Page 39 of Keeping Secrets

"You said it." She picked up the tray of cookies and walked toward the living room. "Would you grab four glasses?"

"Sure thing." There was another flutter of nervousness in her stomach at the thought of seeing Travis again, but she smothered it. She took the hat off her head – it was much too warm in there - and shoved it in her pocket so that she could grab two empty glasses in each hand. She followed Chloe into the living room and heard the low rumble of Nick and Travis’s voices before she saw them.

"He kicked me out about five minutes after I got him home." Travis looked up and stopped talking when they walked in.

"Thank you." Nick hurried to take the tray out of Chloe‘s hands and set it on the coffee table. "These look phenomenal."

"Were you talking about Scot?" Chloe asked.

"Yeah, Travis drove him home from the hospital last night."

"How is he?"

"Hobbling around on a half-healed ankle and waiting to hear back about a dozen different tests but still insisting on coming to the bar tonight." Travis shook his head and took a huge bite of chocolate chip cookie.

Nick’s laugh was a little rumble. "Sounds like Scot."

"Is he still running trivia night?" Chloe asked. "After all that?"

"No," Travis said. "I’m running it again this week. But he wants to be there."

"I get that. Maybe getting back into his usual routine will help him feel better."

"Watching me stumble my way through trivia night isn’t exactly his usual routine, but sure."

"You know what I mean. His usual environment. Anyway, you did a great job last week." Chloe turned to Keely with a smile, inviting her into the conversation in that effortless way she had. "Do you want to join us for trivia night? We’re on Ali‘s team, and Willa can’t make it this week. She and Mac are out of town."

"Sure." Not wanting to look at Travis but not knowing where else to look, she moved toward the tray of cookies and grabbed one that had an extra lot of chocolate chunks. "Sounds fun."

"Are you sure that’s a good idea?" Nick asked.

She gave him a level, irritated look. "Why? Because it’s a bar?"

"Well, yeah." He rubbed a hand up the back of his neck, looking embarrassed.

"Have I not proven to you several times over that I am fine in a bar? I’m not gonna start pounding shots and snorting lines. It’s not even that kind of bar. It’s trivia night, for Pete’s sake."

"I know. I’m sorry. I’m just…"

"Protective," Chloe said.

"Overprotective," Keely added.

"All right, all right, I get it."

"There was tons of alcohol at the CPR event, and I didn’t drink then."

"I said I get it," He snatched another cookie up off the tray.

"I hear your food stole the show," Travis said, trying to lighten the mood. Keely looked at him in surprise. "I’m sorry that I didn’t get to try any."

"Scot picked a bad time to bash his head in," Nick said.

Travis’ expression soured, and he opened his mouth to reply, but Nick cut him off with a raised hand.

"Sorry, I don’t know what’s up with me." He emptied the last of the milk into Chloe‘s glass and stood. "I’m going to get more milk." He walked off into the kitchen, looking dejected.

"He’s just a little out of sorts," Chloe said. She smiled softly. "He’s a worrier."

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