ran off this morning. They’re his favorite flavor,” she said.
“Cherry,” I replied and she gave me a smile. I could see so many things in those eyes of hers. I knew Cain. Nothing about him surprised me. I understood him. We had a past. I loved his family and they obviously loved me too. This was safe.
Bethy was standing on the other side of the door sipping her glass of sweet tea and holding her phone out to me. She’d been listening. I wasn’t surprised.
“Call the boy. Get this over with,” she said.
I took her phone and walked into the living room to give myself some privacy before dialing Cain’s number. I knew it by heart. He’d had the same number since he got his first cell phone when we were sixteen.
“Hello,” came his reply. I could hear the hesitation in his voice. Something was off. He sounded like he was talking through his nose.
“Cain? Are you okay?” I asked suddenly worried about him.
There was a pause then a long sigh. “Blaire. Yeah… I’m fine.”
“Where are you?”
He cleared his throat. “I, uh… I’m in Rosemary Beach.”
He was in Rosemary? What? I sank down on the sofa behind me and gripped the phone tighter. Was he telling Rush? My heart slammed against my chest and I closed my eyes tightly before asking, “Why are in you in Rosemary? Please tell me you didn’t…” I couldn’t say it. Not with Bethy in the other room and more than likely listening to me.
“I needed to see his face. I needed to see if he loved you. I needed to know… because, I just needed to know.” That made no sense.
“What did you say to him? How did you find him? Did you find him?” Maybe he hadn’t found him. Maybe I could stop this.
There was a hard chuckle on the other end of the line. “Yeah, I found him alright. Ain’t real hard. This place is small and everyone knows where the rock star’s son lives.”
Oh god, oh god, oh god... “What did you say to him?” I asked slowly as horror washed over me.
“I didn’t tell him. I wouldn’t do that to you. Give me some damn credit. I cheated on you because I was a horny ass teenage boy but dammit Blaire when are you gonna forgive me? Will I pay for that mistake the rest of my life? I’m sorry! GOD I’m so
“Cain. What’s wrong with you? Are you okay?” I asked. I didn’t want to acknowledge what he’d said. I knew he was sorry. I was too. But no, I was never going to get over it. Forgiving was one thing. Forgetting was another.
“I’m fine. I’m just a little battered. Let’s just say the guy isn’t crazy about me, okay.”
The guy. Rush? Had Rush hurt him? That didn’t sound like Rush at all. “What guy?”
Cain sighed, “Rush.”
My jaw fell open as I stared straight ahead. Rush had hurt Cain? “I don’t understand.”
“It’s okay. I got a room for the night and I’m sleeping this off. I’ll be home tomorrow. We have some things to talk about.”
“Cain. Why did Rush hurt you?”
Another pause and then a weary sigh. “Because I asked questions that he didn’t think were my business. I’ll be home tomorrow.”
He asked questions. What kind of questions?
“Blaire, you don’t have to tell him. I’ll take care of you. Just… we need to talk.”
He’d take care of me? What was he talking about? I wasn’t going to let him take care of me. “Where are you exactly?” I asked.
“Some hotel just outside of Rosemary. They think their shit don’t stink in that town. Everything there costs five times too much.”
“Okay. Stay in bed and I’ll see you tomorrow.” I replied then hung up.
Bethy stepped into the room. She cocked one of her dark eyebrows as she stared at me waiting. She’d been listening. I’dknown she would.
“I need a ride to Rosemary,” I told her standing up. I couldn’t let Cain lay hurt in a hotel room and I couldn’t chance that he’d go back and try to talk to Rush again. If Bethy could drive me there I could check on him and then drive him home.
Bethy nodded and a small smile tugged on her lips. I could tell she didn’t want me to see how happy she was to hear this. I wasn’t staying. She didn’t need to get her hopes up. “This is just about Cain. I’m not… I can’t stay there.”
She didn’t appear to believe me. “Sure. I know.”
I wasn’t in the mood to convince her. I handed her the phone and headed back to my temporary bedroom to pack some things.
Rush
Grant had finally given up on me and gone to dance with one of the girls who had been flirting with us since we walked into the club. He’d come here for some fun and I’d needed the distraction but now that I was here I just wanted to leave. Taking a drink of my beer I tried not to make eye contact with anyone. I kept my head down and a scowl on my face. It wasn’t hard to do.
Jace’s words kept replaying in my head. I was scared… No; I was terrified to let myself believe that she’d come
