“More aloof?” Eve said. “She’s never aloof. She’s not that kind of person.”
“We know she has some guy staying at the farm with her.” Noah didn’t sound particularly worried, but he wasn’t the worrying kind. “And there’s been trouble with the renters nearby and their dogs. I think how she’s acting could be related to her guest and what’s happened because of him. Don’t you agree, Kyle?”
“This started before that,” Kyle said.
“So what’s going on with our friend?” Eve asked. “And what can we do about it?”
Baxter cleared his throat. “I think...I think she might be going through a difficult time, but we need to give her the space to deal with it.”
“Space,” Eve repeated.
“Yeah,” he said, but Eve was having none of it.
“We’ve given her space, Bax. She’s not snapping out of it. Like Kyle said, this has been going on for some time. She’s lost weight. She’s withdrawn.”
Riley made a suggestion. “Her mother’s health has been getting worse. Maybe that’s it.”
“Instead of guessing behind her back, let’s go out there and have a talk with her,” Noah said.
“Tonight?” Riley asked.
Baxter did what he could to kill that idea. “No, it’s too late.”
Noah pushed harder. “Tomorrow, then. Or the next day.”
“I don’t know if she’ll like that.” Eve sounded hesitant.
“We’re her friends,” Noah said. “We don’t always need an invitation.”
Baxter was about to say they shouldn’t surprise her, but Kyle jumped in before he could form the words.
“It’s because of me.”
“Kyle—” Baxter wanted to warn him that what he was about to say might not help, but didn’t get the chance.
“Callie and I have been sleeping together,” he announced. “And I feel terrible about it because I know she regrets it.”
Stunned silence met this announcement. Maybe they’d had their suspicions, but no one had expected him to confess.
Baxter admired Kyle for being willing to own up to what he’d done. It proved that he was worried, too, and that he cared more about Callie than about covering his tracks. “I doubt that’s it,” he said, hoping to ease some of the surprise and awkwardness that had sprung up.
“You’ve been with Callie?” Noah said.
“Just a few times,” Kyle replied, “but she hasn’t been the same since. I feel like shit that I let it happen. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Ever since Olivia and I broke up...I’m just not the man I used to be. I keep messing up everyone’s lives.”
“I really don’t think that’s it,” Baxter repeated.
“I wondered,” Eve admitted.
Noah muttered a curse. “So what do we do now?”
“We forget about it,” Baxter replied. “I’m sure she’d be embarrassed that we know. It’s really none of our business.”
“It helps us understand what she’s going through, at least,” Eve said.
“Maybe she’s...having a crisis of sorts, feeling guilty.” Riley lowered his voice to just this side of exasperated. “Women can be like that.”
“Women, Riley?” Eve snapped. “Really? All of us?”
Riley grew defensive. “Relax. It was a generalization.”
“I bet it only happened because she was afraid she’d never meet the right guy,” Eve said.
“Meaning what?” Noah asked.
“Meaning she took what was available.”
“Wow, that really makes it sound as if she cares about me,” Kyle complained.
“Oh, stop,” Eve said. “That’s your ego talking because we all know you’re still in love with Olivia.”
He didn’t refute it.
Baxter switched the phone to his other ear. They were going down the wrong road, but he couldn’t stop them. Not without revealing that he knew more than they did.
“She keeps talking about Cheyenne and how happy she is,” Eve told them. “I get the feeling she really wants to find someone and settle down.”
“If that’s the case maybe we should be more worried about the drifter she’s got living out there,” Noah said.
Kyle jumped in again. “I have been worried!”
“No, that’s called jealousy,” Riley joked.
“It’s not jealousy! I practically chased her into this guy’s arms, but he doesn’t have a thing to offer her. How can he possibly make her happy? He’ll probably stay just long enough to break her heart.”
“Maybe he’s exactly what she needs right now.” Baxter could see it, in the context of what she was going through. She felt that Levi was temporary, so she could enjoy him and he’d go before she had to face her future, whatever that might be.
There was a moment of silence. Obviously, this wasn’t a popular opinion.
“What makes you say that?” Noah finally asked.
“She’s a smart girl,” Baxter said. “We need to trust her judgment.”
“That’s what we’ve been doing so far, and it’s not fixing anything,” Eve complained.
Baxter left his recliner to pace in front of his hundred-year-old windows. “Let’s give her some more time.”
“I agree,” Noah said. “I wouldn’t want you guys having this conversation about me.”
“We just want to be sure we’re doing all we can for her.” Eve sounded stung.
“Noah, we talk about you all the time,” Riley teased.
Noah ignored him. “I know you mean well, Eve, but—”
Riley broke in, now serious. “Why don’t we go over there sometime this week, let her know Kyle told us about...what happened between them and that we understand.”
Baxter thought that might help. At least it would ease some of Callie’s worries. “I could support a visit if that’s the purpose. If we were careful about the timing.”
“So...is everyone in?” Riley asked, and they all agreed.
* * *
Levi groaned as the shower went on. Apparently, Callie wasn’t going straight to bed. Maybe she needed to cool off.
He could certainly use a cold shower. But he wasn’t sure it would do any good. He wanted Callie too badly to stop the thoughts flowing through his head.