I mentally breathe a sigh of relief. “Another friend would be great.”
“Another?” Bram tips his head to the side, and his floppy hair follows the movement.
“I’ll tell you about my friend while we sit in the coffee shop. Do you have any books by Dylan DuPress?”
“What’s with everyone asking for books by him lately? I think I have one copy left of his latest book.”
“Her,” I say without thinking.
“Dylan is a girl?”
Oh, the things he doesn’t know. “I’ll tell you all about her.”
***
“Wow. So that was what brought you here.” Bram leans back in his chair, bringing his coffee cup to his lips. He wasn’t wrong about the coffee shop.
I’ve never been anywhere like the Ivy Café. There’s literally still ivy growing up the walls in the middle of winter.
“Does that mean you have an in with The Cake Lady?”
“She has a name.”
“Not here in Silent Valley. Here she’s The Cake Lady. No one knows much of anything about her.”
Cordelia is living in secret. That’s odd. She’s one of the most open people I know. “So what’s your story? What brought you to Silent Valley?”
“It always starts with a woman, right?”
A smile spreads across my face. “You know, we can say the same about all of you men.”
“That’s fair. I came to the States for my ex-wife. When we parted ways, I wanted something totally different. Something I’d never experienced before, and this small-town life has been perfect for me.”
This is prying, but I need to know. None of my friends has ever suffered an extreme breakup. Other than divorced parents, none of us has experience in this realm. “Do you ever think you’ll fall in love again?”
“If you had asked me that two years ago, no. Now…maybe. Memories don’t fade, but they do come into perspective. One woman doesn’t represent the entire world of women. So, I picked wrong. The next one I’ll take my time and pick right.”
“That’s a good perspective.”
“But one you can’t see in your future.”
My future isn’t just my own. Risking my son’s happiness on a man isn’t an option. “Nope, I’m going to spend the rest of my life alone.” Or, not quite alone.
Welcome Home
Havoc
“Do you think we have enough food?” Creed hefts a bowl of pasta salad outside.
“Probably not. But there will be others bringing stuff.” Feeding my brothers and their families is no small feat.
“Everyone is going to show up to welcome Deacon home. Do you think his injury is bad?”
Bishop has gone quiet. It could be that he’s just enjoying seeing his son for the first time in a couple of years. Or it could be that he’s processing Deacon’s injuries. “I don’t know, but it doesn’t matter either way. The club has his back, whatever he needs. We don’t leave a brother struggling.” I head into the garage to grab a tub to keep the drinks cold. Though we don’t really need it as chilly as it is outside.
The sheer number of people and a few heaters should keep everyone comfortable.
“Why are we doing this here and not at the clubhouse?” Creed dumps a forty-pound bag of ice in the tub.
