Unbreak My Heart (Strawberry Inn Book #4)

Chapter 8

DALTON

“I’m coming in, Dalton, so you better be decent.” My friends were idiots, that’s for sure. Cody waltzed into my house like he owned the place, but I was more than happy with his breaking and entering because it meant I didn’t have to get up off the couch. Did I mention physical therapy was kicking my ass? 

Cody sent me a text earlier asking if he could come over. I figured something was up because he’s never done that before, but the look on his face when he plopped down on the couch told me that my suspicions were correct. Something was bothering him enough that he had to come over to my place in the middle of a Sunday. 

“Welcome in, make yourself at home,” I teased after he was already putting his feet up on my coffee table.

“Where’s Katie?” He looked around, possibly noticing the silence. Harrison may have been Katie’s favorite, but she grew fond of all my guy friends and their ladies after the last few years.

“She’s at her best friend’s place. Are you going to tell me what has you in such a mood?”

“I’m not in a mood,” he scowled.

I chuckled and proceeded to give my attention back to the game on TV. “Whatever you say.”

Eventually, he would tell me what was going on, but until he wanted to talk, I was going to go back to enjoying the game and plate of nachos I had made myself for lunch. Cody was getting restless next to me and finally, I heard him let out an exaggerated sigh. “Fine, I just needed to get out of the house because this thing happened and I think it is a big fucking deal, but Blair thinks it's not a huge deal, and she’s so fucking chipper about it and it’s pissing me off.”

“You’re mad that your wife is chipper? I’m not an expert on relationships, Cody, but I think you’re doing it wrong.”

“You don’t even know what happened,” he grumbled under his breath.

“Gee, if only there were a way you could fill me in so I could give a better opinion on the situation,” I replied sarcastically.

“I don’t need your shit, Dalton.”

“Cody,” I laugh again, “You’re the one with the SOS message. Now you’re here, so tell me what is going on. If you don’t want my opinion, I’ll keep it to myself, but clearly, you’re bothered enough so just let it out.”

“Fine,” he sighed again. “You know how Emory has been with her friend back East doing that whole Eat, Pray, Love mental retreat thing?”

“Yeah, what about it?”

“I just found out that she didn’t leave because she wanted to get back to nature or find herself or all the other bullshit things she fed to us before she left.”

I’m not as close to Emory, Cody’s sister, as I am with the others in the group. She tags along every now and then when we get together because she is friends with the girls, but unlike everybody else, Emory is single and ready to mingle. She’s the type of person who was born to stand out in a crowd and has no problem making herself the center of attention. While the rest of us are a bit older, married or engaged, or have kids, Emory is a free spirit. About a month ago she held a family meeting and told them all that she was leaving on a self-care journey.

Part of me was kind of jealous that she could just pick up the way that she did. She works for her parents at their vineyard and they agreed to let her have some time off. Winter was a slow season for events, which was what she worked on the most. I haven’t heard much about her since she left, but I’ve kind of been dealing with my own shit.