always kept her pajama top on and one leg in her pajama pants so she could be dressed in two seconds if Kaelyn woke up and cried for her.
Joe felt himself starting to drift off to sleep. He reached over and pulled Phoebe up against his side and opened one eye to look at the clock.
Loud, completely naked sex and asleep by eleven—ten Sapphire Falls time— yes.
His phone buzzed on the bedside table as he felt Phoebe sigh her almost-asleep sigh.
He wanted to ignore it. Almost as much as he wanted ten straight hours of sleep. It was just a text.
But he was a dad now. He had to answer. Anything big and important would have garnered a phone call, he knew, but he wouldn’t be able to fall asleep wondering about the text anyway.
He groped around on the bedside table without fully opening his eyes. But a moment later, Phoebe’s phone chimed with her text message alert and he was suddenly wide awake.
He sat up in bed. “Who’s texting you?” he asked, grabbing his phone. He sighed in relief when he saw it was Levi.
“Kate.”
Ah, her friend from California. “Everything okay with her?” He liked Kate. She was funny and down to earth. He also loved listening to her talk to congressmen about environmental impact and climate change. He always learned something and he loved to watch the politicians underestimate her because she was a beautiful blonde. She was articulate and could put the politicians in their place almost as fast as Joe’s boss, Lauren. And Kate was sweeter about it.
“Yeah, she and Tucker found each other and are having a great time.” Phoebe emphasized great while she held her phone up for Joe to see.
“Tucker is wonderful. Having a GREAT time.”
“I got all caps from Levi too,” he said with a chuckle.
“Met Hailey. I OWE YOU . ”
He turned his phone to show Phoebe.
Phoebe read his screen and frowned. “Hailey who?”
“Hailey Conner.”
Phoebe’s gaze flew to his. “My Hailey Conner?”
“The only Hailey Conner either of us knows.”
“Levi and Hailey met up somewhere?”
“Yes.” Joe frowned at her. “At the Come Again.”
“The Come Again in Sapphire Falls?”
Joe put his phone down. “What are you talking about? You knew this.”
“No, I didn’t.”
Then something occurred to Joe. “Kate is out with Tucker?”
“Yes.”
“Tucker Bennett?”
“Yes. In Sapphire Falls at the Come Again.”
“Did I know about that?”
“Yes.” Then Phoebe bit her bottom lip and shook her head. “I don’t know. Did you?”
“I don’t think so.”
They’d been so crazy getting Kaelyn packed and over to grandma’s house and then packing themselves and getting to the airport that it was possible that they thought they’d mentioned these things and hadn’t actually gotten around to it.
“So Kate and Tucker?” Joe asked.
Phoebe nodded. “Levi and Hailey?”
“Yeah. Levi’s in town for Christmas. Hailey agreed to be his date for the formal.”
“Your idea?”
Joe nodded. “Levi’s decided to try some new things—like not smashing his skull in or ending up dead.”
“Good things to try,” Phoebe said dryly. She loved Joe’s brother, and his accident had shaken her. For a long time, they’d both seen Levi going down a bad path fast. They hoped the accident would be a wakeup call.
“He’s convinced Sapphire Falls can be good for him like it was me. And he wanted to date a local girl. Like you.”
Phoebe grinned at that. “But you set him up with Hailey?”
“She’s a local girl.”
Phoebe laughed. “And that’s the extent of the things Hailey and I have in common.”
It was true that they seemed different. Phoebe was everyone’s friend, Hailey liked to boss people around and didn’t really care what anyone thought of her. Phoebe’s look was more natural and girl-next-door with her red curls and blue jeans, while Hailey always looked like she’d stepped out of a fashion magazine with her sleek blonde hair and designer labels.
But the
Joe felt himself starting to drift off to sleep. He reached over and pulled Phoebe up against his side and opened one eye to look at the clock.
Loud, completely naked sex and asleep by eleven—ten Sapphire Falls time— yes.
His phone buzzed on the bedside table as he felt Phoebe sigh her almost-asleep sigh.
He wanted to ignore it. Almost as much as he wanted ten straight hours of sleep. It was just a text.
But he was a dad now. He had to answer. Anything big and important would have garnered a phone call, he knew, but he wouldn’t be able to fall asleep wondering about the text anyway.
He groped around on the bedside table without fully opening his eyes. But a moment later, Phoebe’s phone chimed with her text message alert and he was suddenly wide awake.
He sat up in bed. “Who’s texting you?” he asked, grabbing his phone. He sighed in relief when he saw it was Levi.
“Kate.”
Ah, her friend from California. “Everything okay with her?” He liked Kate. She was funny and down to earth. He also loved listening to her talk to congressmen about environmental impact and climate change. He always learned something and he loved to watch the politicians underestimate her because she was a beautiful blonde. She was articulate and could put the politicians in their place almost as fast as Joe’s boss, Lauren. And Kate was sweeter about it.
“Yeah, she and Tucker found each other and are having a great time.” Phoebe emphasized great while she held her phone up for Joe to see.
“Tucker is wonderful. Having a GREAT time.”
“I got all caps from Levi too,” he said with a chuckle.
“Met Hailey. I OWE YOU . ”
He turned his phone to show Phoebe.
Phoebe read his screen and frowned. “Hailey who?”
“Hailey Conner.”
Phoebe’s gaze flew to his. “My Hailey Conner?”
“The only Hailey Conner either of us knows.”
“Levi and Hailey met up somewhere?”
“Yes.” Joe frowned at her. “At the Come Again.”
“The Come Again in Sapphire Falls?”
Joe put his phone down. “What are you talking about? You knew this.”
“No, I didn’t.”
Then something occurred to Joe. “Kate is out with Tucker?”
“Yes.”
“Tucker Bennett?”
“Yes. In Sapphire Falls at the Come Again.”
“Did I know about that?”
“Yes.” Then Phoebe bit her bottom lip and shook her head. “I don’t know. Did you?”
“I don’t think so.”
They’d been so crazy getting Kaelyn packed and over to grandma’s house and then packing themselves and getting to the airport that it was possible that they thought they’d mentioned these things and hadn’t actually gotten around to it.
“So Kate and Tucker?” Joe asked.
Phoebe nodded. “Levi and Hailey?”
“Yeah. Levi’s in town for Christmas. Hailey agreed to be his date for the formal.”
“Your idea?”
Joe nodded. “Levi’s decided to try some new things—like not smashing his skull in or ending up dead.”
“Good things to try,” Phoebe said dryly. She loved Joe’s brother, and his accident had shaken her. For a long time, they’d both seen Levi going down a bad path fast. They hoped the accident would be a wakeup call.
“He’s convinced Sapphire Falls can be good for him like it was me. And he wanted to date a local girl. Like you.”
Phoebe grinned at that. “But you set him up with Hailey?”
“She’s a local girl.”
Phoebe laughed. “And that’s the extent of the things Hailey and I have in common.”
It was true that they seemed different. Phoebe was everyone’s friend, Hailey liked to boss people around and didn’t really care what anyone thought of her. Phoebe’s look was more natural and girl-next-door with her red curls and blue jeans, while Hailey always looked like she’d stepped out of a fashion magazine with her sleek blonde hair and designer labels.
But the
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