I hated hearing her say that. I’d never feel obligated to spend time with her.
“Lex,” I said.
“What?”
“You aren’t an obligation. I’m here for you.”
She rubbed her temple, caught herself, and dropped her hand to her side. “I’m fine. Hardly a scratch, because I was wearing my seat belt. Remember?”
“Yeah. Go get some rest.”
Her eyes skated toward the staircase, then back to me. “You aren’t going to tell Dad, right?”
“Right,” I muttered. At least, not if I could help it.
She nodded and whispered, “Thanks.”
“How’s she really doing?” Cal asked and handed me a bottle of Yuengling.
I swallowed a sip. “Her head is killing her, probably more than she’s letting on. It took her a long time to go to sleep in the truck, and even then that lasted maybe half an hour.”
Cal tipped his head back, took a long pull on his beer, and swallowed. “Why do I get the feeling there’s something else going on?”
“Her roommate is in ICU. She wanted to stick around for her, but there was a nurse who wouldn’t let her visit. That seems to be bothering her, but on top of that she wants to get back to Gainesville tomorrow.”
“That isn’t happening,” Aunt Mallory said, walking into the kitchen from behind me.
I took a deep breath. “I told her I would take her. She’s got finals this week.”
"Damn, you're right. She can't miss those," Aunt Mallory said.
The sound of Cal’s beer hitting the counter got my attention. “Aren’t you going back to Memphis tonight?”
“Zeus isn’t sure he’s interested in a prospect who hasn’t ever lived in Memphis.” I twisted my hand up. “That might be him busting my chops. He’s the chapter president, so nobody’s going to tell me if he is. Either way, I’m not in a rush to drive back if he doesn’t want me there.”
Aunt Mallory set a wine glass on the counter and pulled a bottle of white wine from the under the counter wine fridge. “You’re probably going to say you’re staying at the clubhouse, but you’re welcome to the guest room so you can save yourself the gas and the hassle of crossing the Buckman.”
I liked that idea, but I forced myself not to show it so Cal wouldn’t pick up on my eagerness to stick close to Lex. “Thanks. I’ll take you up on that.”
After she finished pouring a glass, she let out a dejected sigh. “Oh. The guest bed doesn’t have any sheets on it. I can run up and—”
I shook my head. “No need. I can make a bed, Aunt Mallory. Are the sheets in the linen closet?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll go up there.”
Cal pinned me with his gaze. “How about you finish your beer at least. Give Lex enough time to get out of the bathroom and then fall asleep.”
“You got it.”
Five minutes later, Cal insisted I follow him out to the pool. He grabbed a pole with a skimmer net on the end and dipped it in the water. “Mallory interrupted us. Now, what aren’t you telling me?”
“Nothing definite. From what she said, she blames herself for the accident.”
Cal stopped mid-skim and stared at me. “She wasn’t driving.”
“Yeah. There were some issues, and Lex… she thinks none of this would have happened if she’d… played the situation differently.”
