Page 42 of Rock Hard
Then Rex moved swiftly, storming across the room and out the door.
“That’s why,” she said softly.
Alice sank down to the floor before her shaking legs gave out. She took several deep breaths, but each one felt like another slice to her soul. The only positive was that no one else was there to witness it.
In her pocket, her cell phone vibrated. She looked down at the text from Johnny.
“You okay?”
What a loaded question that was.
“Yeah, fine,”she replied.
The response was immediate.“Liar.”
Despite herself, she smiled and accepted the incoming call. “Seriously, it’s all good.”
“Rex?”
“Not here.”
“He left?”
“The room, not the resort.” Alice glanced over to the massive overnight bag Rex always traveled with. He never went anywhere without it, which meant he would be back.
“What happened?” Johnny asked softly.
Silence stretched over the connection while Johnny waited for more information, but she wasn’t about to give it to him. Not yet anyway, and certainly not over the phone. That kind of sharing required fleecy pajamas, a box of lotion-infused tissues, and a gallon of chocolate chocolate chip.
She cleared her throat and tried not to sound like she was one lip quiver away from a good cry. “Listen, since Rex showed up, I think I’m going to head out with you tonight.”
“All right,” Johnny responded slowly. “What about Carly?”
“I’ll explain it to her. She’ll understand.” At least, Alice hoped she would. Carly had been empathetic in the past and was all too familiar with the kind of mental havoc Rex could wreak.
“Besides, this is a good opportunity for her and Rex to connect without all the extra baggage of the tour, you know?”
“All right, babe. I’ll let Carly know. I’ll grab us a quiet table in the gardens. Meet us there when you’re ready.”
“Thanks, Johnny.”
“Anything for you, Alice. You know that.”
She did, and she was grateful for it. These last few months would have been so much harder without Johnny to lean on.
It didn’t take long for Alice to gather her few things together. Johnny’s stuff was ready to go. He must have prepped earlier that morning, knowing he would be flying out later that day.
While she waited for someone to come for the bags, she wrote several short, heartfelt notes for Carly and left them in places where she would eventually find them. Things like: “You’ve got this!”, “Keep me posted,” and simply “Love you!” It was silly, perhaps, but Alice wanted Carly to know that, even if she wasn’t there physically, she was with her in spirit.
