Page 58 of Silver Player

“And neither of you thought to call and tell me about your amazing time? Or the fact it would take amazingly long? I thought you had plans,” I snap at Billy, recalling my earlier thoughts of him having a date. Did he take Sadie to meet someone? Did he take her on a date with his date? Has he told someone about her, how he’s her father?

“I was driving,” Sadie says, lowering her voice and her eyes. “And I shouldn’t be on the phone and driving, right?”

She’s not telling me something. They couldn’t have possibly driven for five fucking hours!

“Do you have homework?” I bark. Sadie’s eyes narrow at me a moment.

“I’m going to take a shower.” She turns to Billy. “Thank you for tonight.”

She doesn’t say for what before she stalks off down the hall to her room.

“What’s this about?” Billy asks, stepping up to me and reaching for my shoulders, but I shrug him off.

“Five hours, William. Five. Hours. No call. If you wanted to take her on a date with your date, couldn’t you have at least told me, so I’d be prepared for her not to come home. I mean, I made dinner.” I wave at the meal still sitting on the stove. “And then, I closed the store, thinking you might have kidnapped her or worse, and I—”

“You what?” Billy barks, and then adds, “Lower your voice.” His eyes drift to the hallway, and then he reaches for my shoulders once again.

“Don’t touch me. If you just spent the evening with another woman, you do not get to touch me.”

Billy’s eyes widen in shock as his hands drop to his side. Then he brushes his palm up his throat and over the scruff on his chin.

“You’re a piece of work, Roxie.” He steps back, turns for the door, and then opens it.

“You do not get to walk away,” I snap, taking a step after him. “I need an explanation.”

Billy stops, turns back to me, and grabs my wrist, tugging me to the door. “I’m not arguing with you inside where Sadie can hear your crazy.”

I willingly follow him, hit by the sudden coolness of the night. It’s the middle of November, and the air smells of winter. I wrap my arms around myself.

“First of all...” I begin, but Billy turns to me, raising a finger in my face.

“First of all, I would never, ever kidnap Sadie. That’s low, even for you, Roxanne. Of all the things to say to me, that’s the worst accusation.” Calling me by my full name pulls me up short, and I open my mouth to speak. He’s right. Accusing him of kidnapping is overboard.

“Secondly, assuming I went on a date, and took my kid, is another low blow.” This one I have to disagree with, and my mouth pops open again.

“And finally, I’ll have you know, your niece in there played gossip fairy tonight and told one of the biggest mouths in this town that I’m dating you.”

“She…” My mouth falls open and then clamps shut. She what?

“So before you accuse me of dating, let it be known, you and I are apparently dating. And since that’s established, I’m going to assume…because assumptions seem to be your thing…that you’re jealous I might have gone on a date that I didn’t go on, and I fucking hate how that makes me feel a little smug and little like hey, Billy, she might actually like you after all.” He isn’t actually wrong in his thought process. I do like him. And I’m all kinds of twisted up about that.

Billy stands straighter, removing his pointing finger from my face and crossing his arms. His eyes drift down my body and then widen. He shrugs off his jacket and slips it over my shoulders, pulling the front tight over my chest.

“Where’s your coat?” he mutters, knowing he’s the one who pulled me out here on the landing.

“Where have you been?”

Billy tilts his head to the side, and those bark-brown eyes sparkle. “What’s this really about, darlin’?” The endearment makes my stomach flip, and I wish it would stop flipping every time he speaks to me in that tone.

“I…I thought something happened. To both of you. I envisioned an accident, and you were both…and she’s all I have…and I can’t lose her…” I hiccup, fighting back the sob. Suddenly, I’m in Billy’s arms, my own crushed between us.

“Nothing happened, baby. We went bowling. I’m sorry you worried, and I’m sorry we didn’t call. We were having so much fun, and I didn’t think.”

“You didn’t think,” I repeat, confirming my upset. Billy inhales a deep breath and then exhales, and I follow suit, drawing in the scent of him and blowing it back out to melt a little more against him.

“Hold onto me, Roxie,” he murmurs near my ear, reminiscent of last night after the robbery. I slip my arms free of his jacket and slip them around his waist. He kisses my neck and then rubs his nose around the shell of my ear.

“Do you really think I’d kidnap her?” Billy whispers, not pulling back from me or allowing me to lean away.