She walked across the kitchen to the sliding glass doors and out to the raised back deck. “I know. I’m sorry. I haven’t really felt up to making theeffort.”
“Do you want me to let yougo?”
“No!” Hearing Bree’s voice, she realized how much she missed her. “I want to talk to you. I just…I didn’t realize I needed to until I heard yourvoice.”
“I get it. How are thekids?”
She stared down at the dock where her parents had taken them after breakfast. Their shrieks of laughter echoed off the lake as they jumped off the dock and swam. Sweetpea loved the water as much as Kaden and Kimber and jumped right along withthem.
“They’re good. Getting them into therapy right away helped, but it’s going to take a while before they’re a hundred percent.” She sighed and leaned against the woodrailing.
“How’re things going at the rescue?” she asked. A tiny kernel of guilt lodged in her stomach, but she shoved it back down. She loved the rescue, but taking care of Kaden and Kimber was moreimportant.
“The new office manager is working out really well. She asked if she could use the changes she’s making for her process improvement project for one of her management classes. I told her to go for it. I hope that’sokay?”
“Of course it is. What does a good grade mean? We absolutely sucked and she had to redo everything or she only had to make minor improvements forefficiency?”
Bree laughed. “No idea. Which do you want it tobe?”
“Hopefully I didn’t screw it up thatbad.”
“You’ve managed to bring in a profit the last few years, so I doubtit.”
“How are you and Jase settling intogether?”
“We’regood.”
“You hesitated. Why did you hesitate?” Christ, if this shit screwed them up on top of everything else, she might very well lose her shitagain.
“Normal learning to live together stuff. The man leaves his socks everywhere. And not both socks. One sock of a pair. Actually not even a pair, since I don’t think he has a matchingpair.”
Tension in her shoulders released. Bree ranting meant Bree was annoyed, not ready to stab someone. Bree ranting was a goodthing.
She listened half-heartedly and picked at the chipped stain on therailing.
“Have you heard from Chris at all?” Breeasked.
She quit picking at the chips. “A couple of texts from random numbers, but when I tried to call them back they’re not inservice.”
“What did theysay?”
“The first one saidmiss youand the second one saidbe homesoon.”
“When was the lastone?”
“A week or so, Iguess?”
“Have you tried to call sincethen?
Too many times to count. “Not in a couple ofdays.”
“You okay?” Breeasked.
“Yeah. I’m just…you know. Doing that girly thing I hatedoing.”
“Pining?”
“That’s such a stupid word. I’m questioning and second-guessing.” Was he coming back? Would it be the same now that he didn’t have a reason to be with her? Did he really mean to tell her he loved her? Why didn’t he give her a chance to say itback?
