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“Megan sent Everly photos of David sucking face with another woman at a black-tie event. She was pretty crushed.”
Ridge gripped the edge of the counter behind him, white knuckling it until the tension filled his stance. “What else?” Ridge asked carefully.
“I picked her up at the airport after she called and broke up with him.”
Staring at the tile floor, Ridge’s jaw was set into a hard line. “How is she?”
“Upset, but she’ll be okay.” Blake would make sure of it.
Ridge turned to Blake. His expression was controlled, but a fire burned beneath the surface. “You got in late.”
Was that an accusation? Blake had always been honest with Ridge and vice versa, but Blake was a grown man and didn’t have to report to anyone. “I went to Barn Sour. What time did you get in?”
There. Changed the subject.
“Around eight.” Ridge rubbed his jaw and turned to the coffeemaker. “I won’t ever say this to her face, but I knew this was coming.”
“We all did, but you’re right not to say it out loud in front of her. She’s torn up enough.”
Ridge filled his cup and stepped to the side to make room for Blake. “I should have said something when he first asked her out.”
“Pretty sure you did. I remember a squabble between you and Ev around that time.”
“I knew he wasn’t going to wait for her,” Ridge said.
Blake filled his cup. “We all did. Being right sucks in this situation. At least she didn’t give in and sleep with him.”
Ridge’s chin lifted. “You know for sure she didn’t?”
Blake wasn’t the blushing kind, but talking with Ridge about whether or not his sister had kept her vow to wait until marriage to sleep with a man had his neck and face heating up. He’d blame it on the scorching coffee. “It’s Everly. I’d bet my last year’s worth of paychecks she didn’t.”
She’d also told him yesterday that she and David hadn’t gone that far, but that little tidbit wasn’t about to be shared with her brother.
Ridge relaxed a bit. “Good. She deserves someone better. I didn’t think they’d make it this long. I’ll call her in a minute to check in.”
“She’s looking for a new place today. Jess is going over to help her pack this evening.”
If Ridge thought it was odd that Blake knew what Everly was up to today, he didn’t let on. “I’ll help too. I was planning to head back to the ranch in a little bit.”
“I’m on my way now. Your truck or mine?” Blake asked.
“Mine,” Ridge said as he grabbed his keys from the counter.
“You still recovering from sleeping on the ground the last four nights?”
Ridge rubbed the back of his neck. “Twelve hours of sleep in a bed will cure almost anything.”
They walked toward the garage, turning off lights as they went. “You ever think you’d go from luxury suites to pop-up tents?” Blake asked.
“No, but it’s for the best.”
“You can say that again.” Their former careers came up in conversation from time to time, and they both had the same mentality–good riddance. It wasn’t that their jobs were so bad. The social atmosphere just wasn’t as forgiving. Real friends and trust were rare in the world of big bucks.
They settled into the ride, and neither spoke until they were out on the open road between their house and the ranch.
Ridge huffed. “I don’t know what to do for Everly. She doesn’t deserve this.”
“We all know that. But she’ll be fine. She’s tougher than you give her credit for.”
