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“You can keep it. I’ll make another one now that I know how.”

“Thank you.” Thea held the gift close to her heart.

After everyone said their good-byes and made it out to the porch, Paul pulled up in his old truck. Thane rubbed against Thea’s legs and wound his way next to a few others before jumping into the passenger seat of his owner’s truck.

Thea slid into Hadley’s car and sighed.

“Don’t stress about it,” Hadley said.

Brett would be at the cabin when they arrived. There was a good chance he’d already be asleep or at least pretending to be. He’d done a good job of being unavailable whenever she was around.

“I’m trying not to.” Recalling Hadley’s whispers when she arrived late to Stella and Vera’s house, she gasped. “Oh! Tell me how it went today.”

Hadley’s smile widened as she backed the car up. “It went great. I told Gage what you wanted him to know, and no one suspected a thing.”

Thea relaxed. “Did he have any news about Mom?”

“He said her oncologist told her there is a clinic that specializes in her type of cancer, but any treatment they might be able to provide would be experimental.”

She’d been trying to prepare herself for the possibility of good news and bad, but this was a mix of the two. Should she be thrilled or disappointed? “Can she get in to see them?”

“It’s a long shot, but they’re trying.”

“Did Gage ask about me?”

“He did. I told him your ankle was healed and that the doctor seemed pleased with your lung recovery. I told him you flew back to Alabama yesterday.”

They had all agreed that letting Gage believe she was out of Blackwater was the best option, but doubts kept tapping on her shoulder. Would he be a help to her and Brett if he knew she was still here? Or would it be all too easy for the information to find its way into the wrong hands? “Thanks for that.”

Hadley wiggled a little in her seat as she drove. “You didn’t tell me your brother was so…sweet.”

Thank goodness the darkness hid the surprise on her face. “He is?”

“Yeah. I brought him lunch, just like you said, and he seemed super appreciative.” Hadley paused and looked over at Thea, even though the darkness left them blind. “He said he would let me know about any updates with your mom, and he asked me to give him an update on you every once in a while. It was sweet. He cares about you, but he can’t show it around your family. They would push him out of the inner circle, and he wouldn’t know if they’re planning to do something to you. He just wants to protect you.”

“I hope you’re right.” If Gage truly cared about her, then she wasn’t as alone as she thought. “Thanks for doing that.”

“It was no problem. I’m glad you got an update on your mom.”

Brett’s truck was parked at the cabin when they arrived. Thea’s hope swung back and forth like a pendulum. Did she hope he was awake so they could have a chance to talk, or did she hope he was asleep so she wouldn’t have to see the disappointment in his eyes?

“Don’t stress. Just be cool,” Hadley said.

“I have no idea how to be cool. I’m a nervous wreck.” Thea shook out her sweaty hands and rubbed them on her jeans.

“You got this,” Hadley said as she hopped out of the car.

Inside, Thea scanned the cabin for Brett. She took her shoes and coat off before wandering into the living room. He lay sprawled on the couch on his stomach, with one hand under a pillow and the other hanging off the side.

She took the opportunity to study him. His dark hair was messy and thicker than it had been when they were younger. The blanket was pulled up over half of his back, but his bare shoulders were wider than the couch.

Thea knelt beside him. His face was so peaceful in sleep. She could almost remember the lighthearted, funny boy he’d once been. Any frown he’d worn lately had been her fault. Brett was inherently kind. His heart had been pure back then, and he’d grown sweeter with age.

No matter what length of time had passed, he was still the same man with so much to prove. He was determined to be different from the rest of them, and he’d convinced her wholeheartedly.

Her fingers itched to brush through his hair, to touch him, to tell him how much she cared, to assure him that she knew his heart. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

She bit her lips and looked up at Hadley, who had paused with her hand on the bedroom doorknob. Hadley gave a small wave and mouthed, “Good night,” before quietly excusing herself.