Page 105 of Bodyguard By Night

“I can’t believe you’re cool with this.” Chaos was sitting cross-legged with her arms folded. Her bare shoulders were backlit by the fire, distracting me from the soap opera on my lap.

“It’s not Helena’s fault Clay was an idiot.”

“Thanks, Rach.” Clay dropped into a chair and slumped down to rest his beer on his buckle.

“Well, you were. Handy for you I’m a forgiving woman.”

Clay’s lips twitched with a suppressed laugh. “Handy.”

Rachel tapped on the chart again. “My problem is I don’t know where to put them. I was thinking they could sit with Clay’s grandfather, but I already have your sister at the table.”

“Maple is coming?” My sister was usually jet-setting around Italy or Paris this time of year.

“Clay sent her an invite thinking you might like to see her. I’m excited to meet her. But I need to know if the Reid thing is going to be weird.”

I hadn’t seen my little sister in years. She’d also been pretty young when Marigold left. I was half-convinced Maple had gone into modeling to find our sister.

“My sister is well-versed in dealing with people she doesn’t like. I doubt she’ll be sitting at the table long enough for it to matter.”

“I was hoping you’d say that.” Rach bumped my arm. “I don’t know a lot about that time.”

“Clay told you.” I didn’t really want to go back down that road. It had broken me on more than one level.

The relationship between my best friends in the world had imploded, forcing me to take sides. Instead of facing the fallout, I’d just fucking run.

“Everyone was hurt that night.” Clay’s voice was husky and tight.

I glanced over at him. We’d never really talked about it. It was easier to just bury the whole damn thing and start over. And I sure as fuck wasn’t going to talk about it now.

I slid the book over to Rachel and stood.

“Ransom.” Clay stood up.

“Not now, man.” I turned to Chaos. “Do you want me to come back and pick you up?”

“We’re leaving?” She scrambled to her knees.

“I gotta go.”

“You don’t need to leave.” Rachel sighed. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought it up. It was thoughtless.”

“It’s fine. It’s just been a damn long day.”

Clay collapsed back against the chair. Part of me wanted to just gloss over the situation again. We’d been doing that for too many freaking years.

Don’t talk about it and pretend it never happened.

It wasn’t Clay’s fault Marigold had blown everything to hell. At least I knew that in my head.

When Chaos held out a hand to me, I gripped it and pulled her up. “Rachel, I’ll come here for lunch. And to get my stuff.”

That was what we were supposed to be doing—getting her SUV so she could have some independence from me. Again, it was easier to tuck her under my arm and just take over. To make sure she was safe and…

To make sure she waswith me.

She laced her fingers with mine. “Tomorrow is good enough.”

Rachel closed the book and hugged it to her chest. “I didn’t think.” Her big blue eyes were swimming.

---