the Garcia Ranch. He’d checked in with Mike and Bernie, taken some more precise measurements for the kitchen cabinets, and pointedly not asked where Julia had gone. He shouldn’t have sent her that text announcing he was coming over. He should’ve known she would do anything to avoid seeing him right now.
Satisfied that everything was going well, he continued down into town where he had a few things to pick up at the lumberyard and feed store before he returned to work on the old movie theater. He’d offered to stay home and help out, but Evan had decided to step up, and Danny and Adam said they could manage without him.
He parked in the lot beside the feed store and pictured his dad’s face. Whatever Jeff was saying, he wasn’t coping well with being stuck in bed. He never sat down and he was always working. Kaiden considered that relentless drive anew as he got out of the truck. Could his dad ease off? Was it even possible? But what was the alternative? He pushed himself too hard and had another more serious heart attack?
“Hey.”
He spun around to see Julia standing behind him. She wore a baseball cap, her usual fleece, jeans, and boots and looked like she belonged in Morgantown. His gaze narrowed on her face.
“What’s wrong?”
“Why would you think anything’s wrong?”
“Because you look like you’re about to burst into tears.”
“How do you know?”
Mentally, Kaiden sighed. Lawyers sure loved asking questions. He pointed at her forehead. “Because when you’re worried, you get this weird crinkle effect right over your nose.”
Her fingers flew to her face and her eyes widened. “Do I?”
“It’s a definite tell.” He held up his hand. “If this is about what I said last night, I’ll save you the trouble of getting your mad on and apologize without the snark, okay?”
“Last night?” She frowned. “Oh, I’d forgotten about that, thanks for reminding me.” She considered him for a long moment. “How’s your dad doing?”
He grimaced. “It’s complicated.”
“Tell me about it.”
He forced a laugh. “I know.”
“I meant really tell me.”
It was his turn to stare. “I have to do some stuff first.”
“Okay, then do you want to meet somewhere when you’re done?” she asked. “Or, I could just follow you around, and keep you company?”
He gestured at the feed store like an idiot. “I’m going in there and then in the lumberyard.”
“Sounds good to me. I’ve already done my shopping.”
Kaiden began to feel that his day was just destined to be weird all around. His father hadn’t shouted at him, Julia was seeking his company . . . maybe he should go to Maureen’s and get a lottery ticket.
Chapter Twelve
Even as Julia followed Kaiden into the store, she kept surreptitiously pressing on the indentation above her nose. If she wasn’t careful, she was going to have a permanent frown. She couldn’t wait to get home and check it out in a mirror. It was also easier to fret over her frown lines than to wonder why seeing Kaiden standing there right when she needed him had been such a relief. Her conversation with Miguel had left her feeling so frustrated and angry.
By the time Kaiden finished with his purchases and she practiced keeping her face as line free as possible, she was definitely calmer. He turned to her as he finished loading the back of his truck.
“Do you want to come get coffee with me before I go to work at the theater?”
“I’ve already had coffee with Nancy and Beth, thanks, but if you want to get some I’ll wait with you.”
He angled his head to one side. “Why are you smiling like that?”
“I’m just keeping my face in a positive alignment.”
“Jeez, it’s just a little frown line.” He flicked her nose. “Don’t get all bent out of shape over it.”
“I’m not. It’s just that in my business any ‘tell’ is not helpful so I need to stop doing it.”
“Okay.” He started walking again. “I don’t get it, but I’m not going to argue with you.”
“That must be a first,” Julia muttered.
He grinned as he opened the door into Yvonne’s and stood back to let her go past him. “After you, honey.”
She was already scowling before she remembered she wasn’t doing that anymore. As he got his coffee, black with no fancy additions, he was ready to go in less than five minutes. They walked together along the boardwalk and then descended the steps to diagonally cross the corner to the old movie theater.
Julia waited as