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“Honey, you have not called me in three days or returned any of my voicemails. Your father and I were about to book tickets to come looking for you.” My mother’s voice on the other end of the phone was frantic.
“Hi. Sorry.”
“Hi? That’s it? What is going on with you, Kaitlyn?” She sounded irritated. “You have always been my responsible child, not the one I worry about. That job is reserved for your brother.”
“Mom, calm down.” I sat up and wrapped the sheet around my chest. I was about to tell her I’d been with Cole the entire time, but he and I hadn’t established the guidelines yet.
“Ok, well I feel much better now that you picked up your phone. I need to tell you some news.”
“What’s going on?” I ran my fingers through my hair.
“We got a call.”
“Ok.” I waited for details. “What kind of call?” I asked.
“Ryan’s coming home.”
“What?” I blinked. “That’s awesome. Oh my God. He’s ok, right? When?”
“Yes. Yes. He’s fine. He’ll be here in a few days. I don’t know how long he can stay. But you’ll want to be here.”
I nodded. “Of course I want to be there.”
And then I remembered where I was and what I’d be leaving. My stomach spun with nausea. Leaving was the last thing I wanted to do.
Would it ruin everything?
“I’m going to try to plan a party. Maybe invite some of Ryan’s friends. We could do a barbecue here at the house.”
“He’d like that.”
“I know you’re on vacation, but could you help me with the guest list? I don’t know all his friends. I’m going to call Cole later today.”
My belly lurched. “Cole?”
“It might be too much for him to fly up here, but he is Ryan’s best friend.”
Shit. Shit. Shit.
“Let me take care of that one, Mom. And I’ll text you a list after I take a shower.”
She sighed. “Thank you. That’s a huge help.”
If I wasn’t spiraling I’d think it was funny I was starting a low-level party planning business on the side.
“We’ll see you in a few days, hon.”
“Bye, Mom.” I tossed my phone on the bed and slid under the covers.
We had to face this whether we wanted to or not. Ryan was coming home.
I stepped into the shower and let the water run through my hair. The trial size bottles of shampoo I bought were close to empty—just one more sign my vacation was almost over. My heart sank.
“Kaitlyn?” Cole called through the bathroom door.
“I’m in the shower.” God, I couldn’t tell him now.
He opened the door. “I’ve got to go buy some bags of ice. The ice machine went out last night and everything melted.”
