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Parker: I’m starting to feel like a stage five clinger. But I’m actually kind of worried now. Can you at least let me know you made it home and are breathing?
I clicked the little microphone to leave him a voice note. I was too tired to use both hands to type. “Hey Parker. Sorry, I had a lot of work to do at the bar today so I left without saying goodbye. I was in the zone there and tend to forget to check my phone. Yes, Calder found me on the side of the road, and gave me a jump. Yes I made it home. No injuries, except the bruise to my ego at the inability to get my alternator to work properly.” I paused, yawning into the phone. “I’m going to go to bed now. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
I hit send, then with another yawn, my eyes grew heavy, and I slept the heaviest I’d slept in years.
The ringing of my phone pulled me from my sleep. I’d been dreaming that I was on a cloud, hitting the snooze button of my alarm over and over. Now as I slowly came through consciousness, I realized someone was calling me. My eyes snapped open. I adjusted to the light that beamed through the windowpane in my bedroom. I hadn’t drawn the black-out shades last night before passing out.
The ringtone stopped as I rummaged around the bed looking for my phone. Crap, I couldn’t find it. It must have fallen onto the floor. I slid my upper half off the mattress, extending myself upside down while I moved my hand under the platform. Finally, I found the treasure and yanked it out from between the platform the bed was on and the wall.
I sat upright, unlocking it to see a missed call from an unknown number. I never answered those unless someone left a voicemail. Most of the time it was spam, and unless it was a number with a Carolina area code, there wasn’t a reason to answer.
The phone rang again, the same number calling. This would be the third call, so I chose to answer.
“Hello?” My voice was harsh from sleep.
“Morning, kitten. It’s Hen.”
I cleared my throat, trying to get the frogs out. “Hey, Hen. What’s up?”
“Oh nothing. A little birdie told me that you got stranded on the side of the road last night.”
I scoffed, shaking my head. “Calder has a big mouth.”
Hendrix snorted. “Maybe, but I’m glad he told us. What are your plans today?”
I yawned, stretching again. “I need to go to the hardware store and then see if I can find a place that’s got an alternator in stock.”
“When will you be ready? I’ll come and pick you up.”
“That’s sweet, but you don’t have to do that.”
“Thea, you’re not riding around in a car that’s broken down twice in as many hours. How long were you out there before Calder even found you?” His voice was thick, dripping with harshness that didn’t seem right coming from someone so carefree like him.
“My minivan is at the hotel. I was going to grab it when Chrissy got into town.”
“Minivan?”
I nodded, even if he couldn’t see me. The silence was torturous. Crap, how was I going to explain a minivan?
“How on earth did you get two cars here from three hours away?”
I climbed out of bed and reached for the small chest that held a few of my clothes. “I filled the Minivan with the five whole boxes I had. Then I hooked the ‘vette to a tow dolly.”
Hendrix chuckled through the line. “I can’t picture you with a minivan, Thea.”
My heart stopped for a second, and my breathing faltered. Was my motherhood going to be an issue for them? I shook my head, trying not to take insult to the comment. Of course it would be. They were good-looking men who hadn’t settled down, and enjoyed orgies. My committal need to my daughter would absolutely be an issue. But this is why I only wanted a temporary thing anyway.
I shook my head, trying to keep my tone teasing, though I felt anything but. “Why? Because it's a soccer mom car?”
“No. Because it probably doesn’t go past sixty on the highway. I’ve seen you drive the Stingray.”
I smirked. “My alter ego is a sixty-year-old woman who knits on the weekends and has thirteen outdoor cats.” I kept my tone low and playful as I pulled on panties and jean shorts.
Hendrix’s laugh was deep and joyful, pulling a smile from me. “I don’t believe that for a minute, baby.”
“If you don’t mind, can you take me to the minivan? Then I’ll have a car while I figure out the Stingray.” Paisley’s booster seat was in the back of the car, but hidden well enough he wouldn’t see it just by dropping me off.
“Sure. I can be there in twenty.”
