Page 26 of I Got You

She grabs her purse. “Sorry, I need to make sure it’s not the kids.” She pulls out her phone. “It’s my friend Carmen. She and her fiance are watching them.”

She answers, and I see her shoulders slump. I sit quietly, listening to her side of the conversation.

“Ok. He hasn’t responded. Yeah. I know. Thanks.” After hanging up, she sends a text, curses, and then looks at me. “I’m sorry, but I have to go. Hank was supposed to be home an hour ago and hasn’t responded to Carmen’s unconvincing threats. He knows he can push the boundaries.”

She stands, but I stop her. “Wait. Let me get the check, and I’ll go with you.”

Her eyebrows raise. “You don’t have anything better to do?”

I flag the waitress. “Actually, I don’t. Besides, trial by fire, right? If we’re going to do this, then I guess I’ll get a taste of what it’s like.”

∞∞∞

We’ve been in my truck for fifteen minutes, and Maggie has a death grip on her phone. She’s texted a couple of moms, and no one seems to know where Hank might be.

“Ugh. I’m going to kill him. I think he has a new girlfriend, who, according to my sources, is a junior. I suspect he’s with her.”

“Did you check social media?” The look she shoots me informs me that I’m slow and clearly the novice here.

“He’s not very active, but I watch him like a full-time stalker.” She checks her phone again. “Is it unfair of me to call our neighbor who has a massive crush on him to see if she knows where he might be?”

“If she’s anything like some of the crazy fans I’ve been around, she probably knows something.”

She starts tapping away on her phone. “She’s not crazy, just completely smitten with his moody butt. She’s really too much of a sweetheart for him. Although I’d much rather him be with her than Miss Boobs, which is probably exactly what he’s all up in right now.”

I don’t comment, but I’d venture that’s a good guess. Maggie messages the neighbor girl, who fills her in on the details of a party she heard about, which is where we’re headed.

We pull up to a house with cars lining the streets, all the lights on inside, and some kids lingering in the front yard. Before I’ve even put the truck in park, Maggie pushes the passenger door open and starts marching toward the front of the house. Ignoring the stiffness in my knee, I jog after her. I’m sure this house is filled with kids, but I’m glad she isn’t barging in there alone.

She opens the door to a group of teenagers standing around with red cups in hand and pushes forward like a lion looking for its prey. I follow behind as the kids are stunned still. I’m not sure if it’s my size, the fact that they recognize me, or if they’re scared shitless of the little lady in front of me who looks like she just entered a battlefield prepared for war.

We walk through the kitchen and family room, where a group sits around a large screen playing video games. She stops in the middle of the open space, surveys again, and then turns to me. “So help me if I find him in one of the bedrooms….”

“Let’s try out back first,” I offer, really hoping we don’t have to search there.

We step out on the deck, and the scent of weed fills the air. It’s dark, but the lights from inside help us make out faces. Some are scattered around in chairs, while others stand along the edge of the deck. Maggie does a sweep and stops abruptly in front of me.

Looking over her head and across the deck, I see Hank in a chair with a girl on his lap, laughing at something someone said.

Maggie takes a moment and then moves forward like she’s more in control now that she knows he’s ok. I stay put, noticing some of the kids from inside have followed us out, whispering in the corner behind me.

I hear a “Dude, I told you. It’s Shane Carter.”

The last thing we need is someone to capture this. “Don’t even think of taking a picture.” I give him a fair warning before turning to follow Maggie, like somehow I can help her in this situation.

The moment Hank sees her, his eyes grow wide. It takes the girl on his lap a second to realize something is up before she finally climbs off.

“Is your phone broken?” Maggie’s tone is way calmer than I’d expected, and if I were Hank, I’d be terrified.

The look on his face tells me he’s no dummy.

He pulls it out of his pocket. “Sorry, it’s dead.”

A laugh that’s filled with sarcasm bubbles out of her. “Oh, well, that’s a relief. You want to stay, or do you want to go?”

He looks dumbfounded by her question, and then he notices me. “Why’s he here?”

It’s a tone that’s way too ballsy for where he is right now.

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