“No, it’s fine.” Her quivering bottom lip told him it wasn’t fine. “I think I overdid it a bit this morning. I’m not feeling well. Maybe if I take a short nap, I’ll feel better. I still want to see Jordan tonight, if that’s okay.”
“Of course, it is. Go home and get some rest. We’ll see you tonight. Is six okay?”
Her nod was weak. God, he hated to see her strength dwindle and disappear.
After he’d followed her down the path for a few minutes, she finally turned and said, “I’m okay, Theo. You don’t need to worry about me.”
Easy for her to say. But he let her go and marched back to the group. Rico waylaid him before he reached the ladies.
“Everything okay?”
It was all he could do not to roll his eyes.Okaydidn’t really touch this situation.
“Yeah, she’s just tired.”
“I know it’s none of my business, and feel free to tell me to back off, but I noticed some of the hand-holding and you helping her with her pack. All that touchy feely crap. You were burned by her before, man, and suddenly she shows up, and you’re back to playing with fire.”
“It’s not what you think.”
Rico lifted one eyebrow. “I know what I see.”
Gritting his teeth, Theo shook his head. “It’s complicated.”
“Whatever you say, man.”
The desire to tell Rico what he could do with his concern bubbled up and almost spilled over. Besides Angie, the man was the closest friend he had in town, and there were some things he didn’t talk to his female cousin about.
Tammi and Kelly weren’t far off. Their faces still held concerned looks, mostly aimed at him. However, he didn’t miss that their eyes followed Chelsea as she slowly trudged back to the trailhead. Waving them over, he figured he’d kill two birds with one stone.
“Chelsea, she uh…”
“It’s none of our business, man.” Rico meant it, too. If Theo said the word, his friend wouldn’t mention it again.
“Her low life of a father told her the baby died. Then, he had Jordan delivered to me.”
Their expressions all turned horrified. Rico was the first to blow.
“Who does that to their own daughter?”
“An extremely controlling man who doesn’t want his daughter associating with riff raff like me.”
Shaking his head, Rico actually growled. “I can’t even wrap my head around that. It’s too screwed up.”
“No wonder she looked like a strong wind would break her this past week.” Kelly frowned, her attitude taking a distinct U-turn.
Tammi looked skyward. “But I swear she seemed stronger this morning, more certain of herself. Happier.”
“She spent yesterday with Jordan. She didn’t even know about her until she showed up at my door. It was a pretty big shock to say the least.”
“How did Jordan react to meeting her mom?” Rico was a tough guy who’d surprisingly developed a soft spot for his little girl.
“Bounced around like it was Christmas, Easter, and her birthday all rolled into one. They spent the whole day playing and reading books. Then, Chelsea stayed for supper and helped put Jordan to bed.”
There was a question in everyone’s eyes, but all lips stayed quiet. This was why he loved his friends.
Looking back where she’d disappeared to, Theo tilted his head and tried to get a last peek. “She’s coming over for supper again tonight.”
Kelly patted Theo’s arm. “Will you tell her we’re sorry? We didn’t know. Didn’t mean to hurt her feelings.”
