Page 95 of Restless
Meggie sank back into sleep, relieved he left so quickly.
She wasn’t sure how much time passed before the ringing of her cellphone startled her awake. Sighing, she grabbed it from where it lay beside her hip, frowning at Bailey’s name.
“Hey,” she answered groggily.
“Meggie?”
“Is everything okay?” She could ask herself the same thing. Hadn’t Johnnie been in her room? “What time is it?”
“2:30AM.”
Undoubtedly, Christopher was with Jo, so Meggie was certain Johnniehadbeen at her bedside. She found the remote and pressed the up arrow to raise her upper body. “Has someone been hurt?”
Of course, someone had! Why else would Bailey call Meggie at such an hour?
“It’s CJ,” Bailey said sharply.
Meggie gasped, and it felt as if her stomach bottomed out. “Wh-what? Does Christopher…I-I have to call my husband,” she cried, tears pouring down her cheeks, her heart breaking into a thousand little pieces. She and Jo had survived, but she’d lost her beloved son. Her potato. “What happened?” she sobbed.
“Now that I have your attention, you’ll understand how heartbroken I am at the pain your son is causing my daughter. At the painyourson is inflicting onmymarriage. He’s the reason Lucas hasn’t come home tonight.”
It took a moment for Meggie’s grief-stricken brain to process that CJ was fine. Bailey’s issue wasbecauseof Meggie’s son.
“What—”
“You want to support your son. I want to support my daughter. I expect Lucas to do the same. Because CJ broke Harley’s heart—there’s proof by the way—my family is falling apart. Lucas sides with CJ. He’s hurt because of what Harley said to him. Again, because ofyourson.”
“What did Harley say to Mortician?” Meggie asked, still not completely recovered from thinking her son had been hurt or killed.
As Meggie listened to Bailey recount Harley’s vicious words, her sleep evaporated, and her anger grew. There were so many different reasons she needed to get home. Foremost was her husband’s sanity and physical well-being. He’d had to bedruggedto even sleep.
They’d made progress, but while she remained in the hospital, he’d worry. Her kids needed her, too. Then, there was the Gypsy issue that she’d had to neglect after involving Stretch.
Also, there was Johnnie to deal with.
And she didn’t even want to think about the confusing call she’d received from Brooks.
There were also her business obligations. Apparently, now, she had to contend with Bailey blaming CJ for Harley’s bad behavior as well as her own.
“My son was nowhere around when your daughter said those things to her daddy,” Meggie started. “Furthermore, even if he had been, he didn’t put those words in her mouth.”
“She said them because of the pictures she received showing him and Molly Harris together.”
“And? Molly’s his friend. Much more so than Harley. For months, she’s lied and schemed.”
Bailey gasped. “How dare you!”
“How dare me? How dare you! It’s the middle of the night, Bailey. You knew exactly what you were doing by frightening me half out of my mind. CJ had absolutely nothing to do with what Harley said to Mortician, or whatyoudidn’t say to him.”
“What are you implying?”
“I’m not playing this game with you.”
Of all the people Meggie expected nastiness from, Bailey was the most shocking. She had always been so kind, calm, and affable. But when she relocated her office and acquired associates, all with Mortician’s money, she’d changed. At first, everyone attributed it to her increased workload and her higher visibility.
Slowly, accomplishments she once celebrated with her family and the club moved to expensive dinners in exclusive restaurants. She still participated in the family gatherings and remained a regular fixture at the club. Yet, she was different.
More than once, Meggie had to order a few gossiping old ladies to keep speculations to themselves when she’d overheard them talking about the possibility that Bailey was cheating.
