They both shook their heads, and Maddie worried the corner of her lip. “I get the sense that he wasn’t a great guy, but she hasn’t opened up any more. I just hate that she hasn’t had help all these years.”
“I can’t imagine how hard it must be. But Cady’s amazing, and it’s because of Aspen,” Wren said.
I watched as Aspen smiled warmly at a customer, but she had shadows in her green eyes that told me her life hadn’t been easy.
“So…” Maddie began. “Caden certainly seemed to be needling you last night.”
I grimaced at the reminder, but Wren perked right up. “What was he doing?”
Maddie leaned back in her chair. “He’s like a little boy pulling G’s pigtails at recess.”
I snorted. “Hardly. He just gets extreme pleasure out of annoying the hell out of me and suggesting I make horrible life decisions.”
Wren frowned at that. “I’ve seen him tease you, but I’ve never seen him be mean.”
“It’s not mean, exactly.” It was as if Caden were assessing me every moment, certain I would screw something up. “It’s like he doubts me. I can’t explain it.”
Maddie nodded. “And that hurts because you two used to be so close.”
“He used to be the person who believed in me the most.” Saying the words out loud lit a burn along my sternum. “Enough about him. Tell me about the new house,” I said to Wren.
She filled us in on her and Holt’s new build, Maddie told us all about her new dog training clients, and I recounted the tourist trip from hell yesterday. Before I knew it, we’d been there for over an hour.
“I need to run, or I’m going to be late for work,” I said, pushing to my feet and throwing some cash onto the table.
“Hope there aren’t any delusional tourists on your trips today,” Maddie said with a laugh.
“Me, too.” I pressed a hand to Wren’s belly. “Take care of my bestie in there.”
She grinned up at me. “I will.”
With a wave at Aspen, I headed out the door. Laughter caught on the air from the kids playing at Dockside Park across the street, and the sun streamed down in a way that made me want to hold on to summer for just a little bit longer. I took a deep breath of fresh, pine-scented air. Days like these made me certain I’d never want to move away from Cedar Ridge.
“Grae,” a masculine voice called.
I stiffened as I turned my gaze to the figure hurrying down the street in his navy firefighter slacks and tee.
Rance came to a stop in front of me, but just a few inches too close. “You didn’t text me back.”
I bit the inside of my cheek. He was right. I hadn’t returned the three texts I’d gotten while at my SAR meeting or the four he’d sent after that. “I’ve been busy. And I honestly didn’t think there was anything else to say.”
Annoyance flickered in his brown eyes. “That’s a little extreme, don’t you think? We’re friends. We’ve been dating.”
“We went on three dates over a month ago. That’s not the same as dating.”
He waved me off. “You know what I mean.”
But I didn’t. I had no idea what Rance was fighting so hard to hold on to.
“You weren’t home until late last night. Is everything okay? I was worried.”
A chill skittered down my spine. “How do you know that?”
Rance scoffed. “We live in the same neighborhood. I was out for a late jog.”
My stomach churned. That much was true. Rance lived about half a mile from my cottage on the outskirts of town. But feeling like he was checking up on me had me on edge.
“Where were you?” he pressed.
