Noah smiled up at her. “It’s nice to meet you, ma’am.”
“Oh gosh, no ma’am. It makes me feel old. It’s nice to meet you too, son. And thank you for your service.”
Noah dipped his head.
“What can I get you?” she asked.
“Just a strong black, please.”
“You got it.”
“If you think you’re sharing my pie, you have another thing coming,” Indie said the second Mrs. Gerald left their table.
“I know better than to try to take dessert from you.”
“Good.” She grinned at him, but that grin waned when a familiar expression crossed his face. The one that said he was about to ask a personal question. “What?”
“How are you doing?”
She wanted to lie. To tell her brother she was fine. It was easy over the phone. He couldn’t see her face, and she could hang up before he asked too many questions. Right now, he’d see right through her.
“I’m better than I was a year ago. The break from IVF has done me good.”
Noah frowned. “What about the break from Colt?”
Again, she could lie, but with Noah there was no point. “It’s been hard. But being with him was hard too. Before we separated, I was just in such a bad place and that bled into our marriage.”
“I’m glad you’re doing better.”
“Me too.” She’d kept her brother updated on everything over the last year. Apart from Clara and Aunt Pam, he was her closest person.
He cocked his head. “You saw him the other day.”
It wasn’t a question. But it kind of was. “I did. It hit me pretty hard. But I’m glad I had a month to get used to the idea of him being in town first.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Is burying my head in the sand an option?”
He didn’t even crack a smile. “You’ve never shied away from tough situations, Indie.”
“I don’t know what I’m going to do. I’m scared.” The last two words dropped into the air like a small explosion. She hadn’t really allowed herself to feel that fear until Colt stood in her kitchen. It was why she hadn’t searched him out.
“Scared of what?”
“To return to where I was a year ago.” Her heart beat faster, the memory of that darkness making nausea coil in her belly.
Noah leaned forward. “Indie, things are different now. Colt’s not returning to his special operations team. He’s here. And so am I. Plus, you’re taking a break from IVF. I don’t think you’llfind yourself in that dark place again, but if you did, you have people to help you.”
“I had people last time. I had Aunt Pam and Clara. And I still didn’t realize how bad things had gotten until that night.”
She didn’t need to say which one—they both knew. The one when she’d been told her last embryo didn’t take. The one when she’d ended things with Colt and her entire world felt like it was imploding.
She shook her head. “Let’s talk about something else. Tell me about the adventure park.”
“Indie—”
“I’m okay. Really. Now please, I want to know about your new work venture.”
