Page 47 of Chasing Xander
Rick sighed and rustled some papers. “Sadly, yes. He caused quite the scene at the nursing home.”
“Was he drunk again?” She didn’t know why she bothered to ask when she knew the answer. Her father only had two conditions: drunk or passed out.
“Surprisingly, no, he wasn’t. But he was highly agitated, and we have reason to suspect he might have taken something.”
She rolled her eyes. Wonderful. Now her father wasn’t just an alcoholic; he was a druggie, too. “What happened? Why was he at the home?”
“He was demanding money for his legal fees, and he wanted access to the house. Unfortunately, your grandmother didn’t recognize him, and he thought she was faking it. She became extremely upset. The nurse had to give her something to calm her.”
Kylie never should’ve left home. She closed her eyes and bit down on her lip, praying she could keep the tears away long enough to get through this phone call and out of Hannah’s room.
“We arrested him, again, and the judge set bail. Again.” His voice was full of aggravation. “His girlfriend posted it for him about thirty minutes ago. I’ve sent a uniformed officer back to the home to keep an eye on your grandmother.”
“Thank you.” She didn’t know her father had a girlfriend, but that explained how he was able to get out of jail so quickly. Last Kylie knew, her father was broke and sleeping on friends’ couches.
“The DA and Judge Romero are getting real tired of seeing your father. If he doesn’t straighten up, they’re going to come down real hard on him.”
“Good. He deserves it.” Her strained relationship with her father was no secret. Neither was the fact that his own mother had disowned him.
“I wanted you to know what was going on,” Sheriff Rick said.
“I appreciate you keeping me informed, Rick, but really, it’s not necessary. My father hasn’t cared about me or my well-being for years. I’m simply trying to return the favor.”
There was a long pause, and then Rick said, “So what you’re saying is you’d like me to stop calling you.”
“Yes. If he gets locked up for life or winds up dead, then call me.”
“Okay.” There was another pause. “You’re a good girl, Kylie. I’m sorry you’ve got an asshole for a father.”
She looked up at the ceiling, losing the fight against the tears pooling in her eyes. “Thanks.”
“If you need anything, call me, all right?”
“Yes.” She said a quick good-bye and hung up. Rick was a good man, a pillar in her hometown. He was a shining example of the type of father she’d always wanted, and he tried more than once to convince her to reunite with her dad. She wasn’t the problem, though. Her father was. He couldn’t stay sober long enough to even have a serious conversation, let alone a “normal” relationship.
After calling the home to check in on her grandmother, Kylie turned to face Hannah. “Thank you so much.”
“No problem at all. Will I see you and your roommate at the event tonight?”
“Oh, um, what’s going on tonight?” She couldn’t remember what she’d done with the schedule Hannah had given her.
“It’s Battle of the Rooms Trivia night.” She smiled.
“Yeah, I’ll talk it over with Celeste.” Other than “going out,” they didn’t have any concrete plans. It might be a good night to stay in and get to know the other residents on the floor. With a wave and another thank you, she left.
Once she was back in her room, she dug her phone from the rice. Xander had told her to leave it put for a couple of days—it had only been one—but she was anxious to have her phone back. She put the pieces together and held her breath as she turned on the power. The screen lit up, and she blew out a breath. So far so good. She opened her contacts and scrolled through them. Then she opened her messages followed by all of her apps. Everything seemed to be working.
She sent a quick text to Celeste:Phone working again!
Celeste:LOL. Ran into Finn. Did you forget to tell me something?
“Oh shit.” Kylie cupped her hand over her mouth. The picture. She typed back a response:Sorry. FWIW, you’re a lucky girl. LOL.As soon as Kylie hit send, she frowned. Celeste wasn’t looking for a boyfriend or even a hookup, yet that’s exactly what she got. Kylie, on the other hand, wanted to find a boyfriend, a guy she could have fun hanging out with. Instead, she got a guy who couldn’t make up his damn mind about her.
Celeste:I’m going to tell him you said that.
Her eyes widened, and her heart lodged in her throat.Don’t you dare!!If Xander found out she’d said something like that… Of course, maybe that’s what it would take to get him to stop acting so weird toward her.
Celeste:Chill. But you’re right. I am lucky.
