Page 66 of Forever in the Country

SORREN: Yes

OTTO: You guys are no fun

A ghostof a smile kisses my lips as I silence my phone and set it back on the floor. It wasn’t exactly the reprieve I was looking for, but it helped. As long as I don’t wake up with fifty notifications, I’ll take it as a win.

28

RHEA

“Lord Almighty, what did that poor cookie ever do to you?” Hayden’s voice startles me out of angry frosting another flower cookie. I’d been this way most of the night and again all morning, stewing over what had happened to Sorren and why he didn’t come over last night.

“What’s wrong with it?” I ask even though it’s pretty obvious.

“Nothin’” he says casually, “if you’re promoting those as being frosted by your seven-year-old nephew.”

I growl and set the piping bag on the island. Ella steps up to the counter with a smile and takes his order, but I can still feel him watching me.

“Ella honey, can you manage things for a second while I steal your boss? She’s about to murder an entire batch of cookies.”

“That’s the second batch,” Ella mumbles under her breath.

“You’re fired,” I hiss and she laughs before handing me a cup of coffee and shoving me around the counter. Hayden hooks his arm through mine as he leads me to a table that’s as private as you can get in here.

“What’s going on? Did Sorren do something wrong?” he asks as soon as we’re seated.

“How do you know we’re together? Did he tell you that? Why do you think he did something wrong? Am I really that obvious?”

His eyebrows rise slowly, and he takes an intentional sip of his drink without breaking eye contact.

Shit. “I sound crazy.”

“Yup.” He pops thepat the end and I narrow my gaze at him. He ignores me and pats my hand.

“You just—”

“Oh, get over yourself honey,” he scolds, and I look heavenward and pray for patience. “No, he hasn’t told me you’re together but it doesn’t take a detective.” He waggles his eyebrows. “Also, I told him where you were meeting Colt.”

The words take a minute to process. Hayden looks like the Cheshire cat as I stare at him in shock.

“I can’t believe you did that!”

“Ibelievethe words you’re looking for arethank you.”

“He—”

“Girl, he was tearing apart the town looking for you, andyou’redelusional if you think he’s not deliciously obsessed with you.”

“You read too many romance books.”

“Hasn’t failed me yet,” he says with a wink then pauses. “Also, I’d like to point out that I read a lot with your man.”

“It’s really adorable,” I concede and he smirks. Their buddy reading is my most favorite thing. Hayden is loud and dramatic—vivacious—and Sorren is broody with his jaw clenching and eye twitches. It’s delightful seeing them in action.

“I know, right?”

“He said that Tanner was a little concerned with some of the recs you’ve been sending.”

Hayden’s expression is full of glee. “Man’s gotta know his limitations,” he says casually.

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