Page 41 of Love Me Again

Shane ran a hand through his hair then took a step forward, at the same time Boone did. It wasn’t something they’d ever really done. But somehow their arms were around each other, if awkwardly.

So Boone Tyler hugged his brother with tears in his eyes. Then after a second or two, they both stepped away, cleared their throats, averted eyes that may or may not have shed a few tears.

“I, uh, tried to invite Josie to come tomorrow, but I just pissed her off before I could actually do the inviting, so you don’t need to worry about getting everybody together. You just have it be a family affair.”

“Oh, it’s going to be a family affair,” Shane said resolutely. “And Josie’s going to be there. Count on it.”

Boone didn’t really know how Shane could guarantee that, but if anyone could… Well, it was Shane.

CHAPTER 12

Josie woke up with a pounding headache. Her eyes felt swollen and her throat sore. It seemed to her she was spending more time crying her eyes out than she was figuring her shit out.

Which was all Boone’s fault.

She sat up in bed. Stretched. Yes, her head felt like an oversized balloon, but she had slept. And she felt weirdly…better wasn’t the right word. More settled, maybe?

Maybe some of this was healthy. Actually crying and sleeping and eating instead of just pushing through everything.

She considered that as she ran through the shower and made herself breakfast. She hadn’t tried to outrun her grief, exactly. Sure, she didn’t like to dwell in the memories of Dad, or Boone, but she’d just had so much to do, and she’d been the only one to do it. There hadn’t been time to cry or whine or feel sorry for herself.

She pulled a face at the thought. Feeling sorry for herself couldn’t be healthy. Didn’t it just make her pathetic?

Before she could decide, a knock sounded at the door. Josie didn’t move right away. She stared at it with a frown. If it was Boone, she was going to…

What? Keep letting him weasel his way back into your life?

Except she had sent him away last night. She hadn’t let him…whatever that had been. Because she was stronger than that. And she would keep being strong. Him using her dad as an excuse to leave her was just more of Boone’s usual nothing was his fault.

She’d hold onto that. Use it against him. Save herself.

When she opened the door, it wasn’t Boone. It wasn’t Deb or Molly or even Cora or Lou.

It was Shane. She hadn’t had any one-on-one conversations with Boone’s oldest brother. Was Boone just sending a parade of his family members to wear her down? And for what damn purpose?

She thought about him saying last night he’d just thought maybe it would all work out some day because she’d been too busy to pester her lawyer. It was such a very male thing to think, and apparently Shane was going to get the brunt of her anger at the male species right now because she scowled at his good morning.

“We’re all going down to the Christmas tree farm,” he said patiently, the kind smile never leaving his face as he pointed back at a truck. Cora and Micah were inside. “My sister lives there with her boyfriend, and she’s dying to meet you.”

“Oh, well. I…” She didn’t have the words to say no since he wasn’t exactly asking her to come in so many words, so she just shook her head.

“She’s the baby of the family,” Shane said, as if she hadn’t nonverbally said no. “I don’t know if you have any siblings, but the babies always complain about being left out. I don’t think anyone will hear the end of it if we all got to meet you and Linsday didn’t.”

Remembering her frustration, Josie straightened he shoulders. “No, thank you.”

“How about this? I’ll answer any questions you have about Boone fully and honestly on the drive over. He’s riding with Mom. You can ride with us. Give us some privacy.”

She would not be lured into this, but… “Any questions?”

He smiled, and it reminded her of Boone for a strange, upside-down moment. “Anything at all.”

“Even about like ex-girlfriends and bad behavior?”

“The bad behavior might take too long, but the ex-girlfriends are easy. He doesn’t have any.”

At Josie’s doleful look, Shane shrugged. “I’m not saying there weren’t girls, but as far as I ever knew, he was not the, ah, girlfriend type.”

“You’re saying he was a manwhore.”