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Everly threw her head back and groaned. “I know, but I’m so tired of talking about it. I just want to move on.”
Jess dropped her paper plate in the trash and stepped up beside Everly. “We know. This is a lot to handle in a short amount of time.” Jess rubbed a hand in circles on Everly’s back, soothing the tension with a comforting touch. “I’ll help you pack that bag.”
“I think Jameson and I are going to head out. We have an early meeting tomorrow,” Ava said as she wrapped Everly in a hug.
There was no doubt that Blackwater was where Everly belonged. She couldn’t find friends like this anywhere else in the world. “Thanks. I really appreciate you two coming to help. We got so much done in just a few hours.”
“Don’t mention it. We’re always here if you need us,” Ava said with a kind smile.
Everly and Ava had been friends since Ava came to the ranch last year, and their friendship had already been forged by fire. There was something binding about facing tough times with friends.
When they’d finished eating pizza, Jess tugged on Everly’s sleeve. “Let’s go.”
“We’ll finish up these last boxes while you get some things together,” Ridge said.
Jess looked at the pizza boxes scattered over the island. “You mean those boxes or the packing boxes?”
“Both,” Blake said, lifting a half-eaten slice in the air.
Jess rolled her eyes and headed for the stairs. “Men. Living with those two will be interesting.”
At the bottom of the stairs, Everly glanced back over her shoulder. Blake stood with his hip leaning against the counter, watching her with an intense stare.
“You can say that again,” Everly whispered.
“I could never live with Brett. He doesn’t take the trash out, and he uses kitchen towels to wipe his face and hands when he eats. I know we weren’t raised like that, so he acquired those weird traits on his own.”
Everly chuckled. “I think you’re right. Living in the wranglers’ cabin is right up his alley.”
Jess sighed as they reached the top of the stairs. “He’ll never find a woman who can put up with him.”
“Don’t be so sure,” Everly said. “He has lots of good qualities.”
Jess raised her brows. “I know you’re not referring to his rear end.”
Everly coughed as she tried to contain her laughter. “No, but he does think highly of his behind.”
“I mean, he’s cute, but looks aren’t what most decent women are looking for. I need him married off and out of my hair. Preferably before I hit middle age,” Jess said.
Everly and Jess walked around the boxes scattered on the bedroom floor. Everly had only scratched the surface, but she didn’t need all of her things packed up tonight, just a few necessities. Jameson gave her the day off tomorrow, and Ridge was planning to help. They should be able to get most of it wrapped up.
“You want me to start stuffing clothes into bags?” Jess asked.
“That would be great. Now that I know where I’m going, I can just fill up gym bags with clothes every time I head over to Ridge and Blake’s.” She tossed Jess an empty bag and started stuffing pajamas and clothes for tomorrow in another.
“Are you sure about staying with them?” Jess asked without looking up.
That was the million-dollar question. Everly hadn’t had much time to think about it yet, but her gut reaction felt solid. “I think so. Ridge and I get along well, and I know Blake will be welcoming. I just don’t want to intrude on their bachelor pad.”
“I don’t think either of them are worried about you cramping their style.”
“I guess we’ll just have to see how it goes.” The same was true of her feelings for Blake, but that wasn’t something she was ready to talk about yet. She still wasn’t sure what was going on between them.
It wasn’t anything now and couldn’t really be anything while she was living with them. That would be the way things could get twisted. She’d never lived with a man, and she wasn’t about to live with a man she was in a relationship with who wasn’t her husband.
“How are you feeling about the stuff with David?” Jess asked.
Everly looked up from the drawer she’d been rummaging through and thought about David. “You know, I’m pretty okay with it. As long as he’s not around trying to force me to stay or tell me some lie about how I’m the only woman he’s ever loved.”
