Chapter 11
Chapter
Eleven
We’re a fourth of the way into the movie when Axel’s phone rings.
He groans. “Not again. I’ll just let it go to voicemail.”
“Good idea,” I murmur, nestling deeper into the curve of his shoulder.
It’s probably Zoe. I’ll be so glad when he ends things with her.
Of course, that doesn’t mean he’ll be with me.
I wish I could rewind time and take back the awful things I wrote about him.
How could I have been so wrong? I guess that’s what I get for holding a grudge.
A couple of minutes later, his phone rings again.
“They’re not giving up,” I mutter.
This time, he pulls it from his pocket and frowns. “It’s my sister Cassie.”
My heart skips a beat. If he happens to mention my name, will Cassie connect that it’s me? London isn’t a common name, but Cassie and I lost touch after high school, so I’m probably not on her radar.
“I’d better answer.” He reaches for the remote and pauses the movie. “Hey sis, what’s up?” He sits up, punching out his next words. “Is he okay?”
The change in him is immediate. Something is wrong.
“I’ll get there as fast as I can.”
Apprehension slithers down my spine. “What’s wrong?” I ask the second he ends the call.
Anguish twists his expression. “My dad was in a car accident.”
“Oh, no,” I gasp. “Is he okay?”
“He has a brain injury and is being rushed into emergency surgery.”
My heart twists. “I’m so sorry.”
He jumps up. “I’ve got to go and see him.”
“Now?” I squeak.
“Now.”
“What about the weather?”
“I’ll charter a plane.”
“Will anyone even fly in this?”
“I don’t know, but I have to try.”
I nod numbly, knowing there’s no use in arguing with him. If my dad were in an accident, nothing could stop me from getting to him on the double.
He makes a call and paces back and forth. I can tell from his jerky movements that the news isn’t good.
“What’s the word?” I ask when he ends the call.
“My coordinator says no one’s flying tonight because of the sleet and freezing rain. Even commercial flights are grounded.”
“Maybe you could go tomorrow.”
He balls his fist. “I’ll go crazy waiting.” A crazed look overtakes his expression as he marches over and looks out the window. It’s still snowing, but not as hard as it was before. “I’ll drive. If I head out now, I can be there by morning.”
I balk. “In your Corvette?”
Defiance sharpens his tone. “If that’s what it takes.”
He’s so dang bullheaded. “It’s a seven-hour drive from here to Mt. Pleasant in good weather. Who knows how long it’ll take in a winter storm.”
“I have to try,” he growls and spins around. Then he dips his head as if he just thought of something. “Wait. How do you know how long a drive it is?”
Crap! Heat flames my cheeks as I backpedal. “I assume that’s how long it’ll take. Am I far off?”
“No, you’re right on the money.”
Whew. Close call. When will I learn to be more careful before blurting things out? I shift my focus to his foolhardy quest. “It’s not safe for you to be out on the roads tonight, especially in your Corvette.”
He thrusts out his jaw with an obstinate fierceness. “I’m going.”
It tugs at my heartstrings to see him in such a state—so vulnerable. Words issue from my mouth before I can fully process what I’m saying. “I’ll go with you. We’ll take my SUV.” My rented SUV.
He blinks. “It’s not safe.”
I lift my chin. “No, it’s not, but we’ll have a better chance of getting there in the Honda CR-V than your Corvette.” I get to my feet. “I’ll run home, pack a bag, and meet you back here to save time.”
He looks astonished. “You’re really going with me?”
“I am.” It’s mind-boggling how concerned I am about him, given the short time we’ve been around each other.
This is insane. By going back to Mt. Pleasant, I’m drastically increasing the odds of getting found out.
And yet, I can’t stand the thought of him going alone in an older model sports car that won’t handle well in snow and ice.
He needs me right now, and I’m not about to let him down.
So much for my plan to pretend to be sick for the benefit.
I can’t leave him high and dry. I just can’t!
I guess I’ll have to manage the complications as they come along.
“I don’t know what to say.” He looks at me through glowing eyes like I’m doing something heroic. We share a smile that pulses tenderness through me. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” I say softly. I glance outside, urgency pressing through me. “The faster I leave, the sooner I can get back.”
He frowns. “No need for you to leave now. I’ll just grab my things, and we can stop by your house on the way.”
I step up to him and cup his cheek, stroking his skin. “Thanks, but I’ll just run home. Don’t worry, I won’t be gone long.”
Suspicion clouds his eyes, magnifying the worry and anguish he feels for his dad. “Why do I get the feeling that you’re avoiding me finding out where you live?”
I force a laugh. “That’s silly. Why would I do that?”
“I dunno. You tell me.”
I lower my hand and roll my eyes to play it off. “Are we gonna waste valuable time arguing?”
“I guess not,” he sighs and then gives me a pointed look. “But when we get back, you’re going to have to take me to your house. Otherwise, I’ll think you’re hiding something.”
“Deal,” I smile. Anything to buy more time.
Few things are as grueling as driving long hours on icy roads through the middle of the night.
Six hours into our trip, and it’s official.
My nerves are shot, and I’ve gnawed my fingernails down to nubs.
Axel grips the steering wheel with both hands, shoulders rigid.
His expression is a mask of concentration.
For the past hour, we’ve been following behind an eighteen-wheeler and staying in its tracks so that we won’t slip and slide.
Snowflakes are pelting the windshield almost faster than the wipers can whisk them away.
We tried listening to music for a while, but that added to the stress, so we’ve opted for the quiet instead.
As I stare straight ahead, my mind wanders. When we first got into the SUV, I had to explain why I was driving a rental. I made up a story about my car being in the shop. The lies are piling up.
I’m not sure if the party will still take place on Saturday.
It’ll probably depend on how Axel’s dad is doing.
Axel called Cassie earlier to get a report, but she said their dad was still in surgery.
I’ve been saying lots of silent prayers, asking for Randall to pull through.
Also, I’ve been praying that we’ll travel safely.
We’re only able to go about forty miles an hour.
With the snow, the darkness, and the monotonous rhythm of the wipers, it feels like we’re caught in a time warp.
I nearly jump out of my skin when Axel’s phone rings from where it’s resting in the console. Not wanting him to get distracted, I reach for it and look at the screen. “It’s Cassie. I’ll put it on speaker for you.”
He nods.
I swipe to answer and hold it up to him.
“Hey sis.”
“Hey.” She sounds as tired and weary as I feel.
“How’s Dad?” Axel asks.
“Finally out of surgery. The doctor said he’s doing well.”
“Good to hear.” Axel lets out a relieved breath.
“They’re keeping him in a medically induced coma until the swelling in his brain subsides.”
“What’s the prognosis?”
“We’re still at a wait-and-see status, but the doctor’s hopeful. Are you flying in?”
“Nope. No one’s flying tonight due to the weather.”
“Well, hopefully things will clear enough for you to get out tomorrow.”
“Oh, I’ll be there. I’m on the road now and will get there sometime tomorrow morning.”
“What?” she exclaims. “You shouldn’t be out in this. Dad hit some black ice and skidded off the road into a tree. The last thing we need is for you to have an accident too.”
“Cassie, don’t be a drama queen,” he scoffs. “I’m not gonna have an accident. I’ll be fine.”
My first inclination is to urge Axel to be kinder to his sister. She’s obviously freaked out about her dad’s accident. Then I remember that if I breathe a word, Cassie might recognize my voice.
“What’re the roads like where you are? It’s awful here.”
“The roads are bad here, too, so we’re having to take it slow.”
“Is Zoe with you?”
My stomach tenses.
“No.” From the way Axel answers, I can tell that he’s uncomfortable talking about Zoe with me listening.
“Who’s with you? Max? Did y’all work out your differences?”
“Not hardly,” Axel grunts.
So something happened between Axel and Max. Is that the reason why Axel left the band?
“If not Max, then who is it?” Cassie questions.
Short pause, and then Axel clears his throat. “Her name’s London.”
She giggles. “Ah, stepping out on the blogger diva. Way to go, bro.”
“It’s not like that,” he says darkly. “I’m ending things with Zoe as soon as I can see her in person.”
“Wow, finally! Hallelujah. That’s great news!”
I can’t help but grin. Now I remember why Cassie and I were such good friends back in the day.
“London,” she muses, “that’s not a name you hear every day. Hey, do you remember my friend London from high school?”
Exactly what I was afraid of. I’m glad it’s dark. Otherwise, Axel would see my panicked expression and know that something’s up.
“Nope,” Axel says.
“I wonder what London’s up to these days. I thought we were good friends, but I’ve left her a couple of messages on Facebook, and she never responded.”
“Maybe you’ll see her at the benefit,” Axel says in a way that tells me it doesn’t matter to him either way.
She grunts. “At this point, I don’t care if I ever see her again. To have a friend, you have to be a friend.”
Cassie has every right to be disgruntled. When she reached out to me, I didn’t respond because it seemed hypocritical to resume a friendship with her when I was ripping her brother to shreds online.
“I can’t believe you don’t remember London. She had a huge crush on you,” Cassie continues.
Here’s where I want to shrivel down to the size of a worm and crawl away.
“Really?” Axel sounds surprised.
“She invited you to a dance, and you stood her up. Bless her heart, she was devastated and then spent the rest of that year despising you.”
Only the rest of that year? If only. This is getting worse by the minute. My stomach roils. It’s all I can do to hold the phone steady.
“She wouldn’t be the first person to despise me,” Axel mutters, “or the last.”
“You really don’t remember her?”
His tone is coated in annoyance. “How many times are you gonna ask me that?”
“Hello,” Cassie bellows, “she’s Judy Meyers’ daughter.”
“Oh, yeah. I remember her. She had glasses and braces.”
“That’s her.” Cassie clicks her tongue. “You’re such a heartbreaker.”
He doesn’t respond.
“Anyway, will I get to meet this new girl?”
“Yep, London’s with me right now. We’ll be there in the morning, and you can meet her in the flesh.”
My skin crawls like it’s swarming with fire ants. How in the heck am I gonna get out of this pickle?
“I look forward to it.” Cassie pauses, and then her voice turns husky. “I love you, bro.”
“Love you too,” Axel says with deep emotion.
This shift in the tone of the conversation reminds me of how Bryce and I interact. We’ll razz each other relentlessly, but at the end of the day, we love each other fiercely.
“Be safe,” Cassie says.
“Will do.” Assuming the call is over, I’m about to end it until Axel interjects, “Hey, how’s Mom?”
“About like you’d expect … devastated, worried. She’ll be glad when you get here, so she can have us both with her.”
“Give her my love and tell her I’ll be there in the morning.”
“I’ll tell her. Bye.”
I end the call and place the phone in the console, trying to figure out what to say. “That’s good news about your dad.” My voice sounds off in my own ears. Hopefully, Axel won’t notice.
“It is.”
I have to tease him a little or else he’ll get suspicious. “So you’re a heartbreaker,” I hum.
He smirks. “According to my sister. I don’t know why she went off on that tangent about her old friend. Sorry about that.”
“No worries,” I chuckle. “We all have pasts.”
“Speaking of which, you haven’t told me anything about your past relationships.”
“There’s not much to tell.”
“I don’t believe that. Let’s hear it.”
I moisten my lips. “Well, I was dating someone a while back, but it didn’t work out.”
“Oh, no,” he laughs. “You can’t leave me hanging.”
I shift in my seat. “I dumped him on Valentine’s Day.”
“Ouch.”
“We were supposed to go to dinner, but he said he was sick and canceled. I took him some soup and found him on the couch with a woman he worked with.”
“Wow, I’m sorry.”
“I’m just glad I realized what he was before I wasted any more time on him.” I’m not about to tell him that the experience, coupled with my going home and seeing an article about him, is what prompted me to make him a regular topic for my column.
“His loss is my gain.”
He’s certainly charming. “Thanks,” I smile. “You never told me how you and Zoe got together.”
“I didn’t?”
“Nope.”
“A mutual friend introduced us. We started going out … and here we are—were,” he corrects.
“I take it that Cassie’s not a fan of Zoe?”
A low chuckle sounds in his throat. “Whatever gave you that idea?” He throws me a quick glance before refocusing on the road. “Cassie has a strong opinion about most everything.”
I clench my hands. “She might not like me either.” I have no idea how to deal with Cassie. She’ll recognize me right off because she follows me on social media and has seen my recent pictures. I know because she commented on one a few months ago.
“How could she not like you?”
His voice is coated with such warmth and admiration that I can’t help but smile. “Thanks.”
“You know,” he says thoughtfully, “I don’t even know your last name.”
“Miller,” I blurt, hating myself for all of the deception.
If I were a braver, better person, I’d come clean right now.
But I can’t make myself do it. My phone rings.
I reach down to the floorboard and retrieve it from my purse.
It’s Harmony. No way can I answer it now. I click the button to silence it.
“You don’t want to answer that?”
“Nah, it’s a friend. I’ll call her back later.” Shoving my phone back into my purse, I shift in the seat, trying to get comfortable.
“You can get some sleep if you want.”
“That’s okay,” I say offhandedly. “I don’t mind staying awake to keep you company. I can drive for a while if you want.”
“I’ve got it.”
A grin curves my lips. “I had a feeling you’d say that.” I offered to drive when we first left Nashville, but Axel wouldn’t have it. He likes to be behind the wheel and the one in control. That’s fine with me. I’d much rather let him navigate the treacherous roads.
As for sleep, it was kind of him to suggest it, but there’s no way I could do that right now. I’m too keyed up over what tomorrow will bring.
When I’m back in Mt. Pleasant. At the hospital.
Where I’ll most likely have to face Cassie.