My stomach drops out as I turn quickly into a gas station. “Oh, Charlie, I’m so sorry. I hate that you’re in the middle.” I pull up and park in front of the ice box at the end of the gas station mini mart. “What is he saying?”
“Well, he’s saying he’s gonna go to the police and declare you missing,” Charlie replies.
I huff. “That is such bullshit. Have you told him I’m not missing?”
“Oh, yes. I’ve made it clear we’ve been in regular contact.”
“And you haven’t told him where I am?”
“Of course not,” he replies. “Though he did ask me to make an offer to you. We’ll call it an informal mediation.”
I sigh, rubbing a tired hand against my temple. “What does he want, Charlie?”
“Well, he wonders if you’ll take a call from his mother.”
My heart stops. Shit, this is unexpected. “Bea wants to talk to me?”
“Oh, yes. She’s been desperate to get ahold of you too,” Charlie replies. “I’ve been asked to arrange a call.”
I stare out the windshield at the sign taped to the ice box advertising tackle bait. This could be a trick on so many levels. I could think I’m connecting to Bea and really, it’s him. I could connect with Bea but he’s in the room. They could find a way to track the call— No.
I try and shut down those thoughts. I don’t want to act paranoid.
“When does Bea want to arrange a call?”
“I’m sure she’ll drop whatever she’s doing to take the call.”
“Do it.”
“Okay. Well, when would you like to—”
“Now,” I say, unbuckling my seatbelt. “I want to do it now. Call her and connect us.”
This is the only way. If we plan it out in advance, it gives Troy time to act, time to get involved. And as much as I love Bea, Troy has always been her weakness. If a single word of what I have to say gets mediated to her through him, he’ll taint it, and I’ll lose her.
She’s probably already written me off as the daughter-in-law she used to love. The loss of her respect and support hurts more than I can bear. I blink back my tears, trying to center all my heavy emotions and sink them down deep to the bottom of my chest.
“Are you sure, honey?”
“Yes. Please connect me with my mother-in-law.”
“Okay. Give me a minute to chat with Shirley, and we’ll have you on the call.”
My free hand clenches the steering wheel. “I’m ready.”
27
It’s travel day for the Vegas away game, and I’m not getting on that plane. Hell, I’m not even getting on the bus to go to the airport. I’m just standing here in the loading dock, watching as my team gets on the bus without me.
As I stand here, Brayden Jones, the farm team guy who gets to dress to fill my hole in the roster walks past, bag in hand. He’ll be a fourth line guy and probably won’t see a minute of action on the ice, but he’s officially wearing a Rays jersey and going to the Show.
Watching him excitedly load the bus eases my anxiety. I know this injury is only temporary. As soon as I’m rehabbed, I’ll be back out on that ice, and poor Jonesy will be sent back down. That’s just hockey.
“Hey, we’ll miss you, man,” says Jake as he walks past, giving my shoulder a tap with his fist. “Look out for Tess while we’re gone, yeah?”
“Yeah,” I say, nodding his way.
“You’re a good guy, Langers,” he says with a smile. “A good friend. We know we can trust you to take care of her and not take advantage.”
Fuck.
Does he need to know that I’m just an average guy who actually slept with Tess last night? She pumped the breaks hard on the sex, but we did technically sleep together.
“Everything okay?” says Jake.
Now Mars is standing at his shoulder.
“Nope,” I say with a smile, and they both frown at me. “Uhh—nope. I mean, like, yep. Nope, all good here. You know, ‘cause why wouldn’t it be good? Tess and I are just roommates…and it’s only temporary…and I mean, our schedules couldn’t be more different, so I never really even see her.”
They’re both just looking at me.
“But you know, when I am at the house, I’ll keep both eyes on her,” I ramble on. “I mean, unless she’s doing something where I should be looking away, and then I definitely will…like if she’s naked again—”