His buddy had signaled for him to stop, but he shook his head and kept driving. No reason to stop. Talking wasn’t going to help. And he hadn’t been in the mood for any type of company, so he’d gone straight home, parked in the driveway, and stared at his house. A house full of memories of the woman whose betrayal cut so deep it hurt to fucking breathe.
Even now, his chest was too tight to get a full breath into his lungs. But the beer was going down pretty smooth. He sucked down the cold brew and eyed the boathouse.
He hadn’t been inside there yet, either. Or his workshop, because he had memories of her in those places too. Didn’t leave him with many choices to sleep that first night. So he’d grabbed a sleeping bag from his shed, and slept in the back of the truck.
For three nights now.
Work was good, though. Busy. A godsend. He’d thrown himself into it, glad his volunteer work was done at the theater. Until the next show. Sophia had one more to design, but screw it. He was going to sit that one out.
Maybe he’d sit on the dock and have a beer then, too.
“You ever going to answer your phone?” Ben asked from behind, his boots clomping on the stairs…along with another set.
Ryder’s heart stopped a few beats, as longing—the traitor—trickled through his chest in the hopes it was Sophia. Although, he didn’t even know if she was back in town yet.
He turned around to find the oldest Wyne brother approaching too, and told himself it was relief that ricocheted through his gut.
“You didn’t toss it in the lake, did you?” Ethan asked.
Ryder smirked. “Thought about it.” Even went so far as to grip the damn thing in his hand. It was loaded with texts and missed calls and voicemails from family and friends, but the majority were from Sophia. He didn’t want to talk to her. Didn’t want to see her. “I shut it off and shoved it in my glove box.”
Didn’t matter, though. He’d had little peace since then. Not from his mind, anyway.
“You didn’t show up for our lunch today,” Ben said, easing down beside him, before opening the cooler to peek inside. “A liquid diet, huh?”
Ethan sat down on his other side and smirked. “That’s nutritious.”
“I remember those days.” Ben tossed a beer to Ethan, before securing one for himself.
Ryder knew what they were doing, and it wasn’t going to work. “Don’t get too comfortable. I don’t want company, and I’m not in the mood to talk.”
“That’s okay,” Ethan said. “We’ll do the talking.”
“Yeah.” Ben cupped his shoulder and nodded. “We’ve been friends a long time, and I get where you’re coming from, I really do, but I can’t let you be. Not now that your sister is involved. She’s worried about you, and losing sleep over it.” He squeezed his shoulder. “You have to understand, I won’t let her suffer. So, it’s time for an intervention.”
Ryder muttered an oath. Lea wasn’t getting a ton of sleep with the baby as it was, he didn’t want her losing even more over him. “Tell her I’m fine and not to worry.”
“Yeah, you’re doing great, all right,” Ben scoffed, releasing him. “You have a sleeping bag in the back of your truck, and you’re drinking beer for lunch. She’ll be thrilled to hear that. I’m sure she’ll sleep better than our daughter, now.”
He scrubbed a hand over his face and shook his head. “Look, I’m fine. This is the first beer I’ve had since…all week.” He couldn’t bring himself to reference that night in the city.
The hiss of air escaping the can pierced the air as Ethan cracked open his beer. “We’ve been where you are, Ryder. And believe it or not, it only got better when someone pointed out we were acting like asses.”
“Okay, so we still act like it sometimes,” Ben added. “But, my brother’s right. When it came to the women we love, we were blind to our misconceptions. So, chances are, that’s what you’re dealing with, too. Surely, the three of us can figure it out.”
“And if not, Phoebe and Lea are on standby.” Ethan nodded, patting the phone visible in his shirt pocket.
“After all, they’re the ones who told us what went down in New York.”
“How’d they know?” He certainly hadn’t told anyone.
“Sophia,” Ethan replied. “She’s been calling daily, hoping we’d see you and ask you to call her.” The guy looked deadpan at him. “Ryder, can you please call Sophia?”
“Not gonna happen.” Not in this lifetime. He’d had enough betrayal from women. He was done.
Ethan pursed his lips and nodded. “You could always go see her. She’s back in town. Arrived last night.”
The news hit him like a blow to the solar plexus. He straightened his spine and drew in a breath.Did she even try to find him?He brushed the stupid thought aside. Didn’t matter. He wouldn’t have spoken to her anyway.
