“If you’re lying to me, I’m not averse to getting out the old switch.”
He grinned. “You’d have to catch me first. I’m still a fast runner, Mama.”
Her face softened with affection. “Just be careful, Gage. There was a time when she broke your heart. I would hate to see that happen again.”
“It won’t,” he said confidently. A man was allowed to be a fool for a woman once in a lifetime, but not twice. “We’ll always be friends. We have too much past between us to avoid that. We’re neighbors, so I’ll be seeing her, but it won’t amount to anything significant.”
It was only a white lie, he thought cheerfully. Because getting Kari into bed was definitely his goal. And if things were as hot between them as he guessed they would be, the event would certainly qualify as “significant.” But that wasn’t something he wanted to share with his mother.
“You heard from Quinn lately?” he asked, changing the subject.
“Not since that one letter a month ago.” She sighed. “I worry about that boy.”
Gage didn’t think there was any point in mentioning that Quinn was thirty and a trained military operative. “Boy” hadn’t described him in years.
“He should be getting leave in the next few months.”
“I’m hoping he’ll make time to come to the wedding. I don’t know if he will, though.”
Gage wasn’t sure, either. He and Quinn had once been close, but time and circumstances had changed things. They’d both headed into the military after high school, but unlike Gage, Quinn had stayed in. He’d gone into Special Forces, then joined a secret group that worked around the world wherever there was trouble.
Despite being from the same family as Gage, Quinn had never fit in. Mostly because their father had made his life a living hell.
As always, the thought made Gage uncomfortable. He’d never understood why he’d been the golden boy of the family and Quinn had been the unwelcome stranger. He also didn’t know why he was thinking so much about the past lately.
Maybe it was Kari returning and stirring it up. Maybe now was a good time to ask a question that should have been asked long ago.
“Why didn’t Daddy like Quinn?”
Edie stiffened slightly. “What are you saying, Gage? Your father loved you two boys equally. He was a good father.”
Gage stared at her, wondering why she was lying. Why avoid the obvious?
“The old farmer’s market opened last week. I’m going to head over there this weekend and see if I can get some berries. Maybe I’ll bake a pie for next time.”
The change of subject was both obvious and awkward. Gage hesitated a second before giving in and saying that he always enjoyed her pies.
But as they chatted about the summer heat and who was vacationing where, he couldn’t shake the feeling that there were secrets hiding just below the surface. Had they always been there and he had never noticed?
Twenty minutes later, he hugged his mother goodbye, then picked up the trash bag from the kitchen and carried it out as he did every time he left. He put it in the large container by the garage and waved before stepping into his truck.
His mother waved back, then returned to the house.
Gage watched the closed back door for a while before starting the truck and heading home. What had happened tonight? Was something different, or was he making something out of nothing?
He slowly drove the familiar streets of Possum Landing. The signal by the railroad tracks had already started its slow flashing for the night. Those downtown would stay on until midnight, but on the outskirts of town they went to flashing at eight.
Unease settled at the base of his spine, making him want to turn around and demand answers from his mother. The problem was, he wasn’t sure what the questions were supposed to be.
Maybe instead of answers, he needed a woman. It had been a long time and his need hadn’t gone away. There were, he supposed, several women he could call on. They would invite him inside for dessert…and breakfast. He paused at the stop sign. No doubt Daisy would do the happy dance if he turned his attention in her direction. Of course, she would want a whole lot more than breakfast. Daisy was a woman in search of a happy ending. Gage was sure it was possible—just not with him.
He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, then swore and headed home. None of those welcoming beds appealed to him tonight. They hadn’t in a long time. He’d reached that place in his life where the idea of variety only made him tired. He wanted the familiar. He wanted to settle down, get married and have a half-dozen kids. So why couldn’t he make it happen? Why hadn’t he fallen in love and popped the question? Why hadn’t he—
He turned into his driveway, his headlights sweeping the front of the house next door. Someone sat on the top step, shielding her eyes from the flash of light. A familiar someone who made parts of him stand up at attention without even trying.
Been there, done that, he told himself as he killed the engine and stepped out into the quiet of the night. But that didn’t stop him from heading toward her, crossing his lawn and then hers.
Anticipation filled him. He wondered how she liked her eggs.
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