“Sure,” he nodded. “I’ll, uh, see you around.” I nodded to him, and he climbed back into his car and shut the door.
I rounded my car’s hood and got into the driver’s seat, then answered the call. “What are you doing up?” I whispered. “It’s three in the morning.”
“I had to wait until Mom was in bed.” Hannah’s voice sounded strained. Then she sniffled. “Tell me you aren’t going to sign the papers.”
I watched Ben’s car pull away and drive off into the night. “So your mom told you.”
Another sniffle. “She wasn’t going to. I snatched the file off the table and locked myself in my room.”
“I’m sorry you had to find out that way, Hannah.” I blinked against the burning inmy own eyes.
“You haven’t answered me yet,” she said with a sob. “Are you going to sign them?”
“Do you want me to?” I blurted. Ordinarily, I avoided asking questions that might lead to answers I didn’t want, but Hannah’s needs came before my own. Even if I wouldn’t be happy about it.
“No!”
“Then I won’t. But tonight’s not the time to have this conversation. Everyone’s upset and emotions are high.”
“Thank you, Ryder.”
“For what?”
“For not treating me like a kid.”
“Yeah, well, that’s about to change. You need to go to bed.” I swallowed a yawn. “And so do I. We’ll talk about this later.”
Hannah finally laughed and relented, and we said our goodbyes. When I looked up, I swore I saw someone disappear around the corner and into the alley. There weren’t any other cars around, and as far as I knew, no businesses were open. The strip was dark, the area deserted. I shook my head, chalking it up to being tired, and headed home.
Chapter 11
After a full dayoff catching up on sleep and time with Hannah, I was jolted awake by my phone buzzing on the nightstand. With a groan, I reached over and answered it without looking at the screen.
“Hello?” I mumbled groggily, scrubbing at my eyes with my free hand while I struggled to adjust to the daylight streaming into my room.
“Oh my God. I woke you up. I’m so sorry.”
At the realization of who the voice on the other end of the phone belonged to, I checked the screen. Sure enough, it displayed Dani’s name. She was sniffling and her muffled voice sounded like it came from underwater.
“What’s going on?” I asked. “Have you been crying?”
“I wish. My germ-infested little brother must have brought something home from school. There’s no way I can make it in to work tonight. Is there any way?—”
“Of course I’ll cover your shift.” I was already sitting up, already buzzing inside from the prospect of the busy night ahead.
“You didn’t let me finish.”
“Were you going to ask me something other than if I could cover your shift for you?”
There was a beat of silence before Dani said, “That’s exactly what I was going to ask.”
“Then the answer’s still yes,” I laughed. “You saved my ass the other day. I owe you.”
“I didn’t do it so you’d owe me.”
“I know, but unless you want to spend the shift sniffling in the storage room—and I’ve been there, it’s not as much fun as it sounds—then I’m returning the favor. Don’t worry, I’ve got nothing else going on tonight.”
She sneezed. “Thanks, Ryder.”
