Cheyenne had just thanked Carolyn for agreeing to cover Presley’s shift when a call from Eve beeped through. No doubt Riley had let her know what was happening. Cheyenne had told him not to—Eve couldn’t do anything from the Caribbean—but she had to admit it was nice to see that familiar name pop up on caller ID.
“Chey, did you find her?” Eve asked without preamble.
“No.”
“I can’t believe she’d do this.”
“You can’t believe it or you don’t want to believe it?”
“You’re right. I don’t want to believe it. Where do you think she went?”
“She could’ve gone anywhere.”
“And here I am, stranded on this damn boat.” She made a sound of annoyance. “I asked if I could get off early, but there’s no way. I’m stuck until we dock in Puerto Rico.”
Cheyenne gazed out across the yard. “Thanks for trying.”
“I never should have left Whiskey Creek.”
“So Riley told you about my mom, too?”
“He did. He called last night, worried when he came over to help search for Presley and you weren’t home.”
“He helped me all afternoon. He didn’t need to do more.”
“He feels bad. We all do.”
She studied the flower in her hands. “He must’ve been the one who brought me this rose.”
“What rose?”
“I found it on the doorstep.”
“You don’t know for sure?”
“Hang on.” She propped the phone to her ear with one shoulder while reading the card. “Actually, it’s not from him.”
“Who’s it from?”
Cheyenne might’ve shied away from mentioning that it was the guy Eve had wanted, except that at this point she was too numb to lie. “Joe.”
Maybe Eve was faking it, but she sounded enthusiastic. “That’s nice! How do you know?”
“There’s a card with it.”
“What does it say?”
“It’s just your basic sympathy card,” she said, but it was much more than that. He’d written that he felt bad for what she was going through and wanted to be there for her. He’d also written that he wanted to talk to her about Dylan.
“So how are things between you?”
“I like him. He’s nice.”
“That’s it?”
She rested her head on the back of her chair. “I’m not capable of any more right now. All I know is that Dylan is the one I want to get naked with.” There, she’d said it.
After a slight pause, Eve said, “Chey, Dylan has a certain…magnetism. I’ve felt it. I’m sure most women have. But think about what it would be like trying to maintain a relationship with him, what he might be like after the initial excitement. Joe’s a family man. He’s dependable, steady.”
Dylan had raised his brothers. He’d stuck with them regardless of how difficult life became. How could anyone be more of a family man than that? Or steadier?
Still, she knew what Eve meant and couldn’t argue. Last night she’d felt guilty for judging him by Aaron’s misdeeds, but Dylan’s checkered past also spoke against him. “You think what I’m feeling is merely lust?”
“You’ve never been to bed with anyone but him. Sex has created a bond between you. That’s what it’s meant to do. But…you can’t let physical attraction get in the way of what’s best for you. Who’s more likely to help you build the life you want?”
“How do I know? I can only see so far down the road.”
“But if you aren’t careful, if you take a wrong turn, you’ll wind up at a dead end.”
“Isn’t that why you have to trust your gut?”
“I think, in this case, it might be smarter to trust your friends.”
Cheyenne saw Dylan’s Jeep coming down the road and jumped to her feet. She knew he could simply be heading home for lunch. He and his brothers went past her place all the time. But he turned in.
“He’s here,” she whispered into the phone.
“Let me talk to him,” Eve said.
Cheyenne lowered her head so Dylan wouldn’t be able to see her face. “No.”
“I’ll be nice.”
“You won’t. You’re too protective of me. You feel my mother’s already shortchanged me and you’re not going to let anyone else do the same.”
“Damn right!”
“See? I’ll talk to you when you get off the boat.” She hung up as Dylan approached.
“Any word on Presley?” he asked.
Putting her phone on the railing next to the ashtray, she shook her head. “What are you doing home this time of day?”
“Work’s over.”
“At noon?”
“We closed up early for Christmas Eve.”
Cheyenne hadn’t realized what day it was; she’d lost track in the haze of recent events. “Oh. Right. I guess it is. Where’re your brothers?”
“They went to grab a bite.”
“And you didn’t go with them?”
He didn’t respond. It was obvious he’d come to see her instead. And that made it even harder to resist her feelings for him.
As he climbed the steps, his eyes shifted to the rose and card she’d left on the table. “A not-so-secret admirer?”
“Joe.”
“Ah, my competition hard at work.”
“He wants to talk to me about you.”
“What will you tell him?” He sat on the steps and stared out at the yard instead of looking at her. “You could blame it all on me if you’ve changed your mind again.” He was referring to her promise from last night.
“I haven’t changed my mind. I’ll tell him the truth.”
Twisting around, he glanced back at her. “Which is…”
“I can’t stop seeing you.”
A crooked grin suddenly curved his lips. “I’m sure he’ll appreciate your honesty.”
“I’m not sure what he’ll say.”
He patted his pocket as if he wanted to smoke, but didn’t pull out a pack of cigarettes. “When is this supposed to occur?”
“I don’t know, but…he invited me over for Christmas.”
Dylan’s smile disappeared. “Are you going?”
“It’ll be hard to have Christmas without Presley,” she said as she sank into her chair.