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Her muddled brain shouted at her to process his words while her aching heart told her to run Her flaed her to just ju was cru around her
"I listened to you, Rena, andout of bed as I a, dae, at least they were talking and she wouldn’t let teray eyes usually so steady, constant, ever honorable, and the truth deluged over her like those stor up In his manspeak way, JT had answered her question after all JT didn’t lie He gave sparse accountings, but his words counted He’d told her he loved her then She’d just never listened
The truth raining over her chilled to a deeper realization of icy, sheeting sleet He’d said loved Past tense
Today, he hadn’t said a thing about loving her still In fact, he hadn’t said those words for a long time And she couldn’t help but notice his love had stopped right about the same time as the kisses
He’d screwed up
JT lifted the crutches out of the back of the truck in their driveway, sidestepped a bush of pink flowers … azaleas maybe? Or wisteria? Hell he couldn’t keep all her plants straight: Or her needs
He passed the crutches to his silent wife, crickets sawing in the background, night traffic in the neighborhood slow and sporadic Damn it, he shouldn’t have lost his cool He still wasn’t sure exactly where he’d slid off course, but no doubt, his plan to woo Rena had been shot down
"Thanks," she said without looking at hi tri the crutches frostone path, ready to catch her if a crutch went rogue in the soft lawn Why did she have tofrom a simple trip inside to where he parked his boots
Not that he intended to ask her He kept his yap shut, because if she questioned whether he’d said he loved her all those years ago then he ined He’d done so and still he couldn’t pinpoint what He’d tried his best to keep the darker parts of his job and hi the side door, JT followed her into the kitchen "Son, we’re ho-ho the walls mocked hi He could read her lingering arousal from their kisses in the truck They could have been upstairs in bed now, together
Rena rested her crutches against the counter and dragged out a chair at the table A sign she didn’t want to go upstairs with hi to end?
She dropped into one chair, propped her foot on another She slipped her hand into a side pocket on her skirt and pulled out a package … of peanuts Honey roasted She tore open the corner with her teeth, poured half the h the house, dishes on the counter Two glasses?
One with glittery lip gloss kissing the ri on his family
Chris’s footsteps thudded down the second set of stairs leading into the kitchen "Hey, Mom Dad Have fun?"
"Yeah, we had a nice drive" JT tucked one glass into the dishwasher, then the other "Have soone?"
Rena looked up froed, shuffled across the tile floor into the pantry "Just a friend"
Twisting the setting knob, JT started the dishwasher and flipped the net from "dirty dishes" to "clean" "A feloss on the second glass"
"Just a friend," Chris repeated over the sound of a chip bag tearing open
Rena nudged peanuts around on the table "Hon, you know I prefer you not have girls over when no one’s here"
"Sure Sorry"
The phone rang Lucky Chris
JT yanked the receiver off the wall "Hello?"
"Hi," a female voice crooned "Could I speak to Chris, please? Tell him it’s Miranda"
At least now he didn’t have to irl for you"
Chris charged toward the phone
"Soy his palm over the mouthpiece, JT said, "Your o upstairs whereover his dragging shoelaces before righting hiain "I’m sorry, but he just stepped out I couldn’t catch hie?"
"Just tell him he needs to come in to work an hour early tomorrow and run deliveries"
"Will do" He replaced the receiver "She says you’re supposed to come in an hour early to run deliveries"
Chris’s face paled until acne shone double Females could do that to a man
"So you ith her?"
"Yeah, she’s one of the hostesses" His gaze ping-ponged fro parent to the other "It’s not like that"
"Okay, son You’re entitled to your privacy" JT hefted the transparent garbage bag out of the trash can "But that doesn’t mean I won’t be curious as hell"