Chapter 15
FIFTEEN
B ianca didn’t miss Eddie’s flinch when this relative of his tried to hug him. She’d made a mistake.
She should have checked with Eddie before she’d agreed to this surprise reunion. Why hadn’t she learned her lesson from the pizza incident?
After surviving the scene of kissing Carter’s cheek, she’d been trying to process the frown Eddie had worn when he’d left for the fire station. That was when a woman who Bianca had assumed was a film extra had motioned her over. Usually, Bianca would have waved and gone on preparing for the next scene, but at their current last-minute location, there wasn’t a specific section for the extras.
Something about the woman’s fancier clothes and familiarity had made Bianca walk over. Now she realized it had been the woman’s eyes. The rich mocha coloring matched Eddie’s.
Bianca jogged the rest of the way toward the pair as Eddie glared at his relative. “What are you doing here?”
The woman extended her arms. “Can’t your mother surprise you?”
Bianca gaped at the woman. “You’re his mother?”
Eddie’s frown and tightly crossed arms did not match his mother’s expression. “I’m definitely surprised.”
Bianca put out her shaking hand. “Why didn’t you tell me who exactly you were?” Then again, would it have mattered? She would have assumed Eddie would have wanted to see her. Just as Bianca would have wanted to see her own family.
His mother’s haughty snarl at Bianca flashed into a smile as she addressed Eddie. “I called you more than once. But you never answered, so I thought a surprise was in order. I arrived in time to see you holding your new girl.” She put her hand on her chest, her eyes misting. “You’ve gotten so tall.”
“Rice!” His lieutenant hollered from the bay area where Zack and Ridge jogged toward Eddie. “You’re needed inside. Now.”
Eddie shot Bianca a look. “Yes, sir.”
She’d messed up even bigger this time. So sorry , she mouthed.
He avoided her gaze and marched away to the fire station.
Zack stopped beside Bianca while Ridge stepped in front of Eddie’s mother. “Can I help you, Mary?”
Bianca squeezed her eyes shut. They knew this woman and were protecting Eddie. While she’d done the opposite.
Mary adjusted her leather purse on her shoulder. “I’d love a chair in the air-conditioning while I wait for Eddie to have his lunch break.”
Zack shook his head. “If you want to see Eddie, you’ll need to contact him.”
She lifted her chin. “I’ve been calling him.”
Ridge motioned toward the pathway to the parking lot. “Then he has his reasons for not replying.”
Mary raised her brow and rested her hand on her thick pearls. “Doesn’t that Bible he reads now say something about respecting his mother?”
Zack squared up to the lady. “Ma’am, according to the law, you’re not his mother any longer.”
Bianca pressed her fingers over her mouth. Oh, Eddie. She’d failed him.
Mary’s eyes watered, and then she turned for the pathway.
Ridge hooked his thumb over his shoulder. “I’m going to go make sure…”
Zack nodded. “I’ll catch Bianca up here.”
Ridge gave a thumbs-up and trailed after Mary.
“I’m so sorry.” Bianca sank her face into her palms. “She said she was a family member traveling through town and wanted to surprise Eddie. I guess I thought how I’d love it if my own family went out of their way to come see me…but I was too focused on my issues instead of thinking of Eddie. I didn’t know he and her…” She lifted her face. “I really need to apologize.”
Zack sighed. “Mary gave up her parental rights to Eddie when he was a teen. In my opinion, he hasn’t forgiven her.”
“Is Eddie actually busy in the firehouse, or can I go tell him I’m sorry?”
Zack slid his hands in his pockets. “Probably a good idea to give him some time first.”
She sniffed. Time. She’d call Frances for prayers and wisdom. “Sure. Yeah. Obviously, you know him better than me. I understand. Thanks for explaining.”
Zack paused. “I hope you’ll get the entire story, but it’s not mine to tell.”
She glanced over her shoulder and spotted Grace waiting under a tree. “Thanks, Zack.”
Zack nodded and headed inside the fire station.
Grace walked over and handed Bianca a cup filled with blueberries. “What was that all about?”
Bianca rolled the blueberries around in the cup. “I led Eddie’s mother to him because she wanted to surprise him. But there are…issues.”
Much worse than her own.
Grace grabbed three blueberries from Bianca’s cup. “So headlines aren’t going to say ‘Hero Brings Bia to Meet His Momma.’”
The cup dropped out of Bianca’s grip, and blueberries bounced on the pavement.
Bianca’s stomach tightened as she scooped up the blueberries.
Grace squatted along with her, grabbed a few berries, and put them into the cup. “You two still have a deal, right?”
Eddie’s hurt expression as he’d stepped away from his mother made her heart ache all over again.
Bianca stood. Her legs shook, and she locked her knees. “Right now, I don’t even know if he’s okay.”
That mattered more than any deal.
Grace grimaced. “If you hurry, you probably have a few minutes to run down there. Leo wants to move up the afternoon scene to the park. We need you to get back to wardrobe and to Riley.” She put her hand on Bianca’s arm. “But you can take the time?—”
“Thanks, but he needs space.” It wasn’t about what she needed. “Can I get a ride back over in the limo?”
Grace checked her phone. “Perfect. I think Riley is going to ride over there with that group too, so it might be a tighter fit. We’re hoping to get there and wrap it up quickly before the protestors catch wind of where we’ll be next. I’ll text Justin and let him know you’re on your way to him.”
“Okay, thanks.” Bianca pulled off her heels. She didn’t know who in real life would wear heels when they were searching for clues about a jewel.
The grass between the fire station’s winding driveway and the sidewalk tickled against her bare feet. The limo was parked on the street. A group of boys was riding up the sidewalk in her direction. Three riders sat on the seats, and then two of the bicycles had a boy each behind the peddler, standing on the spokes.
The first set of boys sped past her. However, the second bike slammed on its brakes.
The teenager stared at her. “Are you Bia Pearl?”
She slipped her shoes back on. “Hi, boys. It’s good to see you guys out riding bikes in the fresh air.” The freckled-faced boy who had been standing on the spokes of the last bike hunched behind his driver. Wait. “Will, is that you?”
Will peeked out from behind the other boy. His freckles were on full display, but his gaze didn’t meet hers. “Hey, Bia.”
Bia, not Coach B or even Bianca?
The boy who had stopped first, who looked a few years older than Will, chuckled. “Who’s Will?”
Will shrugged. “Jimmy’s my nickname.”
Bianca tilted her head. She’d heard of Will being short for William, but Jimmy? Wasn’t that usually for James? “Why do they call you Jimmy?”
Will slinked down, almost completely out of view.
The first bicycle rolled back to them. “Hold on, who cares what Jimmy’s name is? Can we get a picture with you, Bia Pearl?”
Her phone rang. Another unknown number filled her screen.
Please let it not be Nathan.
She clicked ignore on her phone and took a picture with the boys.
After they’d taken a few group selfies, Bianca stepped closer to Will. “I’ll see you in a few days?”
Will’s driver whipped his head around. “You’re hanging out with Bia Pearl, and you’re not telling us? Dude, where at? What time’s the party?”
“She’s a movie star. If I spill, I don’t get to go. Now let’s get out of here or we’re gonna be late.”
The boys glanced at each other, then sped off.
Will went by Jimmy, and he didn’t want the older boys to know he played baseball? That didn’t make any sense. Her phone rang. The same unknown number from a second ago flashed on her screen.
This needed to stop. She hit the answer button. “Hello.”
“Finally, babes.”
“Don’t even, Nathan,” Bianca hissed. “The only reason you need to be calling me is to apologize and to tell me what happened to my money.”
Nathan tsked. “I’ve missed you too. Listen, we need to meet up. I’ve got this new adventure I want to surprise you?—”
“No.” No more surprises. Bianca shook her head and headed to the limo. “The last adventure I heard you mention over the phone ended up with the police arriving and me looking like a liar. Tell me the truth, Nathan Kensington. What did you do with my money before the account was frozen?”
The pause let Bianca know her ex was more than likely rolling his stress ball in his hand. “Lady B, it’s really not that simple.”
Bianca leaned her hip against the back of the limo. “Then until you can give me a straight answer over the phone, stop contacting me.” She hung up and blocked the number.
Lord, make him stop calling me.
With shaky hands, Bianca opened the rear door of the limo and slid inside. The middle partition window, as usual, was down between them.
Justin’s brown bushy hair was in view. “Everything okay back there?”
“It will be.” Bianca scooted to the middle seat. “Long time no see, Justin. How’s your mom?”
He glanced back at her in the rearview mirror. “Much better. She only has a little cough. Thanks for asking. We’re waiting for Carter and a few others, and then we’ll get moving. As always, feel free to grab yourself a drink or snack.”
She took a water bottle from the mini fridge and pressed the bottle against her heated neck. She really needed to think about something other than Nathan. Will’s half-hidden face popped into her mind. “Hey, quick question. Do you know if it’s somehow not cool to play baseball anymore?”
Justin adjusted the mirror. “I think it’s cooler to play video games.”
“I guess.” At least the boys were outside. “And you wouldn’t know why a boy would be called Jimmy, would you?”
Justin’s brows rose over the top of his sunglasses. “If his name was James?”
She shook her head. “It’s not.”
Then Riley turned around from, apparently, her spot in the front passenger seat. “He could be good at picking locks. I once knew someone they called Little Jimmy because he was great at jimmying locks.”
Bianca twisted open her water. She hoped that wasn’t it. She waved at Riley and took a sip of her water. “Didn’t know you were up there. You can come sit back here. Not that Justin isn’t great company too.”
Riley dropped out of view again. “I’m good. Justin’s going to show me the ropes up here. My brother’s…interested in being a limo driver. I’m seeing if he could handle it.”
“Oh, I didn’t know you have a brother.”
Justin popped in a piece of gum. “Can’t have too many limo drivers, you know.”
Bianca smiled but dropped it when she glanced at the fire station.
Zack had said Eddie needed time, and she’d give him space. But she was pretty sure he’d want to know about Will.
She pulled out her phone and shot off a text to Eddie.
Bianca
I’m so sorry, Eddie. I really would like to apologize in person when you’ll let me. But I ran into Will…Did you know that he also goes by the name Jimmy? He was hanging out with these maybe fourteen-year-olds who didn’t know he played baseball. Is that weird, or am I being a helicopter coach?
She pulled up Frances’s name and sent her a text explaining about her mistake with Eddie and his mom and Nathan’s request to meet. Her phone vibrated with a response from her friend.
Frances
Sorry, hun, I’ll be praying for wisdom.
That was it? Her phone buzzed again. But it wasn’t Frances. Another unknown number.
Unknown
LB—really, we need to talk. In person.
If only it were Eddie who was up for talking. Bianca deleted the message. Nathan had always called her LB for Lady Bianca. And he was wrong. They did not need to talk in person. He’d called her a liar under oath. Helped ruin her name and was the reason her accounts had been frozen and were now missing money.
Her phone vibrated again. Eddie’s name finally crossed her screen. However, it was almost as disappointing as her ex’s words.
Eddie
I’ll check on him.
I’ll. Not we’ll. Just like Will, Eddie had dodged her questions. Maybe he’d also been busy, still upset, or worse, he was pulling away from her. Letting Eddie go was starting to feel like the biggest mistake of their entire deal.