Page 259 of Love in Riverbend
I know I am.
Instead of saying that, I once again tell Bryce to leave my office.
He walks to the door. “I’ve missed you, Marilyn. Have your fun, but when he breaks your heart, I want you to know that I’ll be here to help you put it back together.”
“Bye, Bryce.”
Even now, hours later, the whole conversation has me steaming. I can’t help but think that the reason Ricky wasn’t chosen for one of the positions is Bryce. Of course, I can’t prove that. And with each passing minute, I worry that Bryce is right about Ricky.
Was he using me?
I find my phone and try calling Ricky. Biting my lip, I wait. The call goes to voice mail, just like all the calls I’ve made since seeing him this afternoon. As I’m about to put down my phone, it vibrates with an incoming call. The screen says Devan.
While I’m happy to talk to my friend, I’m disappointed that it’s not Ricky. After pushing the green icon, I answer, “Hi, Dev.”
“Marilyn.”
It is Ricky.
“What’s the matter?” I ask, wondering why he’s calling me on Devan’s phone. My pulse increases. “Is Devan all right?”
“Devan is fine.” He takes a deep breath. “It’s Justin. There’s been an accident.”
I fall into a nearby chair, my blood draining to my feet. “What kind of accident?”
“He’s hurt. Dad called me as I was getting out of the meeting with Herold Parker. I hurried to my apartment and packed a few things. Now I’m in Bloomington. Justin’s in surgery.”
“I thought your parents were in Florida.”
“They are. Devan called them.”
My emotions are all over the place, sad about Justin and relieved that Bryce wasn’t right. “I’ve been calling you.”
“Marilyn, I’m sorry. I have no fucking idea where my phone is. It’s probably in my apartment. I wasn’t thinking straight.”
“There’s no reason to apologize. Will Justin be okay?”
“Fucking hope so. He was working on some machinery, and it fell, crushing one of his legs.”
I gasp. “Oh no. How is Devan?”
“Upset, but strong.”
I do some mental math on time and distance. “Which Bloomington hospital? I can be there in less than an hour.” Our dinner no longer matters.
“You don’t have to. It’s dark.”
His concern makes me smile. “I’m on my way. My car has these things called headlights. Wonderful invention for driving in the dark.”
“IU Health. Check in at the front desk and call Devan’s phone. I’ll come get you. This place is a maze.”
“Ricky?”
“Yeah?”
“How did your meeting with Mr. Parker go?”
“I’ll tell you all about it when you get here.”
