Page 60 of Side Hustle
Amelia:Hey. Rip is here. He came in around 2am and Titus said he was drunker than a skunk. Call me in the morning.
My shoulders sagged with relief. Then I frowned and read the text two more times. Why would Rip have gotten drunk and gone to the B and B instead of here? Nothing about this was making any sense. I lurched to the bathroom on weak legs and couldn’t decide if I needed to pee or throw up. Maybe both. My sixth sense was clanging so loudly I couldn’t hear myself think. Something was very, very wrong. I’d bet my last two dollars on it.
Somehow I found my way into some clothing and grabbed my keys. The sun was just starting to come up, but I was already on my way to check on Rip. He had some serious explaining to do. My phone vibrated in my hand as I shut the front door. I answered, jogging to my car.
“Hey, Granny. Can I call you back later?”
“I have bad news, honey.” Granny’s voice sounded cautious despite getting right to the point, like she wasn’t sure she wanted to actually tell me. My stomach lurched and I really did think I might be sick before the morning was over.
“What is it?” I asked weakly, standing on Rip’s driveway, frozen.
“Hill Hotel called me and said that Kendra must have checked out at some point last night and didn’t tell them. She left them with a bit of a bill, but I told them you and I weren’t responsible for her.” Granny made a clucking noise. “Anyhoo-ha, your mother has left town again. I’m sorry, honey.”
My keys clattered to the concrete. I should have known. My sixth sense was never wrong. Today was already turning out to be a shit show. Worry over Rip faded to the background as a deep, hot anger filtered through my blood. That no-good, lying bitch. She’d said everything I wanted to hear and even tossed in some well-placed tears. And I’d fallen for it. Again.
“Fuck!” I said, spinning around, staring out at the tall pine trees that surrounded Rip’s house.
“Now, no need for that kind of language.” Granny cackled. “I’m kidding. That’s exactly what I said when I found out. Well, you got your wish, Hazel, darling. She’s out of our hair again. This town’s too small for more than just us two Reddings, don’tcha think?”
Tears flooded my vision, this time because along with the red-hot anger, worse emotions flooded in. Shame. And disappointment. And hurt. Fuck, the hurt was ripping my insides to shreds.
“Hazel?” I heard faintly from the phone no longer pressed against my ear.
I hung up on Granny—full well knowing I’d pay for that later, but it was the least of my current worries—grabbed my keys off the driveway, and hopped into my Jeep. I’d deal with the fallout of my mother’s visit and betrayal later. Right now I needed to figure out what the hell happened to Rip. Because if something was wrong with Rip and me, how could I handle all my mother’s crap too?
* * *
Barging into the B and B at this hour would have been rude under normal circumstances, but all of Titus and Amelia’s guests were used to Sheepdog pushing his way through closed doors like he owned the place. Based on his width alone, he was part farm animal, I was sure of it.
Ignoring the lady in her robe and slippers sipping on coffee in the downstairs front room, I bounded up the stairs to the third floor. They probably would have put Rip in their extra bedroom rather than have him disturb any of their guests on the first two levels. Cracking the door open, I poked my head in and saw the man I’d fallen in love with facedown, sprawled half off the mattress on the floor. His shirt was off and his dress pants looked highly uncomfortable and wrinkled, but he snored on, oblivious. That dark hair I loved to tug on when he kissed me lay in an utter disaster, like he’d run his hands through it repeatedly and then gone a round with Paul the Peacock.
My heart quit its pounding just knowing he was really and truly safe. My sixth sense still screamed in my head like a goddamn harpy. I knew we weren’t out of the woods yet. Something was still very wrong between us, but at least no harm had come to Rip. Closing the door, I crossed the room Amelia hadn’t even decorated yet on soft feet, crouching down to take him in while he slept. All those features I’d known almost my whole life had become so familiar, I knew every freckle and line better than my own.
I reached out to gently wake him up, but paused when I saw my hand shaking. I clenched my fist and willed my fingers to open. With a sense of dread so deep I could barely breathe, I touched his warm skin.
“Rip?” I whispered.
He stirred, but his eyes didn’t open. I ran my hand across his shoulders and then down his back. For a guy who preferred to blend in with the crowd, he’d sure built an impressive physique. A tear slipped down my cheek and hit his arm. I scrubbed a hand across my face and forced myself to ignore the voice that told me Rip wouldn’t be mine to touch for very much longer.
“Rip,” I said louder.
“Huh?” His eyes fluttered open and then he grimaced, his hand coming up to cover his eyes. “Shit.”
“Rip? Are you okay?” I snatched my hand back when he began to move, pulling himself onto the mattress and away from me.
He lifted his head slowly, his hands falling away from his face. He looked like hell. His eyes were bloodshot and there were lines bracketing his mouth. The worst thing, though, was the look in his eyes. The way the light there had died out and he looked at me with zero emotion. No, I took that back. Only one emotion. Regret.
My stomach tightened and I sat down hard on the floor, breathing deep so I wouldn’t throw up.
“What?” I asked without preamble, needing him to just tell me.
He sighed and sat up straighter. “This isn’t going to work, Hazel.”
I huffed out a laugh that sounded a bit demented to my ears. “I knew it.”
He ignored me. “I care for you, but you and I together just isn’t going to work long-term. You understand?”
My legs sprang into motion before my brain could catch up. I stood so fast I rocked back on my heels as my head swayed and I had to catch myself from falling over.
