“Where’s Jet?” he asks as he pours himself a mug of steaming coffee. “He was very quiet this morning.”
“He’s gone out for a run.”
He turns around, brows arched. “Alone?”
“Yeah. That’s unusual, right?” The worry is back, nibbling at my stomach lining.
He shrugs after a moment and turns back to the coffee maker. “A little.”
Before I ask him for clarification, my cell phone rings and I glance at it. Oh crap, it’s Mom. I let it go to voicemail.
“So he’s done it before?”
“Yeah. When he was fucking upset.”
The phone starts ringing once more. I’d ignore it again, but she doesn’t often call me so early, and my stomach can’t take any more worry right now.
With a sigh, I pick it up. “Yeah?”
“Good morning!” my mom singsongs into my ear. Nobody should have the right to be so chirpy this early in the day. “How’s my baby girl doing?”
“Still in the process of waking up,” I inform her. “Mom, is everything okay?”
“Actually,” she says, “no. I’m looking for a reliable escort service and don’t know where to start. I’m desperate, girl, do you happen to know one? Asking for a friend.”
“No, I don’t. Mom…” My blood has turned to ice. “Why would you want an escort service?”
“Oh Candace, I just told you. I’m asking for a friend.” She laughs, a high-pitched nervous sound that screeches down my nerve endings.
Only it never is, is it? For a friend. “Mom…”
Joel is waving at me from the kitchen door. He mouths “Gotta go,” and walks out.
Crap. I had hoped to talk to him, even if I’m not sure what I could have said.
“You don’t know any such services, do you?” Disappointment colors Mom’s voice. “Poop.”
“Hey, Mom, why don’t you—”
“Talk to you soon, baby, I got to go!”
And she hangs up on me. Leaving me with all these questions and a scream building in my chest, because when I try to call her back, her line is already busy. And busy. And frigging busy.
Escorts? Is this for real? My mom is about to hire an unknown guy to give her sexual satisfaction?
Does my dad know?
Shit. I have to talk to Dad.
***
Dad’s phone is busy and then I realize I’m late for my first class of the day, so I drop the phone on the table and rush through my morning ritual.
Jump into shower. Shave fuzz from legs. Lather and rinse. Jump out of the shower.
Discover soap under one armpit.
Jump back into shower.