“Wyatt! Are you home or not? I need a favor.”
His tone shifts instantly. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I rush to reassure him. “It’s Laney, Ben’s daughter. Her car broke down just outside of Prescott. Ben’sstuck in Phoenix and he asked me to go pick her up. You’re good with cars, and I was hoping you could come with me. Plus… she kind of hates me, and I’d rather not do this alone.”
He chuckles. “Lucky for you, I have absolutely nothing better to do tonight. Which says a lot about my life right now. So, yeah, I’m in.”
I exhale in relief. “Thank you, Wyatt. I’ll be there in five.”
Ten minutes later, Wyatt and I are on our way to Prescott. It's usually a thirty-minute drive, but with traffic so heavy, it might take a little longer than expected.
“So,” Wyatt says, glancing over at me. “Ben's daughter hates you, huh?”
I shoot him a look. “Yeah, you could say that. She thinks I'm coming between Ben and her mom.”
His brow furrows. “I thought her mom was in a coma?”
I let out a deep sigh. “She is. It's... complicated.”
Wyatt raises an eyebrow. “Sounds like it.”
“Does she know you're coming?” Wyatt asks.
“I'm not sure. I assume Ben told her. I'm expecting a cold reception,” I reply with a grin. “That's why I brought you along.”
He frowns. “What do you mean?”
“She's a Wyatt Brookes fan,” I say, trying to hold back a smile.
Wyatt rolls his eyes. “Jesus.”
“I figured it might score me some brownie points,” I say sheepishly.
“Is she one of the crazy ones?” he asks.
I laugh. “No! At least, I don’t think so.”
“Great,” Wyatt mutters.
Our conversation is cut short by my phone ringing through the hands-free. I smile when I see Ben's name.
“Hey,” I answer.
“Hey, baby,” Ben says. “Are you on your way?”
“Yep. Traffic's heavy, though. GPS says twenty-nine minutes.”
“Okay. I told Laney you're coming.”
“How'd she take it?”
There's a pause. “She's grateful you're coming to her rescue.”
Wyatt chuckles in the background.
“Who's that?” Ben asks.
“It's Wyatt.”
