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“Hey, kid.” I notice Callie walking in behind him, the same expression of concern her mother is wearing at the moment. “Hey, Callie. I heard you have a very handsome chauffeur today.”
“Yeah. What are you doing here so early?”
A frustrated scream lodges in my throat. She’s like her mother, so I should have expected the question.
“I have a problem, and I need your mother’s help. You know your mother is the smartest.”
“If you say so,” Callie says.
Liv chuckles. “You guys remember the rules, right? No running off without Mason. Ranches are fun, but they can be dangerous too.”
They both nod. After kisses for the kids and Mason, she sees them to the door. When it closes, she turns to me with a smile, and in that moment, I am envious. I have never really wanted another half. Romance—long-term romance—isn’t for me. I learned that early in life. But seeing Liv, who was widowed almost six years ago, find love again makes my heart yearn. I don’t begrudge my sister for her happiness. In fact, I take credit for helping them on their bumpy road to happily ever after.
“I thought they were going to breakfast.”
“They are, then they are going out to the Gold Ranch. Do you want some coffee?”
“No. I’ve had five cups today.”
“Okay…wait. You’ve had five cups today?” Her eyes are wide and filled with worry.
“Yeah.”
“You have been up that long?”
“Yeah.” I sigh. “I didn’t sleep last night, so I went to the diner, and they kept filling my cup.”
There’s a long beat of silence, heavy with judgment. Usually, I can ignore it and just move on to my next adventure. I don’t have it in me this morning to shrug it off. This morning, I need understanding.
“Don’t judge.”
“Oh, Av, I’m not judging. I’m concerned. There’s a difference.”
I sigh and drop down into one of the kitchen table chairs. “It’s because I did something stupid. So stupid, in fact, that everyone, including you, will hate me.”
She sits in the chair beside me. “Did you kill Jon Howard? Because if you did, I think we might need Cora for this. She would know the best way to hide the body.”
“No.” I blink. “No, nothing like that. That actually might have been better.”
I would know just how to hide the body. I spend enough time watching MDK—Murder, Death, Kill—shows, although Cora knows the law better than I do. She’s married to a Department of Public Safety officer.
“Then what happened?”
I draw in deep breaths and open my mouth, but nothing comes out. No words or even a sound. Once I tell her, I will never be able to return to being the girl I was before I kissed Jon Howard.
Just thinking about it has my stomach tightening and my body shimmering with heat. I cover my face with my hands, and that’s a mistake. The moment I do, I close my eyes, and the memory of that kiss hits me hard. The feel of his mouth against mine, his taste as his tongue explored my mouth, and the way his fingers flexed on my waist as he deepened the kiss.
“Avery, are you okay?”
My sister’s voice pours cold water onto my fantasy. I peek through my fingers.
“I kissed him.”
“What? You’re mumbling, and your hands are in the way.”
I move my hands and say, “I kissed him.”
Then I slap my hands over my face again. It’s stupid and childish, I know that. It’s not like I can keep the memory at bay. I can’t go back and make it not happen.
