Page 159 of Passion at the Lake

“Hey. Enough hitting already,” he protested with a wince. “I got it done, didn’t I?” His phone rang, and he fished it from his pocket.

I caught the name Lisa Fox on the screen.

“Hold on a minute,” he said in greeting when he answered. He held the phone against his chest.

The burning question washed over me and came out as words before I could stop them. “What now?”

Boone pulled off the impromptu bandage I held against his head. “I told you I’d get rid of him, and I did. Now I gotta go. You’re free to do what you want with your life.” A second later, he marched to the bar, slapped some bills down, and continued to the door.

Boone raised the phone to his ear just before the door closed behind him.

I stood frozen. Jordan and the others joined me, with Grace following along. I got a full round of commentary—“He’s a brute,” “What an ass,” “I can see why you left him,” and “How did you ever end up with him?”

“He wasn’t always like that,” I said to excuse my stupidity for ever having dated Kevin.

Jordan nodded toward the door where Boone had just exited. “That was a pretty gutsy move from Boone.”

I nodded. “I warned him that Kevin was a cage fighter.”

Jordan slowly shook her head. “I wouldn’t have had the nerve to stand there and let that guy hit me.”

I cocked my head, finally getting the gist of what she said.

“I told him that,” Pris said. “He’s a moron for letting Godzilla hit him straight on. It could have ended real bad.”

Being behind Boone, I’d hadn’t seen things clearly, but that was two people now who thought he’d let himself be hit.

“I thought your brother had more sense than that,” Jordan agreed.

“Or maybe you guys didn’t realize how much he cares,” Callie said, her eyes pinned on me.

I didn’t know what to say to that. We’d just been acting, hadn’t we?

Grace leaned into me. “You see what teamwork can accomplish? Or do you think you could have done this on your own?”

I turned. “Huh?”

“Does she have to spell it out for you?” Callie asked.

I was such an idiot. I’d been blind to what had really happened tonight—and why. I had a man to talk to.

Trotting for the door, I grabbed a handful of napkins on the way out.

I hurried to the parking lot and looked both ways. My mood sank when I couldn’t see Boone anywhere. I was too late, and I didn’t have a car, or even any idea where he’d gone.

The door opened behind me.

I turned to find Rusty with Callie on his arm.

“Dinner tomorrow sounds great,” Callie told him.

Rusty held out keys. “Calla-lily says you might need some wheels. My truck’s the red one in the far corner. We got some dancin’ to do.”

I accepted the keys. “Thanks,” I told them. “I’ll have it back in the morning.”

Callie gave me a little wave as she and Rusty disappeared back inside.

I hadn’t been allowed to cultivate friends in Boston that weren’t part of our mutual network. None of those so-called friends would have given me half the support that Callie just had with this simple gesture. This was a good town of good people.