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He thanked her for the coffee but declined to speak to her further. He’d come out to clear his head, and wasn’t feeling up to making conversation. She didn’t leave, though.
“Look around you, my boy,” she said. “It’s a pretty slow day, I assure you I have all the time in the world.” She sat down across from him. “So, do you want to tell me what’s going on?”
Maybe he could talk to her. He glanced at the dark liquid inside his mug.Maybe a little bit.“That’s the thing. I can’t tell you about it. I mean…I can’t give you the details. Bottom line is, I think I let someone important to me down, and I have no idea how to confront him about it.”
“Oooh, looks like you got yourself in a bit of a pickle there, haven’t you?” she asked, her eyes growing kind.
“I have.”
“I won’t pretend to understand what’s going on, my boy,” she said. “But if my son ever walked into this shop looking as shook as you did when you came in, I’d tell him the same thing. Confront it. You can’t run away from your problems, you know?
“And hey, who knows? It may not be as bad as you think. Sadly, it’s impossible for you to know just how bad it is from where you’re standing right now, isn’t it?” She smiled, refilled his cup, and walked away without another word.
Blake watched her as she wiped down a table that had just been vacated. She was right. He took a sip from his coffee and without hesitating, pulled out his phone and texted Xander:
Hey, missed your calls. There’s something I need to talk to you about. See you at Deepwood at 2pm, usual spot.
Xander’s reply was instant, almost as if he’d been waiting by the phone.Fine, was all he said.
Blake drained the rest of his coffee and left a hundred-dollar bill under his mug.
He wasn’t going to obsess over Xander’s tone or intention in the message he had sent. Blake glanced at his watch. He had just over an hour. More than enough time to get back home, shower, and get to Deepwood for the meeting with his best friend.
The coffee and the walk had done a lot to refresh him by the time he returned home. Surprisingly, Eleanor was nowhere to be found. He’d gone up to her room to inform her that he was planning to speak to Xander.
He was glad he didn’t find her home. She would have found a way to convince him it was a bad idea. He had only one plan: explain to Xander that there was nothing going on between him and his sister.
He chuckled bitterly. His grand plan was to look into his friend’s eyes and lie to his face.Rich, Blake. Real rich and classy.
He considered leaving a note for Eleanor before he left but decided against it. He’d already told her he had urgent business to handle in town. Whatever the case, she probably wasn’t expecting him back any time soon.
Blake made the trip to Xander’s town in silence, enjoying the sound of static in his head. There was only one thing he was counting on—he was counting on his friendship with Xander. They’d been friends for so long, and had been through so much together. Deep down he hoped this was something they could handle quietly and without fuss.
He pulled into the parking lot of their regular hangout spot, and was shocked to see Articus’s truck parked outside.Huh.
He took a minute to clear his head and compose himself before he stepped out of the car. Mrs. Whitaker was probably right. Chances were that things were not as bad as he feared.
The first thing Blake noticed when he stepped into the barroom was Xander pacing back and forth as Rowan and Articus watched him tensely.Aw, shit, he thought.Damn you, old woman. Things aren’t as bad as I feared. They’re worse!
When Xander saw Blake, he stopped pacing and pointed at his chest, his eyes cold with hatred. “You…how dare you?” His voice grated like metal and stone, terrible and terrifying at the same time.
“Xander, I need you to listen to me—”
“There’s nothing to listen to,” Xander snapped, his voice low and cold as he cut Blake off. “How dare you? She’s my kid sister, Blake! My kid sister.Jesus, she’s barely half your age!”
Crap. Blake discarded all the well thought-out lies he had formulated on his way over. It was clear to him that none of them were going to fly here. One look at Xander and he knew that his friend had seen enough to figure out what was going on between him and Eleanor.
“Xander, I’m sorry. I truly am,” Blake said. He tried to take a step forward, but the look on Xander’s face froze him to the spot. “But I need you to understand. What’s going on between Eleanor and I…it’s an arrangement that works for both of us. There’s nothing more to it—”
For the first time since he had known Xander, Blake heard him raise his voice. “SHUT THE FUCK UP! Stop speaking. Anyone with a pair of eyes can see she’s smitten with you.”
“No, no, no—” Blake started to say but stopped.
He was worried. He knew Xander was upset, but things were starting to boil out of control. Xander was doing things he had never done before. Even Articus and Rowan didn’t know how to react. They were all in new territory now.
He was certain Xander didn’t know what he was speaking about. There was no way Eleanor had deep feelings for him. She’d been the one to propose that they have a purely sexual relationship. There was nothing else, right?
Everything was happening so fast, Blake didn’t know what to believe anymore. Meanwhile, Xander was hyperventilating furiously. His hands were clenched at his sides, and his pupils had dilated.
