Page 100 of Sneak Attack

“We were kids. You’re not to blame for her running into the street. You’re to blame for hurting her, yes, but it was a bunch of mistakes that ended really bad for her. I’ve come to peace with that.”

And yet, he still came to the cemetery to read to his sister who died seven years ago. How much peace could he really have?

“I come and read to her because it makesmehappy.” Amazing how he read my mind. “Maybe I’m not willing to let go of her, but unless she was reading, she never used to like being alone, so some days I think of her here, alone, even though I know she’s not here, and I just want to keep her company. Reading passes the time. Besides,” he kicked up a crooked grin. “Some of these romance books have expanded my horizons in some pretty adventurous ways.”

I barked out a laugh, unable to help myself. “Yeah?”

“They’re like manuals, in the art of getting a woman to fall in love with you and the sex positions aren’t so bad either.”

“You read them for yourself, now, don’t you?”

“I’ll never tell.”

My laughter subsided and so did Nate’s smile.

“I should go.”

“You can come back, you know, anytime. And to the brewery. I’m sorry for how I treated you. I was shocked and didn’t handle it well.”

“I don’t think there’s ever anything you should apologize to me for.”

“Maybe you should think about stopping doing so much of it all the time, too, then. We all make mistakes, Eden, it’s how we grow from the after that matters.”

“Right.” Because I’d done sowellat that, too.

But I could. I could start.

“Do you think…do you think it’d hurt her?”

“To see you and Cole together? I think it’s been seven years and she would have probably been married with a handful of kids by now, loving her own life so I don’t really think her opinion matters.”

I kicked at the grass, trying to reconcile the dream he had for his sister if she’d lived into the reality.

“You grew up and got smart, Nate.”

“It’s all these books.”

“I should go.”

“Stay dry and tell Cole I said hello next time you talk to him. He doesn’t come in much during the season to the brewery and I miss his business. Besides, Jasper owes me a game of corn hole someday soon.”

“I will.”

I couldn’t say, as I climbed into my SUV, that I’d gotten the healing and absolution I’d been so desperate for but seeing Nate had helped. Getting everything off my chest made it feel lighter.

Maybe now that I’d taken the first step, the rest would come—as long as I kept trying.

* * *

“How are you?” Cole’s question carried a heavy tone to it, a knowing one.

He’d called me as soon as he arrived back at his hotel after a walk-through practice at Tampa’s field and then a team dinner.

“Tired,” I admitted. I’d come home and napped after I went to the cemetery. The evening was spent cooking dinner and making chocolate chip cookies from Mama B’s recipe. Marley helped, but I kept a close eye on her, needing to step in when she went to grab the one cup scoop instead of the tablespoon, staring at both of them with furrowed brows.

The simplest things, and every few days I saw the struggle. Melanie warned us about her decline, but it was possible I’d overlooked small things in the last couple of weeks since I hadn’t seen her in so long.

Cole had enough on his mind without me needing to bring it up.

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