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“Shut up.” Bridget couldn’t stop her cheeks from burning. She grabbed her napkin and threw it at Eli.

“Nope!” Laughing, Eli walked back into the kitchen. “Want anything to go with that half-eaten sandwich?”

“Water? I couldn’t manage a drink with my food.”

“Coming right up.”

CHAPTER7

Bridget’ssecond full weekend atIndigowas much better than the first. Her pain levels eased up, and she felt far more able to do things, stay awake, and not be as grumpy. She’d even stopped taking most of her pain medications, which was a bonus in her opinion. She was not a fan of the side effects from most of them.

The house was oddly empty on Friday. She’d gotten used to Eli’s guests being around, even though they seemed to stare at her oddly when trying to figure out her relationship with Eli and why she was there. Eli said there was a day with no one before more guests came, and it was their night to relax and have fun.

Bridget dragged herself up the stairs from the basement and situated herself in the den. While she normally would have stayed downstairs most of the day, she wanted the sunlight, and since she wasn’t going to bother anyone, she claimed her spot on the love seat in the den again. She put her leg up and stared out the large picture window in the back the house.

She’d always loved Eli’s house, even as a kid. The Wilsons had done a good job when finding land for it and making it a home. For years she’d felt more at home here than in her own house. If only it had been. She wondered how she would have turned out different, if she’d have been as confident as Eli in her sexuality.

Rain clouds moved in swiftly, though it didn’t look to be a bad thunderstorm. The water would be good for the crops since they were in such a permanent drought lately. Bridget was somewhat happy she could avoid working that shift. Being out in the rain was not her preference, but it was all part of the job.

A job she missed.

Eli plopped down in the chair adjacent to the couch and eyed her. “What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing important,” Bridget avoided.

Scrunching her nose, Eli set her mug on the coffee table before shifting to start a fire. “It’s going to rain.”

“I can see that.” She glanced out the window again. If she was feeling more up to it, she would take herself outside and sit in one of Eli’s many porch swings and watch the storm come in like she was some old lady. But she didn’t have the energy for that. “I made it up the stairs by myself today.”

“I see that.” Eli winked over her shoulder as she set the logs ablaze. “That’s good. Didn’t damage yourself in the process?”

“Only hit my ankle once.”

Eli snorted lightly and shook her head before returning to her seat. “What were you thinking about earlier, though?”

“It’s really not important.”

“Was it that girl?”

“No, actually.” Bridget rubbed her temple. “Though I probably should figure out what kind of date we can do here that doesn’t require a lot of work.”

“You know I’ll help with it.”

“I’d appreciate that.”

“But you were thinking something. I’ve seen that look before, what is it?”

“What look?” Bridget furrowed her brow, giving Eli a hard stare. She wasn’t quite ready for this topic of conversation yet. She needed to ease into the fact that she missed everything she couldn’t do because if she dove straight into that one she would likely end up in tears again—something she was determined to go a whole day without doing.

“I don’t know how to describe it.” Eli took a sip from her mug. “But that look usually doesn’t mean anything good.”

“What are you even talking about?”

Eli sighed. “That look usually means you’re sliding into a depression.”

“Oh.” Bridget pressed her lips together, cold washing through her body at the thought. She wouldn’t deny that she’d been close to that a few times. The amount of crying she’d done lately was a testament to it, but she had been making progress. “I suppose you’re not wrong.”

“So what were you thinking about?”