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I studied her face for any hint she was concerned about this, relieved when I sensed nothing out of the ordinary.

“Makes sense, I guess. You were renting it out anyway, and we know him.”

“I wanted you to know before you came home, because he might still be there.” I waited for a response, but all she did was shrug. Whew, one down. Now to tell her about Chad.

“There is something else. Your father is back in town too. He’s taking over Grandpa’s tractor dealership.”

Brooke burst out laughing. “Chad? Selling tractors? That I have to see.”

Brooke laughing about Chad’s return was not what I had expected. Too often, mention of her father would trigger a fit of temper. Maybe it was a sign of maturity. She was so mature in every other way, but her father could still make her act like an angry child.

Brooke frowned. “No, I don’t need to see that. I don’t care what he’s doing, Mom. He made it clear that I came dead last in his life, and I’m not going to settle for scraps of his attention. At least he pretends to care about Ethan’s baseball.”

Her lips pinched together, but she didn’t say anything else.

I ached for my baby girl and wished I could take away the pain that years of Chad’s neglect had caused. When we had lived together and he was playing, it had been easier to cover for him being absent and distracted. Once we divorced, that was no longer my job. And I couldn’t argue with her, because everything she said was true. I was proud of her for setting boundaries.

“That’s enough talking about your dad. Why don’t you tell me more about the new girl you’ve been seeing?”

Hours later, I pulled my SUV into the driveway and waited for the garage to open. Carter’s Jeep wasn’t on the street in front of the house, and I was disappointed. I wanted to ask him how his first day of practice had gone, maybe show off the gift from Brooke. Mostly I wanted to see he was still here, and that he hadn’t decided he’d rather live alone than with us.

I was being ridiculous. Carter was a grown man who could come and go as he pleased. It was only his second day in town, and he was probably exploring, getting to know people. I didn’t need him to keep me company.

I jumped down and picked up the package with the apron in it. I had already stopped at the bakery to unload my purchases, but I wanted to press the apron before I wore it on opening day. Brooke’s present was both practical and incredibly thoughtful, and I wanted to show it off.

I was unlocking the door when Carter’s Jeep stopped out front of the house. My heart beat a little faster. I had to get this under control. I was acting like a teenager with a crush. He was my friend.

I waved at him and waited for him to come up the driveway.

“Hey, Jane.” Carter ducked his head as he passed me to go inside.

Weird. It might have been ten years, but he had never avoided eye contact before. I dismissed his odd behaviour and locked the door and set the alarm for the night.

“How was your trip to Calgary?” He stood at the kitchen sink with his back to me, filling the kettle.

He still wasn’t making eye contact. Now I was worried. Was he reconsidering living here? Had someone said something to him? Had Chad tried to interfere, and caused problems for Carter? I forced myself to answer, to act like nothing felt off.

“Good. I got everything on my list, then met up with Brooke. She still remembers you and says hi.” I hung my coat and closed the closet door as Ethan came into the kitchen.

“Dude, what happened to your face? Did you get hit with a ball?”

Carter was injured? Was that why he was avoiding looking at me? Worried, I moved to stand next to Ethan, examining the darkening bruise around Carter’s eye. Red stained his cheeks, and he grimaced as I studied the swelling. I’d seen enough baseball injuries to know this didn’t look like a hit from a ball. It looked like someone had punched him.

“Something like that,” Carter said, shooting me a glance. His already red cheeks got darker.

He was lying. He clearly didn’t want to tell Ethan what had happened, but something wasn’t right. I moved to the cabinet where I kept first aid supplies. Between Ethan playing ball and Brooke playing lacrosse, injuries had become a regular event. I was prepared for almost anything. “Have you iced it?”

“I did, but more would be good,” he said cautiously. He didn’t volunteer anything else, and I wasn’t going to ask in front of Ethan.

I cracked an ice pack and handed it to him, watching as he pressed it against his cheek. The immediate relief made his face relax, and some of the tension left his body.

“Thanks for this.” His blue eyes remained locked on mine, and I desperately wanted to ask what had happened. He was still wound up, even if the ice pack had temporarily relieved some of his discomfort.

“That sucks. Hope it doesn’t swell shut on you. I got nailed two years ago and couldn’t see for a week.” Ethan took a soda from the fridge and went up to his room. It felt like an eternity as we stood silently in the kitchen until I heard Ethan’s door close.

I crossed my arms over my chest and gave Carter the side-eye. “Now why don’t you tell me what actually happened?”

“I’m surprised you haven’t heard already, the way that gossip travels around here.” Carter couldn’t hide his irritation as he slumped into a chair at the table and gestured for me to join him.