“I am not out of shape.”
Jessie snorted. “Sedona first, then Humphreys next month. We’ll hike to the top, camp overnight.”
“Sounds like a good plan.” Regan would love to get away for a weekend. Camping was just the ticket.
“Are you looking for a place to live?”
“Found one,” she said. “I’m going to remodel the apartment over the barn where my granddad lived when I was a kid. It’s private, plenty big enough. I’m meeting with an architect later this week. I’ll probably gut the place, make it my own. I love Flagstaff, I miss you and my dad, and I’m not far from my brothers and sister. It’ll work.” For now. But that’s all Regan could do: focus on the present.
“And then you can bring home a hot guy to jump on.”
“I’m not looking to jump on any guys right now.”
“Really? Not even Tripp Garza?”
“Oh dear Lord, Jessie, he’s JT’s best friend.”
“Still hot. And I think he’s always had a crush on you.”
“Does not.”
“Then, why does he keep staring at you?”
She glanced over to the counter, and Tripp was there, held up his coffee mug to her, then walked over. “How’d you get that shiner?” He gestured to the bandaged cut above her eye, which had also caused a bruise to form over half her face.
“Maybe I’ll tell you someday.”
He sat down with them. “Jess, good to see you.”
Jessie snorted. “Right.” She finished her coffee. “Gotta go to work to pay the bills. Later, gators.”
She walked away.
“I’ve come in nearly every morning, hoping to see you,” he said.
“Why?”
“I want to take you to dinner.”
“You can come over for dinner anytime. My dad loves you.”
“You can’t possibly be that obtuse, Regan.”
Her stomach fluttered. Jessie was right. She’d always had a crush on Tripp. But she would never act on it.
Never say never.
“You’re JT’s best friend.”
“He’s not going to beat me up because I want to kiss you.”
“Stop.”
“No.”
“Really?”
He smiled. “Come on, you want to go out with me.”
“Arrogant and cocky, just like always.”
He reached out and touched her hair, dropped his hand. “Maybe I just want a friend.”
“Yeah?”
“No. I want to go out with you. How about we start at breakfast tomorrow and work our way up from there?”
“Breakfast?”
“On one condition.”
“I don’t do conditions.”
He laughed. “Fair enough. Okay, how about this? If you enjoy my company tomorrow over breakfast, without once mentioning that I’m your brother’s best friend, you can then join me for some off-roading. I just fixed up my quad and want to take it for a spin.”
“Wait—I don’t even want to go out with you and you’re putting a condition on it?” She laughed because she couldn’t help it. “You’re a piece of work, Tripp Garza.”
“So?”
“Breakfast is fine.”
“Tomorrow. Seven.”
She got up. “I’ll see you then.”
She walked out, not sure what was going on with Tripp, but it would be good to catch up. She didn’t plan on taking the flirting any further than that, but he had been a good friend to JT…and had been a good friend to her, back in the day.
And good friends were hard to come by.
One day at a time, she thought. But Regan was looking forward to tomorrow for the first time in a very long time.
Lucas sat in the studio alone. He’d come in early because he wanted to get his head together.
This was going to be a lot harder than he’d thought.
He had all the answers he wanted, but it didn’t seem to satisfy him. Sure, he was glad he had found the truth for Adele’s family. He’d spoken to her dad last night. He had cried. Her dad cried, and Lucas felt miserable, even though Mr. Overton said thank you over and over.
Thank you.
He didn’t want thanks, he wanted Adele and Candace to be alive. They were dead, and he still didn’t quite feel like justice had been served because Rachel Wagner was dead: she wasn’t going to prison.
Regan had saved his life, but he still wished he could have confronted Rachel, testified against her, made her live the rest of her life in prison.