When Summer Comes (Whiskey Creek #3)(76)
Author: Brenda Novak

“So…you’re going to blame it on me?”

She laughed. “Basically. Do you mind?”

There was a shrug in his voice when he responded. “No.”

He was leaving, anyway, but neither of them wanted to talk about that. “I’ll be sure to tell them you’re good in bed. Will that make up for it?”

“It might preserve a bit of my male pride.”

“Consider that pride preserved. So—” she paused to put on some lip gloss “—do you want to meet them?”

She assumed he’d say no….

“Why not?”

Surprised, she poked her head out of the bathroom.

When their eyes met, he said, “I’m going to miss you.”

* * *

Cheyenne fidgeted nervously with her purse strap as she stood on Callie’s porch with Dylan, Eve, Riley, Noah, Baxter and Kyle. They’d met at her place and taken two cars so they could all arrive at once. Ted was still on deadline for his next book and couldn’t come, and no one had been able to reach Sophia.

“I hope this doesn’t make matters worse,” she muttered to no one in particular.

Eve was closest to her, but she probably would’ve been the one to respond. The guys tended to favor less intervention rather than more. Eve had all but twisted their arms to get them to participate in this. “We have to do something,” she’d argued. “What’s our other option? To just…let her drift away?”

Cheyenne didn’t like the thought of losing Callie’s friendship. Callie meant too much to her. But she had to admit that getting married had required her to pull back from the group just a little, to make room for Dylan and the privacy being a couple required. Maybe Callie was going through something like that, something tied to maturation and changing needs.

Before she could mention this idea, the door opened.

Cheyenne caught her breath in case Callie wasn’t pleased, but Callie seemed so genuinely happy to have them all on her doorstep that Cheyenne was no longer sure they had a problem.

“It’s good to see you,” Callie said as she gave each of them a hug.

“This is weird,” Eve whispered. They were at the back of the group and could talk amid the other voices and jostling without being overheard.

“Maybe she really has been preoccupied with getting the farm up for sale,” Cheyenne whispered back.

When they were all inside, Cheyenne glanced around, hoping to see the mysterious drifter who’d come to stay with their friend, but he wasn’t in the room.

“I made coffee,” Callie announced while they sat down. “And that brown-sugar cinnamon cake I served at Ted’s birthday.”

Noah wrinkled his nose. “Sugar so early? You don’t owe us anything, but what’s wrong with fruit or yogurt or oatmeal?”

“Oh, brother,” she replied. “You eat those things every day.”

“I gave up smoking not long ago,” Dylan piped up. “That’s my concession to the healthy life, so I’ll take his piece.”

Cheyenne squeezed his hand. “Getting off nicotine isn’t easy. I’m so proud of you, honey.”

He grinned at her, but Cheyenne scarcely noticed. Callie’s wistful expression made Cheyenne remember what Eve had said about her wanting to get married. But whatever she was thinking didn’t seem to dull her delight in the moment. “We’re not watching calories or fat grams or carbs or anything else today,” she said. “So forget about clogged arteries and living past a hundred. This is a celebration.”

Noah propped his feet up on the coffee table. “What are we celebrating?”

Cheyenne had been wondering the same thing, but since Noah had asked, she didn’t have to.

Callie’s gaze moved over the group. “Friendship.”

“Wait a second.” Noah put his feet down again and sat up. “You just happened to have a coffee cake on hand?”

Baxter flushed so brightly, Cheyenne knew he’d told Callie they were coming. “What?” he said, spreading his hands when everyone turned to look at him. “It was only polite to let her know we were about to descend on her!”

Callie laughed more freely than Cheyenne had seen in some time. “It’s okay. I’m glad you’re all here. I’ve missed you.”

“I’d say this is a pretty warm welcome.” Riley nudged Eve, who was sitting next to him on the couch. “I guess we can’t really accuse her of treating us funny now.”

While several people chuckled, Cheyenne saw Callie put her hands on Kyle’s shoulders from behind the low-back chair in which he sat. When he glanced up at her wearing the hurt look he’d been trying so hard to hide, Callie bent down and pressed her cheek against his. Cheyenne couldn’t hear what was said, but she thought Callie whispered that she was sorry.

“Um, there’s been enough canoodling between the two of you,” Riley joked, and Callie blushed as she pulled away.

“That hasn’t changed the fact that I love him,” she said. “I’ll always love him.”

Cheyenne was afraid Kyle might start crying. She could almost see the relief that swept through him.

“I take full responsibility,” he said simply.

Callie ruffled his hair. “Nice try. I participated, too. But thanks for telling everyone.”

At the sarcasm in her voice, Kyle brought a hand to his chest. “That’s what I thought you wanted me to do! You said so once, on the phone. You think I wanted to do that?”

“No. I think we both screwed up on several counts. But we’re okay, the two of us, right?”

Relaxing into his chair, he smiled. “We’re okay.”

“Great.” With a nod of satisfaction, Callie motioned to Eve. “Come help me serve the cake.”

Cheyenne followed them into the kitchen. “You look great,” she told Callie. “Thinner than I’ve ever seen you, but…happy.”

Callie met her gaze. “Thanks.”

“So…you’re okay? Everything’s okay?”

“I feel…lucky.”

Cheyenne and Eve exchanged a glance. “In what way?”

“I have a lot of good friends.”

“You’re completely disarming us. You know that,” Eve said.

Callie slung an arm around them both. “Relax and have fun.”

“Where’s your…your new friend?” Eve asked.

“He’s taking a shower,” Callie said. “He’ll be right out.”