Page 30 of Bad For Me (Rock Canyon, Idaho 5)

“What about me?”

“You go off on me about not telling you I was Rhett. Meanwhile you’re going to AA with my dad, having some kind of weird relationship with him, and you don’t think that’s something I should have known?”

“First of all, no, my being in AA is none of your business, and second, being your dad’s sponsor is not weird.”

Everett laughed; he couldn’t help it. It was like he’d landed in some crazy land where rationality was a thing of the past. “The thing is, you knew who I was. If you two are so chummy, then you must know what he did to us. You must know about the late-night bar pickups and all the times I cleaned up his puke. You must know about that time I had to break up a bar fight he started when I was sixteen. Didn’t he tell you about what he put us through?”

She stared up at him with sad eyes, and he hated it. “Yes, he told me.”

“I told you I was interested in you. I made it fucking obvious! So when would it have been a good time for you to tell me you were a recovering alcoholic?”

“There is never a good time to tell anyone that, and honestly, I haven’t been in the position to need to. I’ve only told Caroline and Gemma, and they’re my friends. They understand and accept me. I haven’t dated anyone since . . . well, since before I started AA.”

“How long have you been in?”

“Since I was twenty-five, so five years.”

It was too much, too intense.

“Look, I just stopped by to tell you that it was really crappy to do that to your dad. I’m sorry that you found out this way, but as far as your feeling entitled to my life story, you haven’t earned it. I’ve known you for four days, and I think you’re a nice guy, but I learned a long time ago that looks can be deceiving.”

And with that bomb of information, she spun around and walked off his porch to her Jeep.

Chapter Seven

“IDJIT,” FRED MUTTERED as he walked by Everett.

Everett sighed at the familiar word, which he’d heard all too often from his father this week. The morning after he’d found about Callie’s past with AA, he’d gone about his business until his father had caught him in the barn and started in on him.

“I raised you better than to be a rude, self-righteous son of a bitch!”

Which had started a whole other blowout.

“You didn’t raise me—Mom did. And when we lost her, we lost you too. Can you understand why I wouldn’t want to go through that again?”

His father had spluttered, kicked over one of the old milk jugs, and stormed out of the barn. Since that morning six days ago, they’d barely said two words to each other.

“Are you ever going to tell me what the hell happened between you and Dad? He hasn’t called either of us idjit since Valerie and I were having problems.”

Everett looked up from the hay bale he was stacking to find his brother watching him with curiosity and concern. It was the day of the Rock Canyon Harvest Festival, and they’d been working all week to get things ready. The corn maze was set up and filling with costumed people, ready to jump out and say boo. Food vendors were putting up their tents, and Everett was trying to get the hayride ready.

“We’re just having a difference of opinion,” Everett said.

Justin took a pair of hay hooks and lifted another bale from the ground up to Everett in the bed of the truck. “But what about?”

Everett debated whether or not to tell Justin. Callie hadn’t seemed ashamed of it, but it wasn’t his secret to tell either.

“I found out something about a woman I was interested in, and it’s made me rethink whether or not I want to get involved with her. Dad thinks I’m being an idjit.”

“Well, tell me the big secret, and I’ll tell you if I agree or not.”

Everett glared at his smirking brother. “Why would I want your opinion?”

“Because I am in a loving, committed, mature relationship—”

“Justin Matthew Silverton, I am going to kick your ass!” Valerie hollered from outside the barn.

It was Everett’s turn to smirk. “You were saying?”