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“Is she losing it?” Poppy asked.
“Maybe,” Lauren said.
I stood up, wiping the tears that had suddenly sprung from my eyes. “Poppy wearing floral is about as likely as Caleb Cardoso falling for me. Men like him do not end up with women like me, even if they hadn’t sworn off relationships. I’m so stupid. I couldn’t keep a guy like Brad faithful. Why in a million years would I think a man like Cal would want more from me than a casual fuck? It’s embarrassing how much this hurts. Honestly, he’s the only reason I’m still considering that job in DC. When we were in school, would either of you have imagined I’d have to worry about dodging Cal Cardoso at Church because he’s seen me naked? We might as well be different species.”
“Lauren,” Poppy gritted out. “I’m going to rock the shit out of that floral dress.”
As we made our way into the restaurant later that night, I had to admit, she did.
Chapter twenty-eight
Cal
Skye didn’t move herhead from my knee when the doorbell rang. Other than when I went to work today, she hadn’t left my side in days. I patted her head and stood. The short distance to the front door felt like miles. I must have walked too slowly since Theo pushed the door open before I could. Skye burst past me, no doubt relieved someone else had come to take care of my sorry ass. Theo put his key to my house in his pocket before crouching to rub Skye’s belly.
Aiden paused in the doorway behind Theo and scanned me like a crack in a foundation he’d been hired to fix. “Let’s go,” he said.
Theo stopped petting Skye and gave him a confused look. “Where are we going?”
“My house. Bring the dog. We might need her.”
I shook my head. “The game’s about to start.”
“None of us give a shit about that game,” Aiden said. “There’s something I need to show y’all.”
“You’re finally letting us in your house?” Theo asked.
“Nope,” Aiden said, rubbing his forehead like it ached. “What I have to show you is on the property. Grab a leash for the mutt. I don’t feel like chasing her through a cornfield.”
At the word leash, Skye took off and grabbed hers, then pranced beside the door. I clipped it to her collar and stepped onto the porch in time to see Poppy drive by in her hearse. She slowed, rolled down the window, and flipped me off.
Theo raised his hand and waved. She waved her single-finger salute at him as well. The bastard smiled but cleared his throat and adapted his signature scowl when he caught me watching him.
“Shotgun,” Aiden called.
I folded myself into the backseat of Theo’s extended cab with Skye. The drive to Aiden’s was long and quiet. Theo took back roads to avoid the stretch of Route 33 that had changed all our lives.
When we pulled in front of Aiden’s old farmhouse, Theo turned off the truck and looked at him. “Well?”
Instead of answering, Aiden climbed out and tromped into the field behind his house. Theo, Skye, and I followed through the overgrown grass. A grasshopper jumped out of our path, and I wondered what other creatures lurked in the tall blades. I’d have to do a tick check on Skye and myself for sure.
“Where are we going?” Theo asked, jogging to catch up with Aiden.
Aiden pointed ahead but didn’t say anything. I followed behind them with Skye, the knot in my stomach tightening. It wasn’t like Aiden to be quiet. He shouted his thoughts as soon as he had them. Whatever he was about to show us wasn’t something he wanted to talk about, and that scared the hell out of me. At the edge of the field, Aiden stopped and leaned against an old split-rail fence. He stood several minutes, staring across the road at a neighboring field.
“What are we looking at?” Theo asked.
Aiden pointed to the far right and my heart stopped.
“Fuck,” I said, leaning against the fence.
Theo looked between us, confusion on his face.
Far across the field, through a slight break in a stand of trees, stood a dilapidated barn. The entire structure listed to the right, the faded red paint chipped in places to bare wood. The tree break framed the barn on either side, a gouge of fresh earth marking where more had been.
“Through the trees,” Aiden said.
Theo looked again and tensed, then sank to the ground. Skye whimpered and tugged on her leash. I walked closer, so she could curl into Theo’s lap. He buried his face in her fur, his shoulders heaving as he struggled to breathe.
