Page 51 of Falling Stars

I hold up my hands and glance at the other customers. “We’re okay! No nipples have been harmed.”

She covers her face with a laugh. “Baylee Reyes, I can’t take you anywhere.” But then her expression grows serious again. “What happened to your house?”

My phone rings, interrupting us, and I pull it out of the diaper bag. Chills run down my arms as I stare at the screen. It’s another ‘unknown caller.’ I hold up a finger, and Paige nods. When I answer, I already know what will happen, but I do it anyway in case it’s a client.

Except all I get is dead air and then a click.

As I toss my cell back in the bag, I shake my head. “This is the third time today. Every time I answer, the person hangs up.” It makes me wonder if it’s somehow connected to what happened to my bedroom. Either that or a bot scammer got my number. It’s also possible this whole thing has made me paranoid, and someone’s simply having trouble with their phone.

After I explain how some psycho destroyed Leo’s baby shower gifts and my clothes, Paige reaches over to hug me. “I’m so sorry. That had to be traumatic. What did the sheriff say?”

“The usual. That he’ll look into it.” I won’t hold my breath that he’ll discover anything.

“I love him, but he should probably retire.”

“It helped to have Maverick with me,” I admit.

“Look, no matter where things end up with my brother-in-law, I don’t want you to worry about having a place to stay. If I have to move Jace to the camper and put you in his room, we’ll do it.”

I wrinkle my nose. “Have you ever wondered what his room looks like under a black light?”

“Good point. Maybe Jace’s room isn’t the best option, but we’ll figure it out. You’ll always have a place with me and Rhett.”

“Thank you. That means a lot to me.” I tuck Leo into the crook of my arm and hand him his wonky lion rattle that my mom made me crochet. “What do you say, buddy? Want to go stay on the ranch?”

18

MAVERICK

All afternoon,I pace around my condo until the back of my head throbs. Part of me wonders if Baylee was just blowing smoke up my ass when she stopped by earlier. Maybe she has no intention of returning home tonight.

I need help. I can’t call Jace because he’s never had a real relationship. Beau’s always secretive about who he dates, and Isaiah is off in the Amazon, wrestling anacondas and being a badass. Which leaves Rhett.

When my oldest brother picks up, I blurt it out. “I need some advice.”

“About football?”

“About Baylee.”

He’s quiet for a stretch. “I see.”

I run my fingers through my hair. “We had an argument.”

“About your injuries? About you not telling her how bad they were?”

“That kinda kicked off the discussion, but it was about the past. I was an asshole in high school.” I groan. “Back then, she flat-out told me she liked me and asked if I had feelings for her, and I denied it. You and I had just had that big talk about howsex changes everything, and I was freaked out and didn’t wanna lose my best friend. So I told her I didn’t reciprocate those feelings.” It was one of the rare times Rhett and I ever discussed dating.

He whistles. “That’s a doozie, bro. Because anyone in a ten-mile radius with two eyeballs in their head can see you’ve always had a thing for her. And I hope you know I wasn’t trying to scare you away from her. I just wanted you to be cautious.”

“I get it.” I try to explain what was going through my mind at the time. “We had different goals in life. We were headed to different towns. I didn’t think we could go the distance if I was in Charming and she was in Wild Heart. Anyway, she’s pissed at me.”

“She’s probably more hurt than anything, and we all know Baylee’s got a bit of a temper. So that means you need to break down her walls. Gently, of course.”

Feeling overwhelmed, I scrub my face. “What do I do?”

“Be honest with her about where you’re at now and about what you want out of your relationship. And in my experience, groveling will get you a long way.”

“What does that mean exactly? Apologize? Because I’ve done that.”

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