Page 56 of Face Me Off

“Guilty as charged!” Drew places the gear into park and raises his hands in mock surrender. “Besides, we’ve got a celebration to get to and girls to help us.”

“Bets on Blake showing up?” Easton asks.

“That boy’s whipped. He couldn’t get out of the locker room fast enough.”

I don’t blame him. If Maddy were there, I’d beeline it to her, too. But I keep that under wraps.

“You coming, Sorenson?” Easton asks.

“Yeah, of course.” I run a hand through my hair. “Why wouldn’t I?”

I step toward them but glance at my phone one last time. What’s Einstein’s definition of insanity—doing the same over and over again but expecting different results? Yeah, that’s me. That woman has me so twisted that I’m now doing insane things. But when I looked, there wasn’t a message from Maddy, but another missed call from Dad.

Hmm.

“Hey guys, I’ll catch up. I need a minute to call home first.”

They nod and take off. But the phone rings until it goes to voicemail.

Strange.

It’s late. The old man is probably taking his shower by now. I texted him that I was out and would call tomorrow.

It’s not until a couple hours later that my phone finally rings, and the name on the screen stops my heart cold.

Dad’s neighbor, Mariana. She comes over once in a while to help out. Without her help, I wouldn’t be attending college.

The bar noise fades away, laughter and chatter muffling like I’m underwater. My thumb hovers over the screen.

“Yo, Sorenson! Get over here.”

I look up and meet Drew’s eyes. He must see something in my face because his grin falters.

“I … I gotta take this.” My voice sounds distant, even to me.

I hit accept and press the phone to my ear. “Hello?”

“Ryan? It’s Mariana.”

My grip tightens on the phone, knuckles whitening. The playful banter around me feels suddenly jarring and out of place.

“What’s wrong?” The words scrape out of my throat.

Mariana’s voice is tight and controlled. “Your father had a fall. He’s stable, but?—”

The room tilts. I brace myself against the bar stool.

“How bad?”

A pause. Too long.

“Ryan, I think you should come home.”

CHAPTER TWENTY

RYAN

“Damn it. Come on,”I grumble as I fumble the keys. The lock to Dad’s backdoor has always been tricky, but it doesn’t help when I can’t get it together long enough to keep my hands from shaking.

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