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Richard stops talking as I draw closer, and his teammate disappears. The woman is ignored while he watches my approach.
“Jace.”
“Richard…why don’t you introduce me to your friend?” I grin.
Richard clears his throat and makes the introductions, keeping one of his arms around the small woman beside him.
Erin is completely different from Savannah, which makes me wonder what he’s up to, or perhaps he got caught after a one-time deal and is now being forced to do the honorable thing.
Where Savannah is curvy with long, red locks, Erin is reed thin, apart from her swollen stomach and has a brown bob. They’re about the same height, but that is the only similarity.
“You going to play today?” I ask Richard, to fill in the awkward gap. If it wasn’t for Erin being with him, I’d probably be acting like a dick about now, but Erin looks so out of place that I hold back. She looks as though she’d burst into tears if anyone said boo to her.
“Not today.” Richard sighs. “Erin has a doctor’s appointment in an hour so we’re heading over there.” He fidgets.
Deciding I’d rather be doing something else instead of making small talk with him, I quickly ask, “Is everything ironed out for the game?”
“It is. Ned is coordinating the refreshment trucks with Clint. As of this morning, we’ve sold over one hundred and seventy-five tickets so it’s looking good.” He actually smiles.
And no matter how pissed I am with him over how he treated Savannah, I return his smile. At the end of the day, he’s spent his time doing the majority of the organizing for the event as well as selling tickets, so I can’t fault him for that.
“That’s great. I’ll be purchasing about twelve tickets during the coming week. If you want to leave some at Kix, I’m sure my brother wouldn’t mind pushing the sale of them there.”
“Okay, thanks…We need to get going.” He starts edging away with Erin’s hand in his.
“Catch you later,” I call out to his back.
“You actually talked to that fucker?” Ryder asks to my right.
“What is it with you and sneaking up on me?”
“It’s the only way I find out things.”
Sometimes I wonder whether he really did serve in the Marines with his childish behavior, although Dahlia has once insisted he really is a big kid, but is apparently, ten times worse around me.
“I volunteered you for something.” I give him the grin that means trouble.
He frowns.
“I told Richard you’ll help sell the tickets to the game at Kix.”
“Shit, is that all? You had me worried.” He takes his ball cap off, and after scratching his head, places it back into position. “I don’t mind doing that, after all, the money is for a good cause.”
“Yeah, it is,” I agree, and wonder what he’s thinking now as he’s gone quiet and looks serious.
“About Savannah,” he starts, “you realize it’s been three years since you gave me the black eye, right?”
“Ryder, we’ve been over this.”
“Hear me out. Why can’t you try by spending the night on the sofa, or even in her bed? You can make her promise that the minute you wake her with a nightmare that she’ll quickly leave the room. I tried to bring you out of it and you thought you needed to defend yourself. If she isn’t there or doesn’t do what I did, don’t you think she’d be safe?”
I’ve thought long and hard about what Ryder is suggesting, and I’m almost there in thinking I could handle that. “What if Savannah can’t abide to see me like that, and doesn’t listen? What then?” This is what worries me and keeps me from suggesting this to her.
“You need to make it clear that you will only spend the night if she promises. Stress to her how important it is to ignore you… Wait? You always keep your cell beside the bed, right?”
I nod.
“So have Savannah leave hers in the kitchen or someplace else, and if you should have a nightmare, you can suggest she leaves the room and calls your cell. That’s pulled you back before. Why wouldn’t it again? That way she’s helping you but at a safe distance.”
