Take Me Home for Christmas (Whiskey Creek #5)(73)
Author: Brenda Novak

“You’re a bully, no different from Connie Ruesch.”

“Connie who?”

“Never mind. This is the important part—I won’t put up with what you’re doing to me.”

“You have no choice. You pick a fight with me, you’ll lose.” Suddenly, he smiled and took a bottle of wine from his cart, then handed it to her through the window. She didn’t want it, but if she hadn’t taken it, she was fairly certain he would’ve dropped it in her lap.

“A token of my goodwill,” he said. “I know you’ll want to guzzle it the second I turn my back, but I wouldn’t advise it. DUIs are expensive.”

Laughing softly as if he was the cleverest man on earth, he wheeled his cart around and headed in the other direction, but not before calling back to her, “Look at the beautiful Sophia DeBussi. Broke. Alone. Despised.”

A chill rolled down Sophia’s spine. Those were the exact words on the note attached to the rock that had broken her window! Stunned that he had the nerve to admit that he was the one who’d vandalized her house, Sophia sat gaping at the wine he’d handed her. Obviously, on top of everything else, he was aware of her drinking problem. Word of that could’ve come from her in-laws, who’d told Agent Freeman. Or maybe Agent Freeman had mentioned it himself. He would’ve had no idea he couldn’t trust local law enforcement with that information.

“Stacy, you bastard.” She shifted her gaze to watch him in her side mirror—and it was all she could do to stop herself from getting out and throwing that bottle at his head.

* * *

Ted had a lot to do. He shouldn’t have been so focused on the fact that he’d missed coffee this morning, but he kept wondering if Eve had told everyone that they were no longer seeing each other. That they’d failed when they’d been so certain—or at least hopeful—had to be embarrassing for her. It was embarrassing for him. But what could he do? The further he got from last night’s conversation, and the commitment he’d made to the relationship before that, the freer he felt. They weren’t meant for each other. It would’ve been a huge mistake to keep forcing it. As illogical as it seemed, picking a mate based on character traits alone didn’t seem to be any more foolproof than letting his heart run amok. A certain amount of chemistry had to be present.

When someone knocked on the door, he assumed it was FedEx with the check he’d been expecting from his publisher. It required a signature, so he hurried down from his office. But there was no courier; instead, Kyle stood on his front porch.

“Hey, man, what’s up?” Ted greeted him.

Kyle looked him over. “You okay?”

He knew about Eve. Ted could tell. He’d expected to hear from someone. It wasn’t as if Eve could go to coffee without being asked where he was—which would lead to the inevitable “we’re no longer together” conversation. Maybe that was why he hadn’t been able to get his mind off his friends.

At least Kyle was the first to approach him. Kyle had tried to warn him not to get involved with Eve but, because he’d made a similar mistake with Callie, he’d also be more understanding.

“I’m fine.” Ted stretched his neck. “Between you and me, I’m better than I should be. It’s Eve I’m worried about. I hope—I hope I didn’t make her feel bad.”

“Well, you damn sure didn’t make her feel good,” he said wryly. “That’s what I was hoping to help you avoid in the first place.”

“I know. How’d she act this morning?”

“Wasn’t there.”

So neither of them had shown up. “Then how—”

“Cheyenne announced it.”

It made sense that Cheyenne would be the first to hear, since she and Eve were so close.

He waved Kyle into the house. “Come in.”

They went to the game room and lounged on either end of the leather sofa. “How’d Cheyenne break the news?” Ted asked.

“Just came right out with it. She also said she didn’t want any of us asking about you when we see Eve again. And we’re not allowed to tease her.”

Ted feared that might be too tempting for some of the guys to resist. But he’d probably get ribbed about it more than she would—thank God. “So…could you tell how she was taking it?”

“Chey said she’d be fine. She said you’d both be fine…given time.”

“But you came over anyway.”

“I wanted to see how much time you’re going to need.”

Ted grinned sardonically. “Your sensitivity overwhelms me.”

“Okay. I came to rub your nose in your mistake. So let’s hear you say it.”

“Say what?”

“‘Kyle, I humbly apologize for not listening. You were absolutely right in trying to warn me away from one of our close friends.’”

Ted gave him a playful kick. “Screw you.”

Chuckling, Kyle got up and started racking balls on the pool table. “At least tell me what happened.”

Ted walked over and selected a cue stick. Kyle didn’t have to ask; he wanted a game or he wouldn’t be racking the balls. “I’m not discussing it with you or anyone else. I doubt she’d appreciate me running my mouth.”

“Uh, huh. Okay. Good answer.” He seemed intent and supportive, but then he grinned. “So what happened?”

“I just told you—”

“So?”

Ted scowled. “Quit it!”

Kyle chucked him on the chin. “It wasn’t there, am I right?”

The fact that Kyle had guessed without any effort at all made Ted feel like even more of an ass. “Okay, I should’ve listened to you. Happy now?”

“I am,” he said. “At least I’m no longer the only one who’s ventured into no-man’s-land.”

“You’re making me feel a lot better.”

The smile curving Kyle’s lips stretched wider. “No problem.”

Ted watched him select a cue stick now that he had the balls in place. “You want to go first?”

“After you.”

He took the shot and watched the balls scatter. Two striped ones found their way into a pocket, giving him a nice start. He circled the table looking for his next shot.

Kyle waited off to one side. “When are you going to start dating Sophia?” he asked.

Ted glanced up. “Who said anything about Sophia?”