Page 14 of Hell Hath No Fury
“Tell me about it,” I mutter, pulling out my phone. I might as well text her now; no sense in prolonging the inevitable.
Hayden: The flight just got canceled. I’m sorry, Angel.
Seriously, how is this our life? When we finally,finally, get a chance to spend a few rare days together, a freaking snow storm ransacks the city, stopping me from going home.
For a few heartbeats, my phone stays silent, and then the three dots appear.
Callie: It’s fine, we knew it could happen. I’m just glad that you’re safe.
Well, I’m not glad that I’m safe. I’d rather be up in the air on my way to her and not stuck here—so close, but so far away.
Eric tips his chin at the phone clasped in my hand. “How’d she take it?”
“She says she’s fine.”
“Dude, women always say that, but it actually means the opposite.”
“And when did you become such expert on women, Reed?” Jimmy, our center, asks as he joins us.
Eric snorts. “I’ve always been an expert, thanks to having three older sisters.”
His bushy brows pull together. “You have three sisters? Damn, dude, that’s harsh.”
“You’re telling me that? I had to live with them. Can you imagine what it was like when they all got their period at the same time?” Eric visibly shudders. “I would have been safer locked in a cage with a lion.”
“Can we get back on topic here?” I ask, not in the mood to deal with Eric and his shenanigans. “When can we fly out?”
Maybe if the weather clears by morning, I could still make it. It would be tight, but…
“They don’t think we’ll be able to fly for at least a couple more days. Coach is trying to figure out the hotel and whatnot,” Jimmy says.
My fingers tighten around my phone, slamming it against my thigh. “Fuck.”
Jimmy gives me a side glance. “What’s the rush anyway?”
“It’s his anniversary,” Eric smirks. “He needs to get back to Blairwood to be with his girl.”
“Dude, so what?” Brian, our backup quarterback, shrugs. “Better she gets used to it early on. Shit like this happens all the time.”
Out of all the guys on the team, I liked him the least. The dude has a chip on his shoulders the size of Texas and always throws around stupid comments and gives unsolicited advice.
“I don’t want her to get used to it,” I gritted through clenched teeth giving him a warning glare. “Besides, it’s not just the anniversary.” I slide my hand in the pocket of my pants, my finger curling around the box I have stashed there. “I had other plans.”
“If you need to take the edge off, I’m sure—”
I open my mouth, ready to tell him just where he can shove his comments, but Eric is faster. He slaps Brian over the head. “Shut up, will you? Just because you can fuck whatever walks doesn’t mean Hades is the same.”
Brian rubs the back of his head. “What the hell, Reed?”
“Just shut up.” With a shake of his head, Eric gets to his feet and clasps his hands, his attention turning to me. “Okay, so when does this thing start?”
“Tomorrow evening. It’s fine, really, I’ll just…”
Text Callie? Call her so I can talk to her on the phone while we’re miles apart like we’ve been for weeks, instead of going out on a date like we were supposed to? Settle for her blurry image on my screen and the sound of her voice instead of having her in my arms where she belongs?
“We could probably rent a car.”
My head snaps up. “What?”
