When Cody attempts to shove a bottle of water into her face, I push it out of the way before peeling her off my chest and raising her head. As I stare into her drenched eyes, I silently beg for her to tell me what’s made her so upset.
She complies with my request two heart-thrashing seconds later. “My dad.” After scrubbing under her eyes with the sleeve of her checkered print shirt, she informs, “Uncle Reggie called. H-he collapsed at the shop. They had to call an ambulance. H-He’s at the hospital. They don’t know what’s wrong with him.” When I stand to my feet, taking her with me, she blubbers out, “Where are you going?”
“To see your dad,” I answer matter-of-factly as if she is slow.
“You have a game in two days, Lennox. You can’t leave.”
“Like fucking hell I can’t. Family comes first. You should know that better than anyone.”
She’d swoon over my comment if she weren’t so panicked about her dad. He’s a massive part of her life. Losing him would hurt her even more than losing me.
I swing my eyes to Lindsay when our entrance into the locker room to gather my things sees Cody offering us a ride to the airport. Lindsay usually gets around on two wheels like I did my first year of college, but I’m sure he can rustle up something between now and when Summer and I make the trek to the front of the stadium.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me, Jamison,” Cody barks out when he reads the fuck-off expression on my face. “How the fuck do you think she got here?” As the arrogance in his eyes augments, he adds, “You’re an even bigger ass than I thought if you think she was capable of driving herself here.”
“I wouldn’t be bragging if I were you. If you drove her here, why the fuck did she collapse on your watch?”
He steps up to me. “Because for some stupid reason, she thinks you’re the only person capable of comforting her.” He strays his eyes to Summer. “I’m more than happy to show you he isn’t.”
Summer puts herself between us before I can wipe the conceitedness from his face with my fists. “He was at the hotel organizing accommodation for his mother when Uncle Reggie called,” she explains with her wet eyes bouncing between mine. “It also isn’t the time forthis.” She waves her hand between Cody and me during the ‘this’ part of her statement. “My dad is in the hospital. I can’t lose him, Lennox.”
“I know, baby, and you won’t. I promise you that.”
When I pull her into my chest with the hope she won’t see the worry in my eyes that I promised something I have no control over, in the corner of my eye, I spot the wait time for an Uber on the screen of Lindsay’s phone.
After taking in the way Summer’s body still shakes even while cocooned by mine, I drift my eyes to Cody, who’s still lingering like a bad smell. “Ask Elliot to unlock gate four. It will take us the quickest route to the airport.”
He jerks up his chin before taking the exit at the speed of a bullet. Summer and I chase him down two seconds later when Lindsay announces there’s a flight scheduled to depart an hour from now.
“You’ll be cutting it close, but if you don’t take any luggage, you may make it through security in time.”
“If we don’t make it?”
I run faster than I’ve ever run before when he advises, “The next flight is four days away.”
“Tell Coach Randall I’ll call him as soon as I get an update on Rye.” While assisting Summer into the back seat of Cody’s flashy car, I add, “And Lindsay…” I wait for his eyes to meet mine before finalizing, “Keep what we discussed this morning between us.”
The excitement blazing through his eyes is misguided. I’m not backflipping on the decision I made in the wee hours of this morning to finish my studies at Morrison with Summer. I’m merely making sure Coach Randall has no reason to fine me for failing to arrive for a contracted game. My budget will be already stretched thin getting Summer home to see her dad. My finances can’t take another knock.
28
Lennox
Icurse my father to hell when my transaction comes up declined for the second time. We’re at the sales counter of Ravenshoe Airport, and the gate for our flight is about to close, but when I explained to the reservation attendant the urgency of our travels, she called down to the crew at the gate to request them to wait before processing the payment for our tickets—a payment that’s continuously denied no matter which credit card I use.
When I dig a final card out of my wallet, Summer’s eyes swing from the plane we’re meant to be boarding to me. “Is everything okay?”
“It’s fine. I just didn’t realize my cards expired last month.”
My jaw tightens more from Cody handing the reservation clerk his platinum credit card more than my lie. He didn’t just drive us to the airport and leave. He raced inside with us like he wants to be Summer’s permanent plus-one.
I can assure you that willneverhappen, but I keep the knowledge to myself when the reservation attendant hands us our tickets, then gestures for us to use the VIP line at the security checkpoint.
Cody’s credit card didn’t bounce.
It takes everything I have to keep spite out of my tone when I dip my chin in thanks to Cody. “I’ll pay you back as soon as I get my cards sorted out.”
When he hides his scoff with a head bob, I curl my hand around Summer’s sweaty one, then guide her toward the security checkpoint like the man who wants to fuck her didn’t fork over an additional thousand dollars so we could be classed as VIPs.
