“Except I can only have one a day right now.” She rubbed her belly. “As soon as I pop this one out, I’m having at least three.”
Everly laughed and rubbed her back. “I’ll bring a six-pack on ice to the hospital.”
She grinned. “You are the best cousin ever.”
We lost ourselves in conversation about nothing serious. No one mentioned the fact that Hayes wasn’t here because he was still searching for a missing woman. We didn’t speak about shootings or possible murders. We laughed and ate, and I fell in love with Laiken’s friends. There was no pretense. They didn’t pretend that I wasn’t an actor, but they didn’t make a big deal out of it either.
Calder and Beckett did their fair share of good-natured ribbing, and Hadley asked me all sorts of random questions about other actors I’d worked with. But they mostly wanted to know aboutme. What I was interested in. How I’d ended up in Wolf Gap. We talked about the town.
When I mentioned having talked to a realtor, Laiken’s eyes flared. I guessed it was as good a time as any to let her in on that small detail. The whole table chimed in on areas I should consider looking. The only one who didn’t say a word all through dinner was Shiloh.
I couldn’t help but be curious about the mysterious woman and wanted to ask Laiken about her the first moment I got.
My phone buzzed in my pocket as we cleared the table. A voicemail from my dad. Apparently, I’d been too caught up in conversation and had missed his call.
I pressed a kiss to Laiken’s temple. “This is from my dad. I need to check it real quick.”
“Of course. Take as long as you need.”
I nodded and headed for the back deck. The air bit into my skin, but the feeling was pleasant after the big Italian feast. I lifted the phone to my ear and listened to the message.
“Hey, Bo. I talked to the private investigator. He has nothing. It’s like Eli dropped off the face of the Earth. I’m so sorry he’s putting you through this.” My father’s voice cracked, and my heart right along with it. I could kill my brother for what he was putting them through, not to mention what he’d done to Laiken. “I’m calling it an early night, but let’s connect tomorrow. Love you.”
The line went dead. My dad had sounded so tired. A bone-deep fatigue that didn’t come from lack of sleep but from years of pain.
The sound of the back door closing had me turning around. Shiloh appeared with Koda at her side.
“Hey,” I greeted, trying to clear the lingering thoughts about my father and Eli.
“Please don’t tell anyone you saw me at Ramsey’s.”
Interesting. Why watching someone work with horses had to be a secret, I had no idea. “I don’t keep secrets from Laiken.”
Her eyes hardened a fraction. “Fine,” she gritted out. “Just don’t tell anyone else. I don’t need my business spread around.”
It was more words than I’d heard her say all night. “I haven’t yet, and I have no plans to start.”
Shiloh jerked her head in a sort of nod and took off for the house. She almost collided with Laiken but dodged her at the last second. Laiken’s gaze went from me to Shiloh and back again. “What was that all about?”
I watched Shiloh disappear around a corner. “I have no idea.”
38
Laiken
Boden’s handtrailed up and down my spine as I lay sprawled across his chest. “I like your friends.”
“I’m glad. They’re good people.”
“Good people can be hard to come by.”
“Probably harder in LA, where you’re wondering if they’re pursuing a friendship out of genuine interest or whether they want something.”
His fingers stilled for a moment and then started their movement again. “You’re right there. I can count the number of genuine friends I’ve had in my life on one hand.”
That made me so incredibly sad for Boden. I’d had my share of hardship over the years but always had the knowledge that people in my life cared about me. “What you got from the people at dinner was pure authenticity.”
Boden tipped up my face so I was looking at him. “I know that. I felt it every moment of tonight.”