He was silent for a moment. Long enough, Stevie glanced at the phone to see if the call had disconnected. It hadn’t.
“Nico?”
“Did you know Stone’s back?”
Every cell in her body flashed hot. Like nuclear reactor hot. At least a dozen snapshots flashed in her brain, memories from long ago. It happened anytime anyone mentioned the man’s name and was usually followed by profound rage. This was part of the reason Stone Jameson was off-limits in terms of conversation topics.
“What do you meanback?” she asked, stepping out onto the porch where it was significantly cooler. It was the middle of January, and they were finally seeing some seasonal temperatures. She tugged at the collar of her sweater, urging the frigid air to get to her skin faster.
“As in, back for good.”
Stevie didn’t know what to say to that. No, she hadn’t known. Now that she did, she wasn’t sure why a swarm of intoxicated butterflies was taking up residence in her belly.
“Stevie?”
“Hmm?”
His tone was rife with concern. “You gonna be okay with this?”
“Of course I am,” she lied, forcing a smile and tacking on a giggle for good measure.
She had to be, right?
Plus, it wasn’t like she was going to see Stone. Sure, Coyote Ridge was a small town, but she didn’t venture out much. When she did, she opted for the neighboring towns. And work kept her out and about more often than not. She would simply insist on taking all the clients who didn’t live in Coyote Ridge. And for the times she couldn’t avoid going into town, she would figure out what Stone drove and scour the parking lots before she stopped. If he were there, she would make herself scarce. It could be done.
“Stevie?”
The sky was overcast, but the day was unusually bright. She stared into the distance, not seeing anything thanks to the mental images still flashing in her head.
“I’m here.” She sighed. “How’s he look? Let me guess. He got fat.”
“Not fat.”
“Tell me he’s bald.”Please, God, let him be bald.
“Nope.”
Damn it.
“But he looks old and scraggly, right? Rode hard, put away wet?”
“Sorry. No.”
“Does he look … good?”
“Yeah,” Nico said, and Stevie could tell it pained him to admit that.
She expected no less. The universe was clearly out to get her.
Then again, this could be a good thing. She hadn’t seen Stone in nearly fifteen years. Not since he hightailed it outta town with a promise to call her the next time he dropped in. That call never came, and she knew he’d been back because, as she said, Coyote Ridge was a small town. Hell, the grapevine lit up when Old Man Thompson’s tabby cat got Mrs. Devenmore’s sweet little Persian pregnant. Of course it went haywire when people came back, even if it were for a quick visit, which Stone had done for many holidays over the years.
“I’m fine,” she assured Nico before he could ask her again. “What about you? Did you talk to him?”
“Yeah. For a minute.”
“And?”
“And nothin’.”
