Page 118 of Just Let Go

No. Stop it. He’s going to be fine.

Carly sniffed. Quinn reached over and took her hand. “He’s going to be okay.”

Quinn’s phone buzzed in her lap and she answered it before the first full ring ended. “Grady?” She put the phone on speaker.

“Hey,” he said. “We’re at the hospital now. They’re talking about surgery.”

“Surgery?” Carly practically shrieked. “On what?”

“Looks like his leg is broken,” Grady said. “They’re checking into a few other possible injuries.”

Carly grabbed the phone. “What kind of injuries?”

Grady paused. “They’re concerned about his head. He spun out of control and hit a tree. His helmet came off.”

“But you talked to him, right?” Carly asked. “He’s awake and everything?”

“Yeah, we talked a little,” Grady said.

He sounded exhausted. Worried. And it was in that moment that her anger began to dissipate.

“Where were you when he spun out?” Carly’s tone accused.

A brief pause, then, “I was already at the bottom.”

Carly scoffed. “So, what? He was trying to keep up withyou?”

“No, he wasn’t. He—”

“I should never have let him go with you,” Carly cut in. “I should’ve listened to Quinn.”

“Carly—”

“He wasn’t ready. You were right.” Carly dropped the phone back in Quinn’s lap. “He was probably trying to show off for Grady and he wasn’t ready.” Her voice broke.

Quinn took the phone off speaker and stuck it against her ear. “You there?”

“I’m here,” he said, his voice quiet. “She’s right. It’s my fault. Jaden was my responsibility.”

“Grady, don’t say that.”

“I gotta go.”

“Grady—”

But he was already gone.

“You tried to tell me,” Carly said. “I should’ve listened. He’s a terrible role model for Jaden.”

“We don’t know what happened, Car,” Quinn said. “Grady may not have had anything to do with it.”

“I can’t believe it.” Carly faced her. “Are you defending him? My kid is in the hospital, and you’re defending the man who put him there?”

“He didn’t ‘put him there,’ Carly. It was an accident.” Quinnhad clearly lost her mind. If anyone asked her later if she’d defended Grady on this point she would surely deny it.

Carly turned away.

“Your sister is right, Carly,” Dad said from the front seat. “You know Grady didn’t force Jaden out there. You couldn’t keep him off the slopes if you tried.”

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