“Why not? He’s your dad? He’s been—”
“He’s the reason I left. Well, the main reason. Let’s get your shopping in the car, then we can go somewhere, yeah? I can tell you some things.”
“Cody,” Toni murmured. “Were you okay?”
Cody glanced around, then looked back at Toni. “It’s not something I want to discuss in the parking lot.”
Toni moved back and laughed quietly. “God no. Not the place at all. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. You weren’t expecting me to appear like this.”
Toni touched his cheek again, a look of wonder on her face. “Wow, Cody. You’re so different. I can’t get over it. Are you really here? Are you going to stay?”
Cody chose not to answer if he would be staying or not. That depended on how things went with TJ, and he was going to win TJ over, no matter what. So fuck it. He was staying. “I’m staying and I’ve been gone four years. I’ve grown up some.”
“Some.” Toni’s eyes looked him up and down. “What are you? Over six feet?”
“Let’s grab a coffee and some cake. Somewhere that’ll be quiet now. Only a couple of people know I’m back, and I want to keep it that way for now.”
“Where are you staying?” Toni carried on loading the car with Cody’s help. “You don’t want to talk to Cass, so…”
“TJ’s. He’s letting me stay with him.”
“Hmm.” Toni looked at him again. “There’s a small tea place not far from here. I go because I can’t have too much caffeine, but they do lovely coffee too.” She looked around the parking lot. “Where’s your car parked?”
“I don’t have one yet. It’s on the list.”
“Hop in and I’ll drive us, then.”
Cody made sure Toni got in, which earned him a sigh and a ‘I’m capable of getting in the car’ then sat in the passenger seat as she drove to the tea place she’d mentioned. “It seems different, but still the same.”
“Robinson?” Toni glanced at Cody, then back to the road. “I guess it when you’ve been away for a few years. Where were you?”
“On a ranch not far from here. They took me in, helped me sort my life out. They saved me.” Literally, but they could talk about that once they had a drink.
“They saved you.” The words were quiet, but Cody knew Toni would be asking him about them later. “A nice family?”
“The best. Mama and Jed helped me get back on my feet. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them.”
“Cody. What happened?” Toni pulled into a small parking lot next to a place called Tea for Two? and Cody got out, waiting until she joined him. “I fancy some ginger tea. It’s helped with the morning sickness that hasn’t left.”
“You’ve been ill?”
“Awful, but I finally feel like I’m over the worst of it. Poor Carter and the boys have been so worried. TJ has been a hugehelp, but with the station being short staffed and all the extra hours he’s been working, he’s running on fumes.”
Opening the door, Cody let Toni inside and inhaled the fruity aromas. Walking up to the counter, Cody saw the shelves filled with teas from around the world. Herbal ones and fruit ones and ones he couldn’t pronounce the names of. Even the coffee came in multiple flavors.
“Toni. Usual?”
“Please and some toast, please.”
“And who’s this?”
“A friend from out of town. Cody. This is Sherri.” Toni glanced at Cody, then smiled at Sherri, who had short spiky blonde hair and dark brown eyes. “Last time I saw him, he was about a foot shorter.”
“I was what, fifteen, sixteen then? Hey Sherri. Could I have the caramel latte? Or is that a ginger one?”
“We have a lot of different ones and we’re always adding more. Do you want some cake or a pastry to go with it?”
