Page 75 of No Regrets

“ARE YOU SURE IT WAS Dex?” Sophie sat in Kelly’s kitchen, as she made tea.

“Yes, I’m sure. I don’t know why I’m so upset. I told him to move on and he is.”

“Doesn’t mean you needed to see it like that.”

Kelly placed a mug of tea in front of Sophie and slid on to the stool opposite.

“No. It hurt. A lot,” she admitted. It was ridiculous. This was what she wanted. For him to find someone else and be happy. She watched Sophie take a sip of tea, sensing something was wrong.

“Sophie? Is everything OK? Did something happen?”

“I’m afraid I have some more bad news.”

Kelly gripped her mug, knuckles white. “The team?” Oh god, if something had happened to one of them...

“Nothing’s happened to the team.”

Kelly let out a breath. The thought of any of them being hurt or worse...

“It’s Matthew Dawson. He was in a car accident. He died, Kelly.”

Kelly stared at her friend, trying to take in the news. Matt was dead?

“I’m so sorry, Kelly. I understand you were close.”

Close? The man had been a second father to her. And now he was gone. Dead.

“Kelly? Are you OK?” Sophie was standing next to her, handing her a tissue. It was only then she realized tears were rolling down her cheeks. Taking the tissue, she wiped them away.

“It’s just a shock. I... oh god, Dex. How is he?”

“I haven’t seen him. I had no idea what happened until I bumped into Ryan outside.”

“Tonight? Just now?”

“Yes. He thought you would want to know. I convinced him to let me tell you, given you were already upset. But he’ll come over if you want him to. You only have to call.”

“I..jeez...I can’t believe it. Dex must be distraught.”

“Ryan and the team are looking out for him.”

“Of course. Dex and Ryan are brothers. Ryan will get him through this.”

She wanted to be the one to help him, but after seeing him tonight kissing that woman. Hell, things were already awkward between them. Perhaps the woman was with him now, comforting him. It wasn’t her place anymore.

“Can I say something?” Sophie asked gently.

Kelly gave her a surprised look. “Of course.”

“I’ve known you and Dexter a few years now, the whole team in fact. I may not know you all on a personal level, although you and I have got closer over the past few months. But in talking to you, Dexter, Ryan, I see the closeness you have. The bond. You and Dexter have a thirty-one-year history. I’m not telling you to go to him, only you can decide that, but that kind of history doesn’t just disappear, not matter what you’ve been through.”

“You sound like Claire.” Kelly gave her a small smile.

“She rubs off on me.”

“If things were different, I’d be there with him right now. But I can’t erase what I saw tonight and pretend everything is fine when it’s not. Maybe it’s better to leave Ryan to it.”

“You don’t know what that was that you saw, Kelly. It might have been a random drunken kiss. And whoever she was, she probably didn’t know Matt.”

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