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He laughed and wiggled his brows. “I’m sure I’ll get it out of you when we’re out fishing tomorrow. A few beers in, you’ll tell me all about what really happened last night.”

Shit. I forgot about that.

Cap came out of the office and barked. “You ladies going to hang out in the kitchen all day or get those firetrucks washed?”

“Nothing happened. Not yet. And about tomorrow... can’t. I promised Lacey I’d help her with some home repairs.” I put a lid on my coffee and headed back downstairs to the trucks. Presley followed.

“Aha. So you admit there’s more to the story?” He hounded me, but I refused to say another word about it. Partly because I needed to keep busy and stop thinking about Lacey in order to survive this shift.

Before lunch, I was still scrubbing bug guts off the bumper of our biggest rig when Carson’s truck pulled up. He climbed out looking like hell, which was saying something for a guy who usually had it all together.

In the family, we called him the charmed one. The baby of us who could get away with anything, and who always managed to come out on top.

I shut off the hose and dropped the scrub brush into the bucket, wiping my hands on my pants. “Everything okay?”

He shoved his hands into his pockets and shrugged. “Emme and I fought all night.”

“About?”

“Lacey.”

I frowned. “Why?”

“Emme wanted to know everything—our past, why Lacey was back, and all the rumors that flew around the party last night. Accused me of hiding things from her.”

“Were you?”

“No. We both dated plenty of people before we got together, and we didn’t exactly give each other all the details. I’m not sure why Lacey’s appearance suddenly made her spiral.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “We’re okay now, I think. But I wanted tocheck in with you. I, uh... know you drove Lacey home last night. Did she say anything?”

I crossed my arms. “About you? Not a word. She’s happy for you and Emme, though.” I might have stretched the truth a bit.

“I could tell my engagement came as a shock to her. I think she always thought we’d end up together someday.”

“Clearly you thought otherwise.”

“Right. So, do you think she’ll be okay? Maybe I should stop by and talk with her for old times’ sake?”

“She’s a grown woman, Carson. She doesn’t need you watching over her.” I’d like to think she needed me. I’d spend this summer convincing her of that. “Tell you what, you worry about things with your bride-to-be, and I’ll worry about Lacey. Deal?”

His gaze dropped. “I love Emme, but she’s been on edge since her dad gave me the loan. And with the wedding planning, she’s stressed. Things have been—stressful.”

I tensed and shook my head. “Not sure mixing money issues with your soon to be new family is a good idea.”

He sighed. “I needed help to get the café out of debt. I was stretched too thin, and her dad offered. It’s been weird between me and her family ever since. Like I owe them something more than I already do.”

I clenched my jaw. I’d been saving my money for years. I knew he was having trouble, and I’d already helped him launch this thing by buying Blue Betsy. That had made me hesitate to loan him more. If I’d moved faster, offered to help, he wouldn’t be tangled up in Emme’s family strings. That was on me.

As the oldest, I’d always taken on the protector roll for each of my brothers. Would do anything for them. A part of me feels like I let him down, although Mama tells me to let him be.

“I wanted to be sure that Java Co. would be on solid ground before we married,” Carson added. “I’d never do anything to hurt Emme. I don’t want this to come between us.”

“I know,” I said.

“And Lacey’s just a friend. Always has been.”

I nodded. “Glad you’re clear on that, because you never know if she might meet someone in town and settle down. How would you feel about it if she did?”

“Fine. As friends, I’d want her to be happy. Still, I should stop by and check in on her.”