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She hesitated, hating that she actually did want to talk to Hunter. Was it bad that she wanted to talk to Hunter and not to Roger?
She wouldn’t think about Roger. Instead, she texted Hunter.Yep.
Why should she feel bad? He was doing so much for her, and he’d gone through his own personal hell the past year. Was it so wrong that she liked being friends with him again? Not to mention that every time she’d talked to Roger about wanting garden boxes, he had lectured her about project costs and his lack of expertise in building things.
The phone rang, and she answered it, laying back on her pillows. “Hunter Stone,” she said softly. “It’s been so long since I’ve talked to you. What interesting thing has happened in the last three hours that has you calling me?”
Soft laughter sounded over the line. “I know, right? It’s been so long. I mean, I’ve thought of maybe five more memes I could send you, too.”
“Send them.”
“Okay,” he said. He was breathing rather heavily, so he couldn’t be lying in bed. He definitely was not relaxing, even though it was almost twelve-thirty at night.
“What are you doing?”
“Oh, I just went for a run, and now I’m just in my room going over my notes—or rather, Trent’s notes—about where the key might lead us.”
It unnerved her that she was growing excited to hunt for treasure with him. “Okay. You’re sure you’re good to carry me if need be?”
“Pfft. You are light as a feather.”
Cheryse scoffed. She wasn’t heavy, but she wasn’t light as a feather. Not that Hunter would ever say anything that suggested otherwise.
He laughed. “Okay, check out the dating meme with the guy lying in the coffin.”
She pulled up the memes he’d sent her, then chuckled at the one he was talking about. “Why does the guy in a coffin want to go on a date?”
“Don’t you understand the joke?”
She sat up a little in bed, hating and loving that they were acting like teenagers. “It’s so stupid. Dracula teeth do not make it funny.”
“The guy is literally beckoning the woman over, and you can see his Dracula teeth. It’s funny.”
She grinned to herself. “Maybe it’s a tiny bit funny.” This was how they’d acted when they were younger, squabbling over silly things.
“Check out the other one with the dude taking his first date to the cemetery.”
She scanned the meme. “Okay, you’re ridiculous. Why would you take a first date to a cemetery?”
“To meet his friends.” Hunter laughed harder.
The Stone men had always used dark humor to deal with their demons. Cheryse and her friends had often discussed the sick things the Stones laughed at, and Kensi had told them it was how many people coped with traumatic jobs.
“Can you imagine if I met someone and then took her to the cemetery to meet Trent? That would rock. Trent would love it so much.”
Her stomach sank as she thought about how Hunter was dealing with his own trauma. She decided to join in and meet him in the middle. “He would love that,” she agreed.
“Right?”
“I like it. You could even put out his favorite things on the gravestone and tell her about him, like he was going to show up any minute.”
Hunter snort-laughed. Then she snort-laughed too, unable to stop. They both kept adding to this insane comedy routine, and she found herself hiccupping. She had to reach for her cup of water on the side table and take a long sip.
“Oh my gosh.” Hunter sighed. “I’m lying in the library now, on the couch.” He took a deep breath. “That way I won’t disturb anyone while I laugh with you.”
She lay back and turned on her side. “Do you see that moon out tonight? Isn’t that, like, the greatest full moon ever?”
He let out a slow humming sound. “I was actually just thinking about that moon right before I called you.”
