Christopher grunted, glared at Kendall, then stalked away.
The moment he left, Kendall came to Fee’s bedside and sat, taking her into her arms. “I knew those assholes were no good for you.”
“Meggie told you about the argument?”
“Oh please. Meggie is too busy giving my husband advice to talk to me about anything. Me and Johnnie were at the club last night when Mort came in. He mentioned Meggie had brought you to the house because you had an argument with a friend. Johnnie might’ve bought it, but I knew immediately.”
“I see.” Fee sat up, forcing Kendall to release her. “You’ve come to blackmail me again?”
Lowering her lashes, Kendall settled her hand on her stomach, showing the slightest hint of a bump. “Will you ever let me live that down?”
Tears welled in Fee’s eyes again. “You hurt me. Now you’re here for whatever reason.”
“To console you. I swear. You came to me after Daphne’s death, when you didn’t have to. It showed me a lot, Fee.”
As much as she wanted to, Fee wouldn’t easily trust Kendall, so she shrugged and leaned toward the tray, smiling when she noticed two aspirin on a napkin. She did have a splitting headache.
“Do you want the tray?” Kendall asked.
“Yes.”
After taking the aspirin, Fee piled pillows behind her and settled against them.
“Do you want to tell me what happened?”
Maybe, she was being unforgiving and mean, but she had enough to worry about. She didn’t need to concern herself with Kendall taking Fee’s confidence for granted and using it at her whim. “There’s nothing to tell.”
Kendall’s shoulders slumped. “Fine, Fee. Have it your way,” she said bleakly.
Her ringing phone prevented a response. She knew it wasn’t Cash or Stretch because it wasn’t either of their ringtones. The number didn’t register, so she let it go to voicemail.
“Kendall, I’d really like to be alone.”
“Fee, you look horrible. If I leave you alone, you’ll cry yourself into a pathetic stupor that only days of sleep would help.”
“Bye, Kendall,” Fee snapped as her phone beeped, alerting her to a message.
“Aren’t you going to check that?”
Though she wasn’t particularly curious about her unknown caller, Fee decided to take Kendall’s suggestion.
“Hello, Ophelia. This is Noah Carson. Give me a call.”
Fee gasped.
“Is there a problem?”
“Have you ever heard about strange coincidences?” she asked, disconnecting the call.
“Haven’t we all? For instance, the car belonging to James Dean, the 50s movie star—”
“I know all about the cursed car, Kendall. I’m not talking about that,” Fee said with irritation. For a woman into classical music, legal briefs, and prestige, she mentioned pop culture at the most inconvenient times. “I mentioned Noah to Christopher and he called me. I don’t remember ever giving him my number.”
Kendall flushed. If Fee didn’t know better, she’d suspect Kendall was somehow involved. Crap! Now she was stereotyping the woman and, maybe, it was unfair. However, she’d stay on the side of caution and be wary of Kendall’s tactics.
She rubbed her head. “I guess I did if he’s calling me.”
“That’s probably it, Fee. Or, he got it through the grapevine. For instance, I have the code to get into the house because of Johnnie. Outlaw wants his boys to be able to get to Megan if she’s in distress. Therefore, we wives have it, too. It could be something as innocent as that.”
So that’s how Kendall let herself in this morning. “True. But everyone isn’t meant to use that code.” Even Fee knew that without being told. “I wouldn’t advise you to make a habit of walking into Christopher’s house unannounced and uninvited. You might be mistaken for a home invader and you know what happens to them.”
Kendall brushed over Fee’s warning with a shrug. “What did Noah want?”
“I’m not sure,” she admitted. Neither was she interested in finding out.
Getting to her feet, Kendall smiled. “Call him, Fee,” she suggested. “I know you’re hurt, but you’ve wasted enough of your life on two undeserving assholes. You want a family. You’re not getting any younger, so it’s time to find a man who’s willing to make your dreams come true. You owe it to yourself. Now, I have to head home to put on something more appropriate than yoga pants and a t-shirt. Charlotte and I are meeting for brunch.”
That news ruined Fee’s morning all over again and she spent the rest of the day in bed.