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“Absolutely,” she said. “But he was smiling, too. My guess is you’ll get that certificate. You did great!”
“Thanks!” I had to admit, it was awesome. Felt so free. To not have to call someone to get me. Being able to go somewhere whenever I wanted. Sure, I’d only gone to the hospital, but next up was getting to Lizzie’s on my own.
I couldn’t wait to tell her. “Time?”
The music cut out and Roberta said, “Four fifty five.”
“Shit!” I was so late, and dammit, I still had to shower.
Footsteps behind me caught my attention. That was strange; Roberta was to my left and I hadn’t heard Andrew come out of the bathroom.
“Three, six, nine, twelve.” The faint words hit my ears, and it felt like a foot to the nuts.
Lizzie was here. Shit, she saw me and Roberta dancing, didn’t she?
“Lizzie!” I reached out, bracing for impact, because I’d forgotten to start counting when I started moving to her. Hearing her had distracted me, and I forgot how close I was to the door.
The frame met my forearm, like it should, since I’d put it up for defense. Groping the wood, I found the knob to the screen door and pushed it open. “Lizzie.”
The front of my foot caught the door threshold, and I pitched forward. My elbow hit the concrete first, then I rolled, tucking my arms to my body. At least my face didn’t smack anything this time. I’d had enough of that shit.
“LizBelle.” I heard an engine rev. “Shit.”
“She’s gone.” Roberta clutched my arm and hoisted me up. “So that was Lizzie.”
“Son of a bitch. Where’s my phone?” I patted my pockets. “Shit.” This wasnothow the surprise was supposed to go. Not how the first time Lizzie was here was supposed to go.
I’d planned on having her over and being able to walk around my place without Mr. Magic, and cook her dinner without fumbling around like a dumbass blind worthless piece of human.
“Roberta!”
No noise. Nothing. I couldn’t hear her breathing even. Only birds chirping and the breeze toying with the leaves on the trees surrounding the guesthouse.
“Andrew?”
Silence.
“Now is not the time for a lesson, dammit.”
“It’s actually thebesttime. You fell apart, man,” Andrew said from a distance behind me. He’d learned. I’d swung at him a few times during hishardlessons. “You got to stay functioning in the heat of the moment. No matter what happens. Now figure it out.”
Hell yeah I would, then I’d clobber him. First I had to figure out which way it was to my house—with no Mr. Magic.
Chapter Forty-Three
Lizzie
ABlowPop.Ineeded one right now or I was going to fall apart.
I dug into my purse. Nothing.
Tears stinging my eyes, I dumped the entire contents of the stupid bag that was too big to ever find anything in onto the seat beside me. Damn it. Where—
Grape.
Exactly what I needed. I ripped off the paper and shoved in the sugary treat. Images of Damon dancing with that woman were burned in my mind. I closed my eyes and replaced the images with numbers. My numbers. Comfortable numbers.
I sat back in the leather and scrubbed my face. Across from me, on the other set of seats, sat my bags filled with books and T-shirts. I’d gotten Damon, like, four of them. Even a dumb teddy bear.
