I barked out a laugh. “Looks like we’re getting hitched.”
“Worth it.” Laiken took a bite of her BLT and washed it down with iced tea. “Why did you bring me a sandwich?”
“Kept finding myself thinking about you these past few days.”
“You must be bored.”
I fought a grin as I took a swig of my Coke. “Plenty to think about, yet you always seem to fight your way in there. You and your photo.”
“It’s not mine.”
“Fine, the photo of you.”
She looked up at the piece. “It’s one of my favorites, too.”
“Made me curious about you.”
Laiken grunted.
“How about a question for a question?”
“Do I get veto power?”
“Sure.”
She broke off a corner of bread. “Okay.”
“From Wolf Gap originally?”
“Born and raised.”
That wasn’t surprising. Laiken seemed to fit here. As if she and the town melded together. Maybe it was how the landscape in that photo surrounded her, but they went hand-in-hand in my mind.
“Did you like growing up in a small town?” I asked.
“Sometimes, I loved it. Other times, I hated it.” She tossed the piece of bread at me. “I get two questions now.”
Gizmo gobbled up the bread as it bounced off my chest.
“Fair enough.”
“What are you doing in Wolf Gap?”
“Learning how to whisper to horses.”
Laiken stilled. “From Ramsey? How much did you have to pay him to get him to do that?”
“Not a penny.” He’d been insulted when I offered. “That’s two. My turn. Tell me something about your friend.”
A shadow passed over her eyes, and I wanted to kick myself. “Never mind. Dumb question.”
“No. It’s okay. It might be nice to talk about her. We weren’t friends anymore. Not really. But we were close at one of those fundamental times in your life. Those relationships stamp themselves into your bones.”
“They do.”
“She had a mischievous streak. Loved a practical joke. But she’d also do anything for her friends. Anything to make sure they knew she loved them. You’d think with that kind of care, nothing bad could’ve happened to any of us.”
Something in Laiken’s voice told me that something badhadhappened to them. And it had marked her.