“I agree.”
Cody studied me. “What are you going to do?”
I considered my answer, and unsurprisingly, the answer hadn’t come to me since stepping out of the shower.
“I don’t know,” I said.
“But you have an idea.”
“I don’t want to do it,” I said. “I don’t want to follow through with the project.”
He let out a low whistle. “That’s a massive hit,” he said quietly. “You know that, right? We’re not talking about walking away from a bad lunch tab.”
“I know.”
“And the downstream stuff could cause major problems.”
“I know all of it, Cody.”
“I’m not trying to talk you out of it,” he said, holding up a hand. “I’m just making sure you’re thinking about all the pros and cons. I know what the major pro is but is she worth it?”
“I don’t know. I mean, yes, but I don’t know if she thinks I’m worth it.”
He grabbed the steaks and headed out to the patio. I followed behind him.
“I need to call Judd,” I said.
Cody’s eyebrows went up. “Tonight?”
“Before he does something I can’t undo. He’s already talking to lawyers. If he starts filing harassment suits against locals, that’s not going to help. I’m not putting my name on that.”
“He’s not going to take it well.”
“No,” I agreed. “He’s not.”
“You can make the call after we eat. Whatever’s coming, you should face it on a full stomach.”
My eyes drifted toward the fence line. More specifically, her house. Was she home?
“She’s not going to make it easy for you,” Cody said.
I chuckled. “She never has. She doesn’t trust me.”
“You’re going to have to earn it back.”
“I’m not sure she’ll give me the chance.”
He put the steaks on the grill. The sizzle filled the air. The smell of onion and garlic washed over me.
“For what it’s worth, I think you’re making the right call,” Cody said.
CHAPTER 19
SUMMER
Icame awake all at once. Going from fantasy to reality in the span of a second was a little jarring. I lay there on my back, staring at the ceiling fan turning slow lazy circles above me, and tried to remember how to breathe.
What was that?
