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Chapter 20
Colt
At four in the morning, my cellphone vibrated on the nightstand beside me. I slipped out from under Ember and took the call as I was tiptoeing out of the bedroom.
It was the hospital, and there was an emergency. Two children had just come in with critical burns after being pulled from a house fire. I took a two-minute shower and dressed in record time, my mind not on the beautiful woman in bed sleeping, but on what I would find when I arrived at the hospital. I was in such a rush that it wasn’t until I was in the taxi on the way to the hospital that I realized I’d left my cellphone in my bedroom. Damn.
Once I got to the hospital it was one thing after another. I didn’t even get the chance to think about Ember until well after eleven. By then, I was exhausted.
I finally arrived at the office, and Beth handed me a stack of messages. She had shifted my appointments around for the afternoon, but it was going to be a late day. I tried to call my house, hoping Ember might hear the phone and answer, but she didn’t.
Whitney came into my office around two and handed me a sandwich. “How are you?”
“I’m alright. Tired, but that happens when you are up late and then woken up early,” I said without thinking.
“Why were you up late?” Whitney asked as she sat down.
“I just was,” I answered as I unwrapped my sandwich.
“She’s still staying there with you, isn’t she?”
“Whitney, I told you before that my relationship is not up for discussion.” I took a bite of the turkey and bacon club.
“It’s a relationship now? Colt, what are you doing?” She shook her head while I chewed.
“I’m eating my lunch,” I declared dryly.
She pegged me with a bitchy look, “Don’t tell me that you actually care about her.” I looked away. “Oh shit, you do! Did you sleep with her?”
I sighed and set my sandwich down. “I’ve had enough of this, Whitney. Whom I sleep with is none of your business. You and I are not in a relationship, we never have been. I’m sorry if that upsets you, but that is the way it is.”
“Jesus, you did sleep with her.” She threw her head back and laughed, “You know you’re just another notch in her bedpost. In a couple of weeks, she’ll be tired of you and move on,” she stood up, “and by the way, your mother is stopping by later this afternoon. She said she needs to talk to you.”
“I don’t have time for her today. Call her back and tell her I will talk to her tomorrow.”
“You just told me to stay out of your personal relationships. I think your mother would be considered personal, so do it yourself.” She spun and left the room.
What…a…bitch.
I finished my sandwich and was about to call my mother when Beth called my office and said the hospital was on the other line. By the time I got off the phone, I had forgotten all about my mother and rushed through the rest of my afternoon appointments.
It was six-thirty when I walked into my office and found my mother seated at my desk using my computer. “What are you doing?”
“Shopping. I was waiting for you to get done.”
I sat down across from her with my elbows on my knees. “Mom, it’s been a hell of a day, and I just want to go home. What do you want?”
“You haven’t told me if you are going to stand up with Stewart or not at the wedding.”
“Are you kidding me? I’ve been a little busy.”
“Colt, please.” She stood up and came around the desk. “Please do this for me; it would mean so much to me.”
I got out of my chair and came to stand next to her. “Do you really love this guy?”
She grabbed my hand, “Yes, I do. He makes me feel alive and it’s been so long since I’ve felt that.”
“If it means that much to you, fine, I’ll do it.”
