Page 49 of Goode Tidings

I murmur good night and watch her go inside. I'm not sure if hugs are my favorite. I don't remember if I cared for them in any particular way the last time I was in a relationship. My apathy probably means they were not special.

But that hug? I could feel Eden liking it.

Given how I feel right now, I think that means I liked it, too.

CHAPTER 23

Eden

There is something achingly tender about a man who tells other people's hopeful stories, but doesn't know how to live his own.

I've never felt someone sink so deeply into a hug. He melted.

Beneath that calloused exterior is a man with a caring heart. And he happens to have been placed in close proximity to a woman who loves to care for others, too.

It gives me an idea.

CHAPTER 24

Callum

This is my second morning in a row taking a dip in a lake with suboptimal temperatures.

Nature's version of a cold shower.

I needed a reset after Friday night's flirtation. A reminder that Eden is Justin's ex-wife, and she's not here to fall into a romance with the wounded brute living in a modified shed in her backyard. Yes, she's funny, and yes, she's nice, and yes, watching her get vulnerable felt like being bestowed with an honor. And, ok, watching her smile and laugh and dance was dazzling.

But Eden's in Snowflake to stay close to her son. She'd said Keep ahold of my little boy a while longer. The last thing I want to do is get in the way of that.

Looks like I'll be keeping my distance and swimming in a cold lake from here on out.

Freestyling my way to the dock, I grip the edge with two hands and haul myself up. It's a cloudy day. The temperature dropped yesterday, and the forecast has the trend continuing. On this side of the lake, the pine trees keep their color. Across the lake and up into the mountains, the aspens, cottonwoods, and oak trees are beginning to reveal their yellows and oranges. Fall has arrived.

I snag the towel off the dock, pressing down to warm me up as I run it over my cold skin. When I pull the towel from my face, movement near the house draws my attention. Eden, on the patio. Pretzeling herself again. Is practicing yoga in the cool morning air her version of a cold shower?

I might be out of practice, and far out of my league, but Eden was flirting with me at Roosters. She probably didn't mean it though. She was having a good time. Enjoying herself on a Friday night. I'm not going to read into it.

Besides, it's not like I'm looking for anything. I'm just a guy hiding out from past pain with no real plans for how to move forward. What could I possibly offer a woman like Eden?

Keeping my gaze away from the beautiful woman bending in half, I make my way to the office and shower off the lake water. Hair wet, I'm standing in sweats and a hoodie and preparing a cup of disgusting coffee when my phone buzzes on the counter.

It's a Phoenix area code, but not a number I have stored. I stare at it for a second, my heart walloping my chest. I didn't change my number when Hailey cheated, but I did block her and Todd. What if one of them has a new number? I stare at the phone for so long, deliberating, that I miss the call. I'm stirring sugar into my black coffee when the phone vibrates again. Same number.

Before I can spend more time agonizing over it, I stab at the button. "Hello?"

"Why do you sound like such a dick?"

I close my eyes. I'd know this disagreeable tone of voice from my former stepbrother anywhere. Some memories never fade.

I open my eyes. Take a deep breath. "How does a person sound like a dick?"

"He answers the phone the way you did."

A tiny bit of the tension works its way out of my coiled upper back muscles. No need to tell Justin I'd been fearing the person on the other end of the line was one of the last two people in the world I want to hear from. Not that Justin ranks far above Hailey and Todd.

I stand straighter. I can't afford to treat Justin the way I want to. Not if I want to keep staying in the Shed House Hut Office Thing. I steal a glance at the patio. At Eden. She stretches out, hands above her head, chin tipped up to the sky. I should keep her at arm's length, but the real problem is that I don't want to be more than arm's length from her.

"How's it going, Justin?" I ask with false sincerity. "How's...wherever you are?"