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Yep, there went that dusty sensation in her throat. Any minute she’d start choking. “He was Rafe’s friend first.”
Rafe hadn’t done much better than she had after Wade had left town with his G.E.D. and a fistful of ambition, set on chasing fame and fortune. For two kids who hadn’t lived in Quinn long, Wade had been a lifeline. They’d lost their father shortly before moving, and then they’d lost their first real friend.
Of course she’d still had Colt and her other friends on the cheerleading squad, but Wade’s absence had created a hole for her and Rafe. Not to mention Wade’s little sister Hollie, who idolized her big brother and collected every news clipping about him. And apparently Colt had dealt with a hole of his own as well.
“He was your friend too,” Colt insisted. “You had a bond, something special.”
“Not that special or he wouldn’t have left town without warning,” she snapped, almost as surprised as Colt seemed to be about the bitterness in her tone.
“I think he needed to go more than he needed to stay. That wasn’t about us.”
“How do you know that, since you don’t know why he’s stayed gone?”
Colt tipped back his head to stare at the bright orange ceiling. Minute stress fractures marred the paint. Her mama adored Rosa’s and worked her fingers to the bone—today was the first day she’d taken off in weeks, and that was only because she’d finally hired a new manager—but there was no denying the restaurant had seen better days. It needed a couple of coats of paint, maybe some new tablecloths and chairs.
Charlene fiddled with her napkin. Helping her mother gather the funds to spiff up the restaurant was what she needed to focus on, not Wade Bennett. That ship had sailed so long ago that she barely even remembered when he’d claimed space at her dock.
“I don’t know,” he said finally. “I’m grasping at straws, because it comes down to one thing. I miss my brother. Plain and simple.” He lowered his head and met her gaze. “I need your help. I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important, Char. You know that.”
She did know that, and it was the one reason she hadn’t thrown down her napkin and charged out of there before she said yes. It should be simple to meet with Wade and try to help facilitate a little brother bonding. They’d chitchat, relive old times, and then she would suggest Wade and Colt do something fun together, like go bowling. That was a brotherly activity. Heck, maybe Rafe could go too, because he spent way too much time sequestered in his office at his architectural firm. Once Wade agreed, she could extricate herself from the scenario entirely.
No muss, no fuss.
Except her stomach felt like it was being twisted between two fists. And she couldn’t imagine anything easy about staring into Wade’s summer blue eyes and pretending she hadn’t bought every one of his albums or memorized most of his songs. Lying in her bed at night, she let his music surround her, wrapping her in the whiskey-soaked warmth that belonged solely to Wade Bennett’s gravelly, heartbroken voice.
God, she was so frigging screwed.
“Okay,” she said before she could change her mind.
Colt’s brows lifted and his face cleared, as if she’d taken a great weight from his shoulders. “You’ll do it?”
“Yes. I’ll find out his number and see if he’s willing to meet with me. No guarantees,” she warned.
“No guarantees. Thank you. This means so much to me.”
She gave her ex the brightest smile she could muster. “We’ll make this work for everyone. The important thing is Coach, and for Wade to realize how much he was missed.”
“Yes. You’re right.” Colt glanced at his watch. “I better get back to the ranch. You okay to get back to the store?”
“Sure.” She gestured to her glass. “I have my lemonade to finish.”
“Great. Thanks again. And tell Paige I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
Colt grinned as he pulled a handful of bills out of his wallet and tossed them on the table for the check. “Hell if I know. But say I’m sorry anyway.”
“Sure.” She gave Colt a weak smile and waved as he headed out.
She sat there a few minutes longer, debating her next move. She really needed to get back to work. But she’d also agreed to contact Wade, though she’d forgotten to get the phone number from Colt and Wade probably wasn’t listed on Google, considering his celebrity status and all. Calling Hollie or Wade’s parents for the number was out. She refused to let them know she was eager to contact Wade again, even if it was at Colt’s behest. Talk about irony.
There was one other option she could try. A long shot at best.
She dug out the card she’d tucked in her wallet two Christmases ago. She’d been shocked as hell to get that simple card in her mailbox. Just a scrawled signature at the bottom with a note—if you want to talk, call me.
After she’d regained her equilibrium, she’d torn off the number and shoved it in her purse. Otherwise she would’ve stared at that card for days. Instead she’d hidden it in a pocket and never removed it again until now.
He’d probably changed the number. But what did she have to lose?
