Page 57 of Those Heartbreak Scars

Everett wouldn’t be saying that if he knew how I spent last night while he was making sure his was pops was okay.

“I’ve had a lot of short-term relationships with the kind of girls who look at me and see expensive gifts and posh restaurants, or their fifteen minutes of fame on the arm of a footballer.” He clasps his hands together between his knees. “We’d have a good time together, but it wouldn’t last. They’d get bored as quickly as I would. They’d move on to a teammate or some other player, and it didn’t really bother me. Those girls didn’t need to meet my mom.”

“Makes sense,” I say.

“I don’t mind that you met her, even if the circumstances weren’t great and I did a terrible job of introducing you. You’re different. You didn’t even know I played football. And it took meweeks to convince you to go out with me. Even longer to get you to go anywhere in public with me.”

He bumps my shoulder. “But hopefully now you’ll let me call you my girlfriend. How about it, Lucky Charm? You want to be my WAG?”

“Everett, I—”

Beside me, my phone starts to ring. It’s a private number, but my gut tells me to pick it up. Either that, or I’m a coward. Looking into Everett’s eyes, I know the answer. I’m definitely a coward. Can’t tell my parents about school. Can’t tell Indy about Gray. Can’t face my professor. And now I pick up my phone and place it to my ear instead of telling Everett… I don’t know what I’m going to tell him.

I swallow. “Hello?”

“Thank god,” Dove says.

“Why are you coming up as private?”

“No idea.” She sniffles on the other end of the line. “I’m just so glad you picked up. I thought I was going to be stuck out here, wherever here is, for who knows how long.”

Instantly my hackles rise. “Where are you?”

“I’m not entirely sure. There’s nothing but pasture.” She sounds so small and tired. Her teeth chatter and she sniffles again. She’s either been crying or is currently crying. “I broke my shoe, and my bags are still in Nathan’s car. I don’t have my wallet or a phone charger or a jacket. I’m bloody freezing.”

“He did not kick you out of the car and leave you to walk.” I leap to my feet.

“It doesn’t matter,” she says.

“The hell it doesn’t matter.” Nathan is such an asshole.

“It was my fault.” Her tone is defeated. “I started it.”

“Does she have enough battery to drop you a pin?” Everett asks. He grips my upper arms supportively, having stood too. “Or is there anything around her? Signage? Buildings?”

She must have heard him because she says, “Doing it now.”

Two seconds later a location drops into my Google Maps, and I show it to him. He takes my phone and moves the map around before handing it back. “Too easy. I’ll drive. We’ll be there in an hour and a half.”

“An hour and a half?” Nathan is such a prick.

“I’ll drive fast,” he says as we pile into his car. “Tell her there’s a town about thirty minutes’ walk from where she is. There should be somewhere she can wait out of the rain.”

“It’s not raining,” she says when I put her on speaker.

“No. Not yet,” he says as we pull out. “But it’s supposed to.”

“All right. I’ll hoof it,” she says and goes quiet for a long moment. “I’m sorry to ask you to do this. I didn’t know who else to call. And there’s been no cars all night. Which I suppose I should almost be grateful for. If the media sees me like this it will only make things worse.”

“I’m glad you called me.” Nathan should be the one who’s worried. After this she must be ready to be done with him. “We’re on our way.”

“Thanks. You’re the best.” She hangs up.

I drop my phone to my lap. Nathan is such an asshole. I hate him so much for treating her like this.

Everett covers my hands with his. “She’s fine. We’re on our way now.”

Chapter Twenty-One

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