“Sorry,” he said sheepishly.
“It’s fine.” I exhaled. “I just haven’t seen you in a while.”
“I know. I’ve been… busy.”
I started the pot of coffee, listening to it churn through the machine.
“Busy looking out for a certain someone?” I asked.
When I turned around and saw his face, I knew I’d hit the nail on the head. I couldn’t figure out how this had happened in the first place. Gabe and Gwen had been inseparable as children, and how she ended up with dickhead Preston was beyond me. She had always been so nice, and we had all been friends before they had both gone off to school.
He cleared his throat. “That doesn’t matter.” It was his usual brush-off, so I wouldn’t push. “I noticed a… different presence in your home.”
I poured us each a mug before sitting at the table with him. “Yeah. Sydney has been staying here since the pipe at the inn broke.”
“Ah, yes. I heard about that. How’s it been going with her here? Gwen mentioned she sensed a… vibe between you two.”
I could feel my face heat but shook my head. “Don’t sayvibe. I don’t know if Gwen taught you that, but it sounds weird coming from you. But… yeah, maybe.” I didn’t know how much I should divulge. Gabe, Jake, and I were pretty close, but I didn’t know if they’d ever had trouble with a partner.
“Have you talked about it?” Gabe asked. I took a sip of my coffee, forcing myself not to roll my eyes. He switched to his therapist voice, going as far as pushing his glasses up.
As much as I wished to push him away, and even though he had his own relationship problems, I’d seen how good he was with others.
“No, we haven’t.” I wanted to say that I’d tried to, but she’d run off to her room, but I stopped myself.
He nodded. I was sure if he had a notepad, he’d be scribbling something about my psyche. “And what makes you think you… like her?”
That question sounded more curious than therapist-like.
“I don’t know. There’s just something about her that’s so… different. But at the same time, so familiar. I can’t explain it; I just know she’s my girl.”
Gabe’s expression remained neutral, but I could tell his mind was churning. “The only thing you can do is lay it all out on the table. Ignoring these conversations could lead to further confusion and mistrust.”
“Thank you. Are you gonna bill me for the full hour?”
He took a deep sip of the coffee, downing it in one go. “This one’s on the house.”
As I peered outside, I could see the sky lightening. “I should get going,” Gabe said, as if he’d read my thoughts. “I need to get to bed. But try to talk to her soon. The longer you leave things, the more room for uncertainty there is.”
“I will. Thanks, man.”
Gabe nodded. He rinsed his cup, even though he knew he didn’t need to, and walked out the door. I heard his large wings flap as he flew back into town.
As I started to prepare for the day ahead, my conversation with Gabe and mymomentwith Sydney was replaying in my head. As much as I hated to admit it, I would need to sort this out, and soon.
Though things seemed okay last night, she still pulled away.
My gaze drifted to the broken camera on the counter once more. Though I couldn’t fix that, there was one nice thing I could do for her.
I grabbed my landline and started dialing.
Chapter sixteen
Sydney
“I think I’ll needto shower for the rest of my life,” I said as we took the drive back to the farmhouse. We had just left the butchery. Though I managed to avoid a full inspection, it was still much more than I could stomach.
Beau was very kind, though. He was a bit older than Brooks and showed us photos of his wife and kids. They looked like such a happy family. He threw barbs at Brooks every once in a while, but that seemed to be a sibling thing. I didn’t have any, and barely any family, so I couldn’t really relate.
