Page 71 of Spurred On

Chapter Thirteen

“I’m telling you, the guy is head over heels for you.” It was the day after the party, and Sidney and Ben were lounging in her apartment binge watching a zombie series and having Greek takeout. They’d decided Chinese might be too disturbing to eat during this series on account of the fact that Chinese food sometimes looked like a mishmash of random body parts.

Sidney glowered at Ben. “I beg to differ.”

“Beg all you want, honey.”

She sniffed. “I find your research inconclusive.”

“Seriously?”

“All he really said was I can’t stand the sight of him.” Hardly a declaration of love. Hardly worth taking any real risk.

“It was the way he said it.”

“How do you mean?”

“Like it was painful.”

“Sorry. I just can’t buy it.”

“What?”

“That Cody has some soft, squishy center.”

“All men have a soft, squishy center, when it comes to the women they love.”

“Oh, well, then Cody must have a very squishy center. Because he loves all women.”

“Does he?”

She shot him a look.

He shrugged. “Just sayin’.” He took a bite of his gyro and said, “Claire told me he’s not dating.”

“Well, heavens to Murgatroyd! Did that cause a rip in the space-time continuum?”

“Be nice.” Ben waggled spanakopita at her. “Have you ever known him not to date?”

She shrugged her shoulders. No.

“Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”

“Maybe he’s tired.”

Ben fixed her with a somber glance. “Maybe he is.”

His tone mystified her, but she had no time to interrogate him about it because her cell rang. She wiped her hands on a napkin and checked the screen, then smiled. It was Dad. She held up a finger to Ben and hit the answer button. “Hi, Dad.”

“Sidney.” She blinked. It was Mrs. Johnson, the woman who came in a couple of times a week to help Dad with Mom. A ripple of disquiet danced up her spine. She shot a concerned glance at Ben, and he covered her hand.

“Mrs. Johnson. What’s up?”

“It’s your dad, Sidney. I . . . don’t know how to say this—”

Horror, cold and sharp, stabbed at her. “Wh-what?”

“When I got here today, your mother was in the field.”