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“And the guy Tina’s been seeing?” Joe finished for her. Now, though, he was looking at me with one eyebrow raised.
Heat crept up my neck and into my cheeks. “Yeah.”
I wasn’t surprised that Emily had told Joe, but did he approve? My husband had been gone for two years. There was no reason for my friends to judge me about dating, yet that fear lingered.
“Small world,” he mumbled, shaking his head.
“Huh?” I tilted my head, confused.
“He was there the day Levi—” He snapped his mouth shut and stole a glance at Emily. “What the? Why’d you elbow me?”
My stomach sank. What did he meanhe was there? My brain tripped over itself, working to connect the dots as Joe continued talking.
“Is he still active?”
I shook my head, though it wasn’t in response to his question. “What do you mean? How exactly do you know Kyle?”
Joe’s eyes widened, and he looked to Emily again, who was watching him with a hard expression.
My lungs constricted, suddenly making it hard to breathe.
“Tina, um—” His mouth formed a tight line, and he huffed out a breath through his nose. “Maybe you need to ask Kyle.”
A knock sounded on the front door, startling me. “He’s here.”
“Call me later?” Emily asked quietly.
I nodded, feeling detached. My brain had caught up, and I was pretty sure I understood what Joe meant. But if I was right, then why hadn’t Kyle told me? Had he not made the connection? Of their own volition, my eyes darted to the mantel above the fireplace where Levi’s military portrait sat. The one I’d seen Kyle looking at before. There was no way he didn’t know who my late husband was. Had he not mentioned it because he wasn’t allowed to? Was it one of those classified things he had to keep to himself? If so, I couldn’t imagine how hard that would have been.
The second knock reminded me that he was at the front door, but I was still standing frozen in front of the Crock-Pot. Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I forced my feet to move. And with a shaky hand, I pulled open the door, then stepped back. I had no earthly idea what to say to him, but I couldn’t hide in my kitchen all night either.
Kyle smiled at me as he entered the house, but the expression faded quickly, and his eyes took on a look of concern. “Are you okay?” he asked, taking a step toward me and placing his hands on my shoulders.
In that instant, I knew I’d have to just come out with it. Rip the Band-Aid right off. “Didyou know Levi?”
He reared back, and his brows pinched together. “What?”
“Were you there the day Levi died?”
He closed his eyes, and I held my breath, waiting for his response. He probably couldn’t talk about the details. Special Forces were different. I understood that.
“Yes.” He was looking at me again, searching my face. “I’m sorry. I was planning to tell you.”
So, he could have told me at any time? That phrase, along with the grimace on his face and the remorse swimming in his eyes, screamed guilt, but I didn’t understand any of it. Why would he have kept such a big revelation from me?
“I don’t understand.” I shook my head and hugged myself, trying to make sense of what I was being told. “Whydidn’tyou tell me? I thought we could talk about stuff.”
“We can. I was going to. I?—”
“Really? When?” I took a step back and straightened. “Because you’ve had plenty of opportunities.” Six weeks, to be exact. A thought occurred to me, and my stomach sank. “How long have you known?”
He ran his hand down his leg and gritted his teeth. Clearly, he didn’t want to answer this question, which meant I wasn’t going to like his answer.
After several long seconds, when he still hadn’t said anything, I asked again. “Well?”
He sighed. “A couple of weeks after you moved here.”
A sharp pain pierced my heart, and I staggered back. “Why would you hide that from me?”
