I answered them individually. “It was initially a bit awkward and uncomfortable living with him, but Mark makes it so easy that the discomfort left around day two. I don’t know if we’re working through our issues because we haven’t spoken about them yet. I think we’re getting used to being around each other again and working up a rapport before tackling them. We’re not back together, and we’re not apart, but things aren’t going bump in the night.”
Sadly.
Cyn pursed her lips. “That’s oddly disappointing for me, but I’m sure the bed will begin rocking with time.” Then, in a much softer tone, she asked, “How do you feel about it all? Are you coping okay?”
I. Loved. Her.
“I’m okay, honey, I promise. I’d done some thinking before Mark moved in and was just plucking up the courage to speak to him, so it’s not as hard as it would have been if Jacinda and Evie hadn’t knocked some sense into me. I guess I’m just frustrated that we haven’t spoken, and it’s all sitting there like a wedge between us. You know?”
She nodded. “Peace comes with time. Four years of hurt can’t be erased overnight, especially not without the talk that needs to happen, so you both understand each other. I was thinking it would be driving me insane if I were in your shoes, but thinking about it now, I think what you’re doing is probably best.”
“You do?”
“Absolutely,” she said firmly. “You need time to learn each other again because four years away means you missed out on a lot of growth for him and vice versa. Once you do that, the talk won’t seem like a battle, more of a resolution to the battle.”
Poking her in the side, I chuckled when she jerked across the ground away from me. “And what about you? How’s Detective Ortiz doing?”
Cyn’s easygoing manner left her like someone had flicked a switch. “That- that- that—”
“Detective? Man?”
“Arsehole shall not be mentioned around me.”
I did love their battle. It was like a real life clash of the Titans.
“What’s Kapono done this time?”
“What hasn’t he done? I swear he stalks me and chooses the worst moments to make my life hell.”
I knew Kapono well, he was actually a great guy, but I also knew he had a wicked side to him and was likely doing what she was accusing him of.
“Did you see him, Judd, Kai, Keir, and Roque working out when we arrived?”
Cyn paled. “He was here?”
“Wait,” a voice said behind us, making us both jump and squeak. “Roque was here?” Sayla squatted down next to me, her face almost the same shade as Cyn’s.
“Yeah. Y’all didn’t see them when we came in?”
Sayla glanced around nervously. “Did they see us working out?”
“I don’t know,” I shrugged. “I was too busy not dying.”
When she sank down onto her ass, Cyn got up and crawled over to join us in a mini huddle. “Babe, what’s going on?”
This time when Sayla looked at us, I could see how drained and exhausted she was. “I was on a date last night, and we went to Brooklyn’s for dinner.”
“You went to Brooklyn? Last night?” Cyn asked, looking shocked. “How the chuffing hell did you get there and back so quickly? Wait, was it with him?”
“Brooklyn’s a restaurant on the outskirts of Palmerstown. It opened up two weeks ago and is meant to be a nice, quiet place to go.”
I gave Sayla’s hand a squeeze to get her attention. “So, what happened?”
“My date was one of the vets who works with Jeremy. He’s new here and just such a great guy, so I said yes when he asked me.”
Jeremy was Naomi’s half-brother, whom she’d only met a year ago. He’d moved to Piersville and had taken over the veterinary practice situated literally on the border with Palmerstown—and by literally, I meant half of it was in Piersville, the half was there.
“Anyway, after we sat down, I looked over, and Roque was at the table next to us with his date. She was a beautiful brunette with a body that had all of the waiters tripping over their own feet.”