Page 141 of Where We Stay

“You don’t even know my address.”

“Minor detail,” he dismisses. “How’s the new life, kid?”

“Better than expected. I’ve even got a new best friend now, so you’ve officially been bumped to second place.”

Jerry laughs while I tell him about Hartwell. The school. The Breakwater. G. My cottage and the garden I’m preparing for spring.

I carefully leave Dean out of it.

Apparently, not carefully enough.

“There’s someone,” Jerry says.

I freeze. “What?”

“I know you, kid.”

“Apparently not very well,” I argue.

“There’s definitely someone,” he repeats, sounding far too pleased with himself.

I release a long breath. “His name is Dean.”

Silence follows.

“Jerry?”

“I’m just enjoying this.”

“Enjoying what?”

“You voluntarily telling me about a man.” He laughs. “Do you trust him?”

The answer comes easily.

Saying it out loud doesn’t.

“Yeah,” I admit. “I do.”

Jerry goes quiet for a moment.

“Then I already like him,” he says.

I blow out a breath. “There is one complication I failed to mention.”

“Of course there is.”

“His ex-wife came back last night.”

“Ah.”

“Don’t ah me.”

Jerry chuckles. “You just told me you trust him, Blair.”

“I know.”

“Then trust what he’s shown you until he gives you a reason not to,” Jerry says gently. “His ex-wife coming back doesn’t erase everything that happened before she arrived.”