“Sounds good.” I hug her tight. “Thank you for tonight. Keeping things in perspective for me.”
“Isn’t that what friends are for?”
Taking a step out the door, I turn and say, “Yes.” And I blow her a kiss.
Joel opens the back door for me, and I hop into the SUV. We drive in silence all the way home, which is unusual for me, butI’m exhausted. With my eyes closed, I’m pretty sure I fell asleep for a split second. I was only resting my eyes.
We pull into my driveway. Joel opens the door again so I can step out. “Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome. Get some sleep. We’ll be around. Text or call if you need us.”
“I appreciate everything you’re doing.”
He nods at me and then hops back into the SUV. They drive down the street to their post.
I barely remember going into the house, undressing, and getting into bed. My head hits the pillow and I’m out.
I hear my phone ringing on the nightstand. Dragging myself out of a deep sleep, I quickly answer it without looking at who was calling.
“Hello?” I say with a groggy voice.
THIRTY-TWO
Dane
Iwake up screaming, “Kendall!”
I’m sweating through my shirt. I pop my body up, and I realize I’m in my office. Searching for my phone, I pick it up and look at the screen. She hasn’t texted me about being home. Maybe that’s why my subconscious played out my worst fear.
No text from her makes my heart beat out of my chest. I find her name and call her. Yes, I’m calling her at two o’clock in the morning. Hearing her voice is the only way to calm me, knowing she is home safe and sound.
“Hello?”
Oh, thank fucking god, she answered the phone. “Are you home? Are you okay?”
“Dane? It’s—I don’t know what time it is in the middle of the night. Why are you calling? And yes, I’m home and okay. Are you okay? You sound out of breath?”
Shaking my head at myself, I say, “You didn’t text me. I fell asleep and woke up, still in a sleep fog, with no text from you; I was concerned. So I called. I’m sorry to wake you, sweetheart.”
Pulling myself together, this woman has dread running through my body, thinking something bad happened to her. It’s at this moment that I know what I need to do.
“Well, I’m home safe, exhausted, and need to go back to sleep.” I hear her yawn. These last couple of days have been taxing for her. “Will I see you tomorrow, I mean today?”
“Yes, sweetheart. I’ll make it a point to leave the office on time, and I’ll bring us dinner. I’ll text you around noon. Sleep well.” I rub the ache in my chest, hoping for relief, but it doesn’t subside.
“Okay, see you later. Night.” And she hangs up the phone.
I take a few breaths and continue to rub my chest. My heart rate is finally evening out as my brother comes flying into my office like a freight train out of control. “You okay? I heard you scream.”
“Yeah, I had a dream that Kendall was shot by her ex.”
He stands there staring at me with sleepy eyes, like he is trying to process what I said. “You’re telling me you had a nightmare?” And it doesn’t take long for him to be keeled over laughing his ass off at me.
“It wasn’t a nightmare, asshole. It was a dream,” I say. As I speak the words, it becomes clear I’m trying to convince myself, too.
As he continues laughing, he says, “Yeah, yeah, just a dream.”
“Fuck off.”
