Page 34 of Infinite

I check the memory card in the camera. “What do you mean ‘used to’?”

She finishes off her last bite of pie, dabbing elegantly, even though our conversation resembles nothing close to sophisticated. “I’m only saying priorities and degrees of hotness change over time. Becks, I used to lose my senses whenever Callahan would emerge from the ocean following a long swim. Water drizzling down those muscular arms covered with Army tats, broad chest heaving in and out just so.”

I pause, looking out on the terrace where her ass-kicking, former Special Forces husband, stands. “You saying he’s out of shape? ’Cause if you are, I don’t see it.”

“Oh, no. I’m just saying it’s been too cold to swim. That and that nothing gets me hotter than when he vacuums or helps me out around the house.”

I’m certain I misheard. “Huh? Can we go back to the dripping wet, sexy men emerging from the ocean? I’m more familiar with that.” It’s true. When Hale and I were lifeguards, I got to see me plenty of that eye candy.Rawr.

Trin bats her hand. “I know you think I’m crazy. But when you’ve been up all night with a toddler with an earache and a baby permanently attached to your breast, and you head into the laundry room, praying you’ll find at least one pair of clean underwear—only to find your man has everything washed and folded and your dishes all put away—just because he knows you’re tired, I tell you, Becks. There’s nothing that revs a woman’s engine like that.” She blinks up at me. “Ever have sex in a laundry room?”

“On top of folded clothes?” I guess.

“Are you nuts? I’m not about to mess up Callahan’s good work. We placed the clothes in the basket first and then went at it like drunken elephants on parade. Candy and flowers are overrated, Becks. Give me clean floors and dinner started and Callahan can have me any way he wants.”

“On the washing machine?” I ask.

Trin gives me the smile she does every time she thinks of her husband. “Spin cycle works best.”

Her humor doesn’t last despite how we both have a good laugh. “Hale isn’t in a good place,” she says. “It’s not just the charges or how his good name has been dragged through the mud. He lost a part of his soul long before this.”

My hands slow as I return the camera to its case. Trin’s always been the one we all opened up to. The one with the biggest heart to share, and the warmest hugs to give. But even Trin, this perky, smiley, larger than life person, was no match for Hale’s darkness.

“That’s why I’m here, Trin.”

“I know.”

There’s a lot my friend means behind those few words. Just as I know there’s a lot she hasn’t shared. As close as we are, she and Hale have shared a special bond. That bond is similar to the one that connects me with Mason and Sean. It prevents us from telling everyone, everything. I suppose it’s best. Sometimes we all need our privacy, and some secrets need their silence. But there were times I could have used more news about Hale. As painful as it might have been, I needed to hear he was okay. Maybe because he wasn’t, that news never came.

Trin pushes her long dark hair over her shoulder and adjusts her hold over the now content child. Like always, she’s wearing her favorite ensemble, jeans, a T-shirt, and flip flops. “The Wall Street fiasco is plenty enough. But I think the damage to his reputation means more.”

“Mason said more or less the same thing,” I agree. “Every call that comes and the more information that’s obtained, he’s certain Hale will get off. But it’s like you said, it’s how bad his reputation has been slaughtered that’s hurting him the most.”

“He’s always prided himself on being a good man.”

I nod, thinking of all those times he defended those smaller and weaker. “I agree.”

“But?” Trin asks, sensing my hesitation.

“I don’t know, Trin. I think there’s more there. No one wants their reputation questioned, especially when your livelihood depends on it. But I have the feeling it’s brutalizing Hale even beyond what we see. Except, I’m not certain why.”

“I hear you and feel the same. But there’s more that troubles me. Being here, as much as I think it will help him to be around us and in the place he once loved, it’s also going to bring up a lot of other problems.”

She doesn’t mention Hale’s brothers. She doesn’t have to. They’re the unspoken part of his life we all know better than to ask about. “I know. I’ve thought about that, too.”

Trin lowers her chin, appearing miserable, despite the smile she gives her baby. Yes. There’s a lot she knows and plenty she’s likely not permitted to share. “Becks, when word gets out Hale is here, his family may come sniffing around.”

I carefully wind the cords to the small mic around my hand. “Maybe that will be a good thing.”

“Maybe,” she agrees. “But there’s a lot of hurt there.”

Trin is the friendliest person on the island and probably the entire world. Hale’s brothers spent most of their lives ignoring her, despite her best efforts. It used to make Hale mad. It used to makememad, seeing how hard she tried. I guess it was difficult for her to understand, since her brother, Landon, and his friends often hung out with us.

I wouldn’t go so far as to say Hale’s brothers were cruel. That’s not fair. But they would snub us. If we showed up to a party, they’d leave. In school, they’d act as if we didn’t exist. I didn’t care then. I do now. Had I connected with them like I had with Trin’s family, I could’ve reached out, softened the blow, and maybe better prepared them for his arrival.

“It’s not just Hale’s family I’m worried about,” Trin says, turning to make sure we’re still alone. “Becca, if your father finds out you’re helping him . . . I don’t want you to get hurt again.”

I knew she wasn’t done. Just as I knew she’d mention my family. “Daddy can’t hurt me,” I tell her. I take a breath, letting it out like I don’t care, even though I’m pissed off that I do. “He’s dying.”

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