Page 79 of Play Book

“But Ally is.”

“Yes. And it’s no big deal. Am I allowed to pick her up?”

“When Canyon added me to the list of people that can pick her up, I told him to add you too, just in case. Sometimes shit happens, and with him out of town, we need back-up.”

“Okay, good idea. So, what do I have to do?”

She explains the process and I make a few notes on a nearby pad.

Security is a good thing, but there are a lot of steps to enforce it.

Nevertheless, an hour later I’m heading to the elite private school Canyon enrolled Ally in, pulling into a long line of Escalades, Mercedes and other high-end vehicles. I have my ID ready since I don’t have the little sticker you’re supposed to have on your vehicle, and a few minutes later, a security guard approaches to check it. Once he finds my name on some list on the iPad he’s carrying, he smiles pleasantly and moves on to the next car.

That was relatively easy.

Ally will probably be less pleased, but I plan to do my best to try to win her over. Stevie said she’d texted her to give her a head’s up.

Sure enough, a surly-faced Ally gets into my car, tossing her backpack in the back.

“Hi,” I say pleasantly. “How was your first week?”

“Awesome.” Sarcasm drips from her lips. “I have a whole weekend’s worth of homework to do to catch up in all my classes, so yay me.”

“Would you like some help?”

She rolls her eyes. “No, thanks.”

“Okay.” I shrug and pull into traffic. “I have to work for a couple of hours, then I thought we’d get dinner.”

“Why is Stevie doing a modeling job today? Doesn’t she run the gallery for you?”

“Well, yes and no. She doesn’t run it, but she’s been helping out because she’s been bored while she’s recovering from the surgery she had in December. But she’s actually a very successful model and actress. When she got this call today, she really wanted to do it because it’ll be her first time since her accident.”

“Her accident?” For the first time, there’s empathy and concern in Ally’s voice.

This isn’t my story to tell, but it’s also not a secret. All Ally would have to do is Google, and she’d get all the gory details. I’m surprised Stevie hasn’t told her anything, but maybe this will help us bond a little.

“Stevie’s ex-fiancé was a terrible guy,” I say carefully. “He was very jealous and controlling. He started trying to alienate her from everyone. Her friends, her family, even her work. So she broke up with him and he wasn’t happy. He hit her and pushed her down a flight of stairs.” It was actually uglier than that, but I figure that’s enough detail to get the point across.

“He threw her down the stairs?” Ally sounds shocked.

“He actually pushed her over the second-floor railing of her townhouse. At the time, she was pregnant, and after the fall, she started bleeding. They had to do major surgery to keep her from bleeding to death.”

“Oh, no. She lost the baby?”

I nod. “Yes, she did. And she was badly hurt. So the job she took today is very important to her state of mind. She hasn’t worked since then.”

“Oh. I didn’t know. She never said anything.”

“Well, I think she’s been trying to cheer you up since she knows how much you miss your mom.”

“Yeah. I guess.” Without another word, she pulls out a pair of ear buds and puts them in her ears.

That’s probably better. I’d been planning to ask her if she had any ideas for dinner since Canyon had said he probably wouldn’t get home until the middle of the night, but that can wait.

We pull up to the house, and she looks around. “This is where you live?”

“Yes.”

---