Page 58 of Obligation
She momentarily closed her eyes. She’d really hoped to avoid telling him where she was, but if she didn’t… He was offering to handle her phone situation, and she desperately needed a working cell.
“I’m in Phoenix, Arizona,” she said and steeled herself for his reaction.
“Arizona?” he shouted. “What the hell are you doing in Arizona? You have classes tomorrow. Are you being held against your will?”
“Oh, my God. Dad. No.” She stood and paced, her face hot with anger and embarrassment. “If you must know, I’m with Bradley. You met him last Sunday. He came to dinner with Cory, remember?” She stopped in front of the living room window and stared down at the city.
Dad cleared his throat. “Yes, I remember. He was a nice young man. Does this mean you tossed that other lowlife out with the trash?”
Carissa curled her hand into a fist and focused on calming her breathing. “I’m calling you from Bradley’s cell phone, so if you need to reach me, call this number. I’ll let you know as soon as I get my new phone. Tell Mom I’m sorry I’m missing dinner, and that I love her.”
She ended the call before he could say anything else or ask any more questions. With that one short phone call, her quota of patience for the day had been used. Turning, she headed back toward the kitchen.
“Everything okay?” Bradley asked.
“Yeah.” Carissa set his phone on the island and reclaimed her spot on the stool. “My dad can be… overprotective at times.” And that was putting things nicely. Her father was demanding, overbearing, and controlling.
“After we eat, we can head to the mall to get you a new phone.” He set a plate in front of her.
A perfectly shaped omelet with cheese, bacon, and peppers, along with buttered cinnamon raisin toast tempted her tastebuds. She inhaled the delectable scents and smiled.
“Thank you, but you really didn’t have to cook for me,” she said, picking up her fork.
“No, but I did have to cook for me, and it would’ve been rude to eat in front of you and not offer you some.” He winked, then turned to the refrigerator. “What would you like to drink? We have milk, orange juice, water. I can make some coffee…”
“Orange juice is fine.” She cut into the omelet and took a bite. The cheese oozed out onto her tongue, and the bacon was fried to a perfect crisp. Closing her eyes, she moaned at how good the food tasted.
“Good?” Bradley asked, watching her with a knowing grin.
“This is amazing. Where did you learn to cook like this?” She took another, bigger bite.
He set two glasses on the island and filled them with orange juice. “I learned from my mom and older sister mostly. But I’m a huge sucker for all those cooking shows.” He laughed and sat on the stool beside her, an equally full plate in front of him.
“Well, this is fantastic.” She cut another piece of her omelet. “I make some pretty killer quesadillas.”
“Oh yeah?” He took a bite, chewed, and swallowed. “Then I guess you’re cooking tonight.” Playfully nudging her shoulder with his, he grinned. But then he straightened, his expression turning serious. “Unless you want to head home.”
She took a drink of her orange juice. “I do have classes tomorrow, and I really don’t want to be too far away if Mallory requires us to do something else.”
“Who’s Mallory?”
“TOP president.” Carissa finished her omelet, then pushed her plate away. As much as she’d love to devour the toast, too, she was stuffed. “I really hope I haven’t already missed any calls or messages from her.”
“Tiffany knows where you are, and you gave her my number, right? I’m sure if something came up, she’d let you know.” Bradley cleared the food on his plate in a few large bites, then drained his glass of juice. “So, what’s the plan?”
“I definitely need to go to the mall and get a new phone. That’s my first priority.” She gathered her dishes and carried them to the sink. “I know I’m going to have a crap ton of messages to go through.”
The mere idea of having to face Danny’s messages made her stomach twist. She propped a hand on the edge of the sink and rested her other on her belly, praying the food she just ate would stay down.
Bradly set his dishes in the sink, and then he stood in front of her, his hand resting over hers on the sink. “I meant what I said last night. You can stay here as long as you want, but if you decide to go home, I have no issues taking you.”
“Thank you.” She remained frozen in place, not wanting to move for fear he might pull his hand away, and she liked the feel of his skin on hers. “I’m not sure what I want to do yet. Can we just go to the mall first, then decide what to do next?”
He gently squeezed her hand. “We can do whatever you want.”
Carissa shifted on her feet. Even after the way she’d treated him last night—and this morning—he was still being sweet to her. She really couldn’t figure him out, but she needed to make things right. She wanted to make them right.
“About everything that happened…” She cleared her throat.
