Page 68 of Tell Me Again
“They went where?”
Trevor felt Sam’s questioning gaze and stepped out of line to finish the conversation. He ended the call and punched in Grace’s cell number, not surprised when his daughter didn’t answer.
“Grace,” he said through clenched teeth when he was transferred to voice mail. “I just got a call from Emma’s mom, and she better be wrong about where you girls went today. I’m getting on a plane, but I expect a full explanation when we land in Denver. Or else you can expect to be grounded until you’re old enough to vote.”
He ended the call as they announced the final boarding, and hurried down the jet bridge, his anger eating away at the panic that normally flooded his veins as he got ready to fly.
“What’s going on?” Sam asked as soon as he took the seat next to her. “Is Grace ok?”
“Not once I get ahold of her,” he muttered and snapped the seat belt shut. “I just got a call from the mom of the friend where she’s staying. Instead of coming back to their house after school, the girls went shopping in Denver with one of Emma’s older sisters.”
“Why would they do that?”
“Apparently they went looking for dresses for the spring dance.”
“Did Grace get asked?”
He turned to glare at her. “That isn’t the point.”
“Right.” She nodded. “Of course not, but she was hoping Jackson would ask her.”
“Let’s hope he did,” Trevor muttered. “Because then it will really hurt when she’s grounded forever.”
“But you’ll let her go to the dance?”
“Not if she’s in Denver right now. She doesn’t have permission to date and if she wants to go to the city, I’ll take her.”
Sam frowned. “A dance isn’t the same thing as going on a date, and shopping with friends isn’t the worst thing an eighth-grade girl could do.”
“She doesn’t have permission to be in a car with a teenage driver on the interstate. I’d made that pretty damn clear when she snuck off to see you.”
“That was different. She didn’t tell you.”
“She didn’t tell me about this, either.”
He turned to face front as the flight attendant started her speech about the plane’s safety features.
“I know she made a mistake—”
“I’m listening to the flight attendant.”
“But—”
“Sam, I’ll be the parent.” He blew out a breath. “Iam her parent. This isn’t your business.”
He heard her small gasp and squeezed his eyes shut as the plane’s engines revved up. Shit. He’d hurt her feelings with those words, but his head felt like it was on sideways. Between the thought of his daughter on the winding highway that led into the city and the plane taxiing down the runway, he was a mess.
He gritted his teeth and prepared for takeoff, then felt Sam’s cool fingers slide into his. She traced her thumb around his palm, prying open his clenched fingers.
“You have a long life line,” she said softly, leaning so close he could smell the fresh, citrusy scent of her. “Look at how it curves all the way around the side of your hand.”
He opened his eyes, bracing himself as the plane became airborne. Her skin was so smooth against the calluses worn into his palm, and he focused on the feel of her fingers, allowing the gentle touch to ground him.
“Have you ever had your palm read?” she asked conversationally.
He huffed out a small laugh. “What are you talking about?”
“By a psychic—crystal ball, tarot cards, astrologers, mediums talking to spirits from the other side.”
