake up?” Kayden asked quietly.
She dipped another fry into the sauce. “Because he’s new in Misty Peak and doesn’t have many friends here. I didn’t want him to wake up alone. Not that he’d woken up at all, but I know what being alone feels like, and it sucks.”
Something she couldn’t place flashed through his expression. “I’m sorry you’ve felt so alone in this town.”
“It was expected. I couldn’t have chosen a worse time to return though, could I? With what happened with Macy, the break-in at the hardware store, and now Jake.”
Kayden’s brows slashed together. “Did Eastern question you about the hardware store break-in?”
“No, one of his deputies did. They wereveryinterested in my whereabouts last night, actually. And I’m afraid I didn’t have a lot to tell them other than I was here, by myself, with no one to corroborate my story.” Just like the night of Macy’s murder. Was she a suspect in that too?
Her skin chilled, but she forced herself not to concentrate on that.
“I’m sorry.”
She lifted a shoulder. “It’s not your fault. If someone told police they saw me leaving the hardware store at the time of the break-in, they had to question me. I have nothing to hide though. It wasn’t me, and they won’t find any evidence at the scene suggesting it was.”
“People can be assholes.”
She laughed. “Oh, I’ve realized that. My mother always taught me to find the good in people, because there’s good in everyone, but man, it’s hard sometimes.”
“Your mother sounds like she was a good person. I’m sorry I didn’t get to know her while she was here.”
“She was the best. Kind. Nurturing. And I hate that she was pushed out of here. It was her home, and she loved it so much. Maybe she thought she was doingmea favor by leaving, because she knew I’d only leave if she did.”
“Sacrifice doesn’t feel like sacrifice when it comes to protecting those we love.”
She glanced up. “You sound like you have experience.”
“After my mom died, I always felt responsible for my family. Dad was hurting, and so were my five younger siblings, so I did what I could to keep us in one piece.”
“But wereyouin one piece?”
He gave her a half smile, and it told her everything. He hadn’t been, but he’d kept his pain to himself to help his family.
