“Hey, Wes, how was the weekend? I thought you’d call today and let me know. Did she like it?”
Apparently he wasn’t the only one waiting around on a call then.
“Sorry,” he mumbled. “Been busy.”
“Uh huh. Jeremy told me just how busy you guys have been today.”
He sighed at her disbelieving tone. Busted. Hell. He couldn’t help the surge of annoyance. He felt hot and itchy, like anything would set him off.
“She liked it. Weekend was great. Look, can we hash this out later? I’m coming over to Jake’s. I assume you and Luke will be there.”
He cringed at his snotty tone, but he couldn’t call it back now.
Dead silence met his response. Finally she responded in a tight voice. “Uh, okay, sorry to bother you then. Yeah, I’ll talk to you later.”
The soft click in his ear told him she’d hung up. He closed his phone and dropped it on his desk. Fuck, fuck, fuck. When had he become such an ass? And to Gracie, for God’s sake. Gracie who’d done nothing but be the best friend in the entire world to him, not to mention all the time she’d spent shopping for all the candles and shit he’d taken to Houston.
He scrubbed a hand over his face. He was losing it. Absolutely losing his freaking mind.
Payton let herself into her apartment, kicking off her shoes as soon as she was in the door. Her feet ached, her head ached, and she needed a long hot bath.
She tossed aside her briefcase and glanced over at her answering machine. Not that it would be blinking. Everyone called her cell phone if they
couldn’t get her at home. She didn’t even think she’d ever given Wes her home number.
She trudged toward the bedroom, stripping as she went. Yeah, a hot bath sounded good. She could relax and call Wes while she soaked. Already, she missed him, and they hadn’t been apart a whole day yet.
The weekend seemed an eternity away, and she was assuming that he’d want or be able to see her again so soon. The problem was, she had no clear idea of this thing between her and Wes. What had started out as simple sex had quickly become a whole lot more. What, she wasn’t sure of yet, but she knew she was in deep trouble where he was concerned.
You love him, idiot. That’s the whole lot more you’ve been yammering about. If it was just sex, you wouldn’t be thinking about him every second of the day.
God, she hated when she made sense. Hated it even more when she resorted to snarky internal monologue.
“At least say that shit out loud,” she muttered. “Then it has more validity, and maybe I can admit that I’m in way over my head.”
She started the bathwater and laid her cell phone on the side of the tub. Then she slipped out of her bra and panties and groped around on the counter for a scrunchie to pull her hair back with.
The sound of the phone startled her, and she whirled around. Her heart sped up, and a knot settled in her stomach. Was it him?
She yanked up the phone, not even bothering with the LCD screen. “Hello?”
“Payton, honey, I’m so glad I caught you.” Her mother’s shaky voice filled Payton’s ears, and her heart plummeted.
“Mom? Is everything okay?”
A low sob echoed across the line. Was her mom crying?
“Honey, it’s your dad. We think he’s had a heart attack. I’m at the hospital here in Galveston.”
“Oh my God. Mom, is he…is he alive?”
“I don’t know anything yet, Payton. They’re still working on him. I just don’t know.”
Payton struggled to stay calm. She didn’t want to freak her mother out more than she was already, but the fact was Payton wanted to cry herself. She wasn’t ready to lose her father. Not her daddy.
Tears pricked her eyelids as she took in several steadying breaths. “I’ll be down as soon as I can, Mom. If there’s any change, call me on my cell. I’m leaving in just a few minutes.”
“Okay, honey, and be careful please. Don’t kill yourself getting down here.”
“I will. I love you, Mom.”
“I love you, too, baby,” her mother choked out.
Payton hung up, numb. The sound of water filling the bathtub broke through her shocked silence, and she quickly turned off the flow. Not bothering to let the water out, she raced into the bedroom to dress and pack a suitcase. Traffic on I-45 would be a bitch this time of day, but she had to get on the road and to the hospital as quickly as possible.
Wes pulled onto Jake’s street, drove down and parked at the curb behind Luke’s truck. The truth was, he didn’t want to be here. He’d rather go home and go to bed, figure out the muddled mass he called a brain. But he owed Gracie an apology in a big way. Besides, being here beat waiting around for a phone call he may or may not get from Payton.
He got out of the truck and walked around to let the tailgate down. He grasped the case of beer and hauled it out. Then he kicked the tailgate back up with his knee and nudged it closed with his hip.
He headed up the walkway, feeling more dread by the minute. It was some fucked-up, twisted-ass shit when he viewed a night with his friends with the same enthusiasm as a trip to the dentist.
At the door, he propped the beer on his knee and rang the bell. A few seconds later, Ellie opened the door and smiled welcomingly at him.
He followed her inside and to the kitchen to dump the beer. “Where is everyone?” he asked.
“Out back getting the grill started. Jeremy and Michelle haven’t made it yet. They called and said Thad wasn’t feeling well, so if I had to guess they’ll either be late or they won’t come.”
“How are you feeling?” he asked, as he folded her in his arms for a hug. At least he could try not to ruin his friendship with everyone.
He dropped a kiss on her cheek as he pulled away.
“I’m fine,” she said with a sweet smile. “Mornings aren’t exactly a walk in the park, but Jake’s been taking good care of me.”
Wes grinned. “Oh, I bet he is.”
She blushed, which only made Wes chuckle. “Go on outside,” she said, shoving him out of the kitchen. “I’m going to make some tea and then I’ll be out.” She stopped at the cooler and picked up several beers then held them out to him. “Take these while you’re at it.”