Page 84

“Anyway, that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about.”

He arches an eyebrow with an expression that suggests he’s worried I’m going to throw him another shit thing. And I am.

“Collins found something out. Found some stuff when she was going through some of Caleb’s things to pack away.”

Fowler tenses. “What’d she find?”

I sigh. “A few things, but the biggest thing was a cell phone that Caleb had hidden. One he used for texting…” Oh, fuck it, just rip the Band-Aid off. “His mistress.”

His gaze darts to the floor. I’ve known him my entire life, and I can read him like a book. Fowler can’t look at people when he’s hiding something.

I bolt up out of my chair. “You knew? You fucking knew?”

He raises his hands. “He swore me to secrecy.”

“What the fuck?” Hurt and betrayal lash at my chest. “Do you know about the baby too?” When his eyes fall to the floor again, I push both hands through my hair. “Un-fucking-believable.”

I pace around the kitchen, gripping my hair. I feel like a fucking idiot, like the only one left out of the loop in our little trio of friendship. I’m so full of anger and… and something I can’t name.

Fowler pushes away from the table and stands. “Ansel, let me explain.”

I whirl on him, pointing at him. “No. Fuck you. You give me all this shit when I tell you about me and Collins, like we’re doing something wrong, and you knew this? That he was fucking some other woman and giving her a baby? How dare you judge me.”

Before he can say anything else, I walk out of the kitchen, grab my jacket off the hook in the front hall, and pull my keys from the bowl by the front door before slamming the door behind me. Then I’m in my truck and I’m driving, though I don’t know where.

After driving around a bit, I end up at Elliott’s. I’m not even sure why. Maybe my subconscious knows I need a pep talk from my big brother. Emelia’s car isn’t in the driveway because she’s probably at work. And my niece should be at school.

I knock on the door, and Elliott answers right away. He gives me a quizzical look, but steps out of the way to allow me in.

“I’m just working in the kitchen. Had some issues with registration last year, so I had someone redo the website. I’m checking over everything before it goes live since registration is next week.”

My brother owns a camp on the other side of the lake from his house. During the summer months, it’s full of kids and counselors, and in the winter months, he rents it out for corporate retreats or to hunters or snowmobiler groups traveling to the area.

I follow him into the kitchen. “Sorry to just drop in like this.”

“No worries. You want anything to drink?” He motions toward the fridge.

I shake my head.

“Okay.” He shrugs and sits at the table, closing his laptop and setting it off to the side. Elliott leans back in his chair and crosses his arms. “Why are you all riled up?”

“What makes you think I’m riled up?”

He arches an eyebrow. “Besides the fact that you’re here before lunch? Maybe because you’re standing there with your legs spread and your hands in fists. Pretty obvious. At least to me. We shared a bedroom for years, remember?”

I roll my eyes. “All right, sure. I’m pissed.”

“This have something to do with Collins?”

My jaw tenses. “Why would you ask that?”

He shrugs. “Word is that you two are spending a lot of time together lately.”

“I’m helping her with something, that’s all.” It’s not all, but he doesn’t need to know that. At least not yet.

“Okay then, what or who has pissed you off?”

I can’t tell him specifics, but I realize now why I’m here. “With Kate, how did you find it in yourself to forgive her?”