could lean on each other, it would make things so much more bearable.”
“Why are you doing this?” he asked.
“Doing what?”
“Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be talking to Xander? You’re his girlfriend. I don’t know you. You don’t know me.”
“I’m here talking to you because I’ve been talking to him and I don’t feel like I’m getting anywhere. I think you both need to swallow your pride and realize you still have each other. This is what Kade was trying to do before he died. He wanted you guys to get along.”
That seemed to sink in. I’d found a chip in the armor. “Kade was always trying to arrange fishing trips or to get us to go to dinner together.”
I smiled. “You can still do that. I’m not suggesting it will be easy, but I hope you guys can find a way to at least be on speaking terms.”
“There’s a lot of water under that bridge,” he warned.
“I know. Like I said, it won’t be easy. You’ve raised a strong, stubborn man.”
“He probably gets that from me,” he said with a quirk of his lips.
“I think you’re right.”
“Where is he? I didn’t see him in the car.”
I chewed my lip. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t know where he is?”
“No. He’s… well, he’s been staying here somewhere. I don’t know where he is now.”
“I thought you were his girlfriend?” he questioned.
I looked down at the water bottle in my hand. “The situation is complicated.”
“Ah, he already broke up with you. That’s how he is. He’s never been able to stick with a woman for long.”
“It isn’t like that,” I insisted, feeling like I had to defend him. I shouldn’t defend him. He made breaking my heart a habit.
He shook his head. “You don’t have to try and make excuses for him. Xander doesn’t think of anyone except himself. It’s all about making him happy.”
I winced at the element of truth to his statement. “In this situation, I do not blame him. I blame you.”
“Pardon me?”
I was treading on thin ice. “I mean, he feels like he’s unlovable. That’s why I’m here.”
“You want me to get you two back together? Again, you are really barking up the wrong tree, but I’ll give you credit for trying.”
“I don’t want you to help me get him back. I’m saying I want you to help him get through this. He needs you.”
“I have not seen him since the funeral.”
“But I’m sure you could call him,” I prompted.
“Why don’t you call him?”
“That’s not why I’m here.”
“That’s right. You’ve lost him. You don’t know where he is.”
“I don’t but I’m not concerned about that.”
He looked a tiny bit concerned. “Doesn’t he own a house down there?”
The fact he didn’t know told me just how broken their relationship really was. Once again, my heart hurt for Xander. It explained so much about the person he was. “He does own a house in San Diego. It’s a beautiful house right on the beach.”
“He always did love the beach,” he commented.
“Yes, he does. I’m sorry I showed up here. I didn’t know what else to do. I hate seeing him struggle. It’s just me and my dad and we are very close. He says not everyone can be us, and while I believe that’s true, I also think it’s important to at least try.”
“Xander and I have had our differences over the years. A lot of them. I’m not sure we are ever going to see eye to eye.”
“You don’t have to see eye to eye,” I said. “You just need to try and respect each other.”
I knew I was way overstepping. I couldn’t seem to rein it in. I was acting like a mama bear protecting her cub. Xander wasn’t even mine to protect.
“It’s something to think about. I make no promises.”
“All I ask is you do think about it,” I told him. “I won’t take any more of your time.”
I got up, taking the water with me. He walked me to the door and offered a friendly wave as I backed out of the driveway. My stomach was in knots as I drove away. I couldn’t believe I had just done that. If and when Xander found out, he was probably going to be pissed. He was going to be furious with me for butting into his life.
I was ready to take it. I would tell him I did it for him. It wasn’t like he could do much more to me. What was he going to do, break