“I would have stayed, but—”
“Instead preferred traipsing off with a long-lost soldier. That’s fine, ditch your best friend for a hot guy. I get it. Did you finally give him a proper welcome home?”
Heat invaded Renny’s cheeks and made her sputter. “I did not sleep with him.”
“Yet.”
“Never.” Okay, that was a lie. It was more like yet, but only if he managed to wear down her resistance. Renny didn’t want to get involved. Now if she could just convince the rest of her body to listen. “And why would you think I slept with him?”
“I saw you heading off with him and Luke.”
“As protection. With the boys claiming they saw a dinosaur and you disappearing, he was just being cautious. He didn’t want to see his son getting hurt.”
“Sure he was.”
“Fine. Don’t believe me. But who cares about me? What in blue blazes happened to you?”
“Renny, such language.” Melanie snickered into the phone. “As to what the fuck happened, your guess is as good as mine. One minute I’m walking to the car to get some pants, the next, bam, nothing.”
Renny paced her small kitchen, keeping her voice low so that Luke wouldn’t hear her. However, keeping it quiet proved hard, given Melanie’s story. “What do you mean you don’t remember anything after walking away from me? Surely you saw someone or something?”
“Nothing, just a great big blank until Wes planted one on me.”
Shock stopped her nervous movement. “He kissed you while you were passed out?”
“That’s what I call it, but he claims it was mouth to mouth.”
“Do you believe him?” Renny asked.
“Of course not. He’s a Mercer.”
“Snob.” Renny snickered. “Gosh, who would have expected you to ever become one.”
“Shut up. I am not a snob. Merely discerning,” Melanie declared in her snootiest voice.
Arching a brow, Renny snorted. “Is that what you’re going with?”
“Fine. I’m a bitch. But let’s look at facts. Apart from Wes, name one other Mercer with a real job?”
“Bruno.”
“He’s only a third cousin. He doesn’t count.”
“So did you?”
“Did I what?” Melanie asked.
“Kiss him back, of course,” Renny asked.
“Renny! How could you ask that?”
“Because once upon a time you had the hots for each other in high school.”
“And then I smartened up.”
Yeah, her best friend had chosen stable and boring over sexy. Then again, who was Renny to criticize? She’d gone after the sexy bad boy and look where it had gotten her. “So are you telling me you didn’t smooch him back at all?”
“It was totally one-sided. I’m a married woman.”
“Who has to schedule sex with her husband.”
“It’s not Andrew’s fault stress at work is killing his mojo. No matter how hot Wes is, I won’t betray my vows. Now drop the subject, or I am going to start grilling you about Caleb.”
“Nothing to talk about.”
“Liar. Spill.”
“Okay, so you’ll be ecstatic to know that I’m going to tell Luke Caleb’s his dad.”
“You haven’t done that yet?” Melanie screeched.
Renny winced. “I’m working on it. It’s not easy to announce to your kid, hey, Daddy’s back in town and says he wants to get to know you.”
“He does?”
At the little voice from behind her, Renny’s eyes widened. She whirled, but sure enough, her son was no longer in the other room watching television from like ten inches away from the screen.
Nope. He’d ghosted to a spot behind her and heard…how much?
“Melanie, I gotta go. Crisis to handle over here.” Renny hung up her phone as her son studied her.
“Hi, bug. How much did you hear?” In other words, could she chicken out of the truth for a while longer?
Nope.
“Caleb’s my daddy,” Luke announced. “I heard you say so to Auntie Mel.”
She could only nod.
“Cool. I’m gonna show him my room, too, when he comes over.”
And with that, her son turned around and wandered back to his spot just inches from the screen.
He sat still, legs in a lotus position, elbows on his knees, totally focused on the cartoons.
“Um, did you want to ask me any questions?” she asked.
For some reason, she expected the silent treatment, maybe a few accusations, but little boys handled things differently from adults. Luke turned to her and said, “What’s for supper?”
With those words, she felt a flutter of panic. She’d invited Caleb over, but never specified a time.
Or given him an address, but that he could find easily enough. Her traitor of a friend had probably programmed it into his GPS.
He could show up anytime, and given he was a guy, he’d want food. Heck, she wanted food. What a pity her kitchen held none.