TWO WEEKS LATER, I had decided it was timeto get out of the love bubble and take Daisy somewhere fancy for dinner. She’dbeen working so hard. In fact, after her week off, her schedule had been crazy,and with me prospecting for the club, time on the ice trying to ‘keep my chopsup’ as my sister said, not to mention, the hours Hatch insisted I spend eitherriding or at the shooting range, we’d barely seen each other, except when wefell into bed at night. So, the date had been set, she’d worn the sexiestlittle black dress I’d ever seen, and we’d headed into the Pearl to a littlesteak house that had been some of the best food I’d ever tasted.
My kneereplacement had been set for six weeks from now, and I had a conference call onthe books with my agent in two days to discuss next steps as far as my career.I had no idea if the Hurricanes would want me back after rehab, and I couldn’tremember what my contract had said about injuries, but I guess that’s what Ipaid Reggie for. He was going to get everything together and let me know myoptions.
Now, we wereheading back to the condo, and my phone rang, the sound reverberating throughthe cab of my truck. It was my mother.
“Hi, Mom, you’reon speaker.”
“Hucky,” shesobbed into the speaker.
“Shit,” I hissed.“What happened?”
“Your dad’s inthe hospital. You need to come home. I tried to call Lou, but she didn’tanswer. I didn’t want to leave this on a message.”
“How bad?” Iasked.
“Bad, baby. Acar accident.” She started sobbing again and Daisy grabbed my hand again.
“Okay, Mama,” Isaid. “We’ll get on a plane as soon as we can.”
“Good. Okay.Good,” she said with a sniff. “Let me know when you’re coming, and your unclewill pick you up.”
“Okay, I’ll textyou as soon as I know.”
“Love you,honey.”
“Love you too,Mom. Tell Dad I love him, okay?”
“I will,sweetie.”
The calldropped, and Daisy released my hand, digging her cell phone out of her purse.
“Who are youcalling?” I asked.
“Melody has aplane.”
“What?”
She didn’tanswer me, as she had her phone to her ear. “Daddy? Something’s happened withHuck’s dad. He’s been in a really bad car accident and he and Louisa need toget to Montana, like, yesterday. Do you think Melody will let them borrow herplane? Well, no, I thought you could ask her, you know, because you’re the VP.Or, even better, Hatch could ask her.” She sighed. “I’m aware that her planeisn’t club business. I know. Yes, I get it. Fine. Yep, yep. Okay. I get it.Whatever. Love you too, but only conditionally. Bye.”
“What’d he say?”I asked as I pulled into the underground garage of the condo building.
“That I’m agrown ass woman who Melody adores, so it’s time for me to put on my big girlpanties and call her my damn self.”
“Harsh.”
“Okay, maybe hedidn’t quite say it like that. That might have been how I interpreted it.”
I parked thetruck, turning off the ignition and facing her. “It’s fine, Daisy, I need totalk to my sister, then we’ll look for flights. I’m sure we can find somethinggoing out early tomorrow.”
She nodded, thenwe headed upstairs, and after making sure Daisy got inside her condo safely, Imade my way across the hall.
“LouLou?” Icalled, closing, and locking the door behind me.
“Oh my god,Hucky!” she squealed, rushing out from the mouth of the hallway, a towel on herhead, as she waved her cell phone in the air. “Mom—”
“I know, she called.She said she tried to call you first.”
“I was in theshower. I barely had a chance to get dry when she called.” She burst intotears, and I pulled her in for a hug. “It’s bad, Hucky. Someone ran him off theroad.”
