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He ran a hand over his face, exhaustion evident in the dark circles under his eyes. “It’s been tough to find the time. If there was an audio version, I could listen while I run, but there isn’t. Noel has been meeting with me once or twice a week in any window of time I find.”
I could fix that. I had more time than he did. The problem was figuring out when we could sync up, and I refused to watch him let his grades suffer. “You have the rest of the book to finish?” At his nod, I flipped through the chapters. He was halfway through. “I’ll read a few tonight and record the rest on my phone. I can send it to you. But”—I narrowed my eyes—“you will let me know when there is any new content you need read aloud, including emails or books like this. Got it?”
The lines around his mouth eased, and he nodded. “Sounds good. And Aspen”—he waited until he had my full attention—“thank you.”
Warmth filled me because he’d finally put his trust in me for something that was such a touchy area. If only our battles would end so well every time.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
PHOENIX
Grandad had called a midweek family dinner. He did that on occasion, and we all had to show up like we were marionettes on the strings he held. At least he’d given a few days’ notice—he didn’t always—and let us know the morning after Aspen had fired my tutor. I’d downloaded a few recordings from her for the reading assignment. Already, I could tell the arrangement would be a game changer.
I hit the button on my phone to connect to Shane while toeing on my shoes, waiting for him to answer. He did, at the last possible second before it went to voicemail.
“Hey.”Is that Mom’s voice in the background?“Want to ride together to go to family dinner tonight?”
“Can’t. I’m already there.”
“What the hell? You’re never around, and then you take off for home without me? Did you even consider checking in to see about driving together?”
I didn’t get it. Shane had been acting like such an asshole. We’d never gone that long without talking, and a part of me felt empty. “Is this still about Tracey?”
“Look.” A door shut, and the background noise was even more muffled. He must have gone to another room. “The shit with Tracey was wrong, and you know it. But that’s not what this is about. I’ve been busy. We’re not in high school anymore.”
“Fuck you. Who the hell do you think you’re talking to?” Definitely not his twin brother that had been through everything with him.
“It isn’t anything personal.”
There was a lack of heat behind his words that made me pause. Shane sounded tired. We ended the call, and I grabbed my wallet then headed to my SUV. I crossed paths with Cole, surprised to see him alone. We saw each other at football and in the gym every day, but it was different than back home, and a part of me missed that.
“You headed home too?” Cole tossed a bag into his backseat.
“Yeah, I’ve got dinner with Mom and Grandad tonight. Why are you?”
“Raelyn said she had some stuff for Riley. I had some extra time, so I said I would pick it up. Want to ride with me? Shane called to see if I’d left yet.”
I pressed the lock button on my key fob. “Why did my brother ask you that?”
“He wanted to see if we could ride out together, and then the two of you would come back. Said he was exhausted and wanted you to drive him after dinner.”
“Did he seem weird to you?”
Cole shrugged and got into his identical SUV as I slid into the passenger seat. “A little withdrawn, but I think the shit with Tracey is still bothering him.” We pulled onto the road, heading toward the highway that would take us to Hidden Valley.
“He’s better off without her.” I’d done what I had to do. We were family, all of us, and we looked out for each other. If I hadn’t done it, I had a feeling Cole or Damon would have found a way to get them to break up. The girl was toxic, and we all knew it.
“I’m not arguing with that. But you know Shane. He pulls back when something heavy is on his mind. He’ll come around.”
“I know. It just seems like something else is going on.” Then again, I’d been in my head a lot, too, with everything happening with Aspen and that Max guy, who seemed to be around her way too often.
“What’s going on with you and Aspen?”
“I don’t know. Between studying, practices, lifting, and fights, I haven’t had much time to talk with her.”
“What about the doctor appointments? You go to those, right?”
Oh shit. “I haven’t even thought about it. I’ve been trying to make sure I have enough money for whatever she needs for the baby or in general. Her parents are a mess, and I’m not sure they’ll help… And it’s my responsibility.”
