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What the hell happened? Did someone say something to make her change her mind? Did one of the little shits from town confront her? I discard that idea immediately. I know enough about Bonny that I'm sure she would never listen to someone else and judge a person for no reason other than gossip. She’s not that type of person. No this is something she’s heard, or seen, or…I try to think of a recent time she might have seen me with another woman and misconstrued something, but I don’t go around hugging or touching any other people. Just her and it will only ever be just her.
I suffer through another sleepless night spent pacing through my house. The next morning, I am sitting outside her house waiting for her to pull out of her driveway and follow her to the shop. By the time I shut and lock the door at the close of the day, I am more than ready to grab Bonny and figure this shit out. I’m so close to breaking that, I’m not sure if I can go another night. I’m not sure I can let her go. I might resort to tying her to the fucking bed.
When I don’t see her car out front, I check the back and find nothing. God damn it! I speed from my office over to her house. Her car is there but when I call her, she doesn’t pick up. I sit and wait for her to come out. I know she’s got a girls’ night planned tonight and I have no problem stealing her away and taking her to my house. Lilly and Candiace will just have to get over it and have their night without her.
When it starts to get dark, and she doesn’t come out I start to worry. So, I get out of the car and knock on her freaking door. She opens it and lets out a little squeak.
“Is Tandy here?”
She frowns at me. “No, Mom’s taking her to a birthday party for one of her little friends. Why?”
Instead of answering her, I volley another question at her, “Why aren’t you headed to your girls’ night with Lilly and Candiace?”
“Are you stalking me or something? How did you know about our girls’ night?”
“Carrie at the diner talks to Lilly who was telling her about it. She told me I might be lonely tonight because you’ll be with ‘the girls’ and I informed her the girls might get a night, but I plan to have the rest of your weekend.”
“What?! Why would you say that? Carrie has the biggest mouth…what is wrong with you?”
“Some red-headed temptress keeps me up at night and doesn’t answer any of my calls.”
The phone rings and she walks over to pick it up. I come all the way in and shut the door behind me, “Andy, slow down I can’t understand anything you’re saying.”
Andy? Who the hell is Andy?
“What? Oh my God!” I can tell by her voice that something isn’t right, “I’m… I’ll come pick her up. Someone has to stay with her and…”
She sits down heavily on the couch, clutching her phone in her hand. “What’s wrong, Bunny?”
“She… she left with him… of her own free will?” I bend down in front of her and note how tired she looks, how pale. “But she is okay, right?”
“Is it Tandy? Your mom?” She shakes her head no.
“Okay, thanks Andy. I’ll tell Mom you called.”
As soon as she hangs up the phone, I am right in front of her, “What happened Bonny?”
She looks at me with big tears in her eyes and her chin wobbles, “Storm had to take Candy to the hospital… because she… she fell.”
A little sob falls out of her mouth, and she puts her hand up like she might be trying to hold the others in.
“Is she alright, Bonny?” Her eyes get a faraway look and she starts to blink slowly. “Baby, is she alright?”
She nods. “She… Storm took her home with him. Andy says… she knows his aunt and they can take care of her through the night.”
“She? Andy’s a girl?”
She nods absently. “Andy is short for Andria. I…I should call Lolly.” She tries to stand up but I am too close for her to do that and she falls back on the couch. “I should…I…I’m so tired. What if I’m the reason she got hurt?”
Another sob is yanked out of her and tears start to roll down her face. Fuck this! She’s exhausted and ready to drop and now she’s blaming herself for what might have nothing to even dowith her. Candiace could have tripped going through a fucking door for all we know. All Bonny said was that she fell, not why and how.
“Is your mom watching Tandy this Friday and Saturday night?”
She nods absently. And I stand up to my full height in front of her. “Then you’re coming with me.”
“What?!”
“You heard me, baby.” I pull her up to stand next to me and then lower my shoulder so I can tip her over it. I carry her the same way a fireman would carry someone towards the door before I backtrack and start looking for her keys and purse.
