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“I don’t have a lot of friends.”
“That’s probably because you get everything you need from your brother.”
“Maybe, but I also don’t have time. I’m either in the studio or touring.”
“Your brother doesn’t seem to have a problem making friends.” She hitched her eyebrows in a teasing gesture.
“My brother and I might be identical in looks, but we’re built very differently.”
That’s my answer. He doesn’t screw around on the road.
He needs more.
Her skin tingled with a sense of déjà vu. She’d fantasized about conversations like this with Van Claybourne—the intimacy, the way their souls would mirror each other—but to live it? It was powerful. Shifting-plate-tectonics powerful. Flustered, she scrambled to come up with another This or That question. “TV or books?”
“Nuh uh. You have to answer, too. You seem like you’d have a lot of friends.”
“I have one best friend in the world, and a ton of acquaintances. I can hang with anybody, but I don’t feel safe with anyone but her.”
Whoa.She’d never admitted that to anyone before.
“She’s your version of my twin?”
“Pretty much. We tell each other everything.” Well, they used to. Now, Micky had a private, separate world with her fiancé, and Della had secrets because of this job.
The rift was widening.
“Hey.” His big hand settled over hers. “You got sad all of a sudden. Did you two have a falling out?”
“No. I was stupid enough to bring her to Wild Wolff Village with me.”
His concern warmed her to her bones. “How was that stupid?”
“Three weeks in, she met the love of her life, and now she’s staying there, building a house with him, and having his baby.”
He watched her for a moment, pressing his lips together. “Yep. You fucked up big time.”
She laughed, whacking his knee. “Shut up. You’re supposed to be on my side.”
“Oh, no. That kind of loyalty is earned. We’ll need at least another twenty-four hours for that, but I don’t really see the problem. Instead of starting your business in Arizona, why not move to Calamity and start it there?”
“Well, first, she’s the event planner for the village. But also, because I’d be a third wheel. With all she’s got going on, she really doesn’t have time for me.”
“Maybe not the way she used to, but she still needs you. She needs her friend, her ‘sister by another mister.’” He gave her a soft grin. “She probably needs you now more than ever.”
“What do you mean? She has Rhys.”
“She’s getting to know a new family, having her first kid, building a home in a new town… I can’t imagine any of that is easy.”
“She’s got something special with Rhys, though. It’s hard to explain because I’ve never had it, but he’s her person. She’s her real self with him, you know? She can be in a bad mood, she can vent to him and share her secrets, and nothing will drive him away. Have you ever had that with anyone other than Van?”
He opened his mouth to answer, but his jaw snapped shut. He took some time before answering. “No, I haven’t.” Lowering his head, he almost seemed ashamed.
“Have you ever been in love?”
He lifted his gaze to hers. “I know I should say yes, but…the truth is I haven’t.” It seemed like a revelation to him—and not a good one. “Have you?”
“No. Never. I’m an intuitive person, so I can tell pretty quickly whether I’m vibing with someone. I almost never go on a second date.”
