“What’s the matter? You sound weird and not sleepy weird.”
“I’m okay. I just had a rough dinner with my parents tonight, is all.”
“Really? How so?”
“For starters, the house was full of people, which was the last thing I was in the mood for. Carmen was there too...as well as Sam, unfortunately.”
Lana physically cringed as she said his name into the receiver, waiting for Kayden to explode. Instead, the other end of the line was so silent, she thought he’d hung up on her. Lana moved the phone from her ear and looked at the screen. The call was still open and the time kept ticking forward. She slowly put the phone back and spoke cautiously.
“Hello, you there?”
A long sigh whistled into her ear.
“I’m here, Lana. What did he want?”
“My family invited him over for dinner and thought it would be a good idea. Itsowas not.”
“Oh?”
Why did he sound relieved?
“Yeah. I ended up telling him off in front of everyone, and he left. Hopefully, they all get the memo this time.”
The line went silent again, and she could tell by the way he was breathing over the phone that he still wasn’t happy.
“Hmm. When are you coming home?”
“I don’t know. When are you going home?”
“As soon as I see the doctor and we know what the next course of action is.”
“Ok.”
“I miss you, you know.”
Hearing him relay what she felt overcame her for a small moment and was enough for a tiny sob-like sound to escape her throat.
“I miss you too, Kayden,” she whimpered.
“Shh. What is it? Did something else happen?”
“No, nothing like that. I just wish you were here,” she replied, wiping the runaway tear from her face.
“And I wish you were here. You know I can fly you to me if you want. I’ll send the jet, say the word.”
“I don’t think so. The last place I want to be is in another confined space with Maureen.”
“We can stay at the Four Seasons. It’s not a big deal, Lana.”
She thought about it for a minute but knew it wouldn’t be fair to her parents to take off on them. Plus, she had so much left to tie up.
“You and your mother have things to discuss. I shouldn’t be there to distract from the situation.”
“Is it really about her or something else? I want you here with me,” he stated, his voice raspy.
“It is about your mother. Besides, I still need time with my family. I’m leaving the state, saying goodbye, and I still have to pack up my place anyway.”
The phone fell silent again, and she hoped he wasn’t upset. They had their first official fight a week before, and she didn’t want a repeat.
