“What kind of friends?”
Bailey put down the tray and picked up her phone. “Why do you ask it like that?”
“Well, because…”
“Because they were kissing!” Shelly shouted from somewhere in the background.
“What now?” Surely she’d misunderstood.
“It’s true,” her mother said, her tone dripping with sympathy. “They were outside talking, and it looked like it was getting heated. I thought for a minute Rafe was gonna throw a punch, and then…”
“Kablam! They were kissing!” Shelly shouted again.
Thank God Rex chose that moment to come in through the back door.
“Hey, Mom. Rex is here. I need to go. I’ll call you back.” She disconnected the call and tossed her phone on the counter before leaning back and gripping the edge, dragging deep breaths into her lungs, willing the tension in her chest to ease.
“You know you don’t have to get off the phone when I come in,” Rex said with a chuckle. “You live and work here, so…”
He trailed off, and Bailey was grateful. Holding a conversation right now was a lofty goal. One she doubted she could achieve. As it was, she was doing everything she could to keep herself together.
“Hey.” Rex tapped her shoulder. “What’s wrong?”
She took a deep breath and looked up at her boss. “Rafe was kissing Holt.”
Rex took a step back and frowned. “What?”
Bailey nodded. “That was my mom. She saw them.”
“Shesawthem?”
“With her own two eyes.”
God, this was weird. Not at all the type of conversation she expected to have with her boss, but who better than Rafe’s brother to talk to about it, right?
Rafe kissing Holt.
Holt kissing Rafe.
Her stomach twisted, and she thought for a moment she was going to be sick.
“Hey. You need to sit down.” Rex took her arm and dragged her into the dining room before urging her into a chair. “I’m sure there’s a perfectly good explanation for all of this.”
Bailey’s eyebrows flew up to her hairline as she regarded him with disbelief. “Seriously? There’s just a simple explanation for why peoplesawRafe and Holt kissing? I get it, Rex. I’m naive and all that butcome on now.”
She didn’t mean to sound hysterical, but she couldn’t help it. The two men she happened to have feelings for were … kissing each other!
She figured that was one way to figure out the history they shared. The history they’d been hiding all this time.
An idiot! That’s what she was. A freaking idiot!
“How did I not see it? How did—” She gulped air, trying to avoid a nervous breakdown, but seriously! “How do I fall in love with two men who are … are…”
“Bailey, I know this sounds cheesy, but you need to give them a chance to explain.”
The hysteria kept bubbling up, pitching her voice higher. “Explain what? That I’ve been … like, theirbeardor something?” She gasped. “Oh, my God. That’s what it is. I’m Holt’s beard.”
Rex barked a laugh. “I’m pretty sure it doesn’t work that way.”
