“Congrats on the win. We had the game on in the main room.”
“Thanks.” I blew out a breath. “I’m guessing that’s not why you’re calling, though.”
She sighed. “He’s refusing meds again. Had an episode tonight when he couldn’t find your mother.”
I closed my eyes, my chin dropping to my chest. “I’ll be out there tomorrow.”
“Okay. I hate to bother you. I know your plate is full.”
“You know I always want you to call.” My throat tightened. “He’s all we have left, Millie. Call.”
“Okay.” She paused. “See you tomorrow.”
“See you tomorrow.”
As I pressed the red icon, the back door opened. Music filtered out behind a face I’d never be able to forget if I tried. One that I’d been searching for all night.
16
Trinity
Trinity
The door shut behind me, the echo loud in the empty parking lot.
“Hey.” The word was breathed out, like I could finally relax with a familiar face and the quiet.
“Hey.” Preston’s gaze softened, but I could still see the hard lines above his eyes.
The tension in his shoulders. Something was wrong.
But it wasn’t my business to know. So I settled for, “Good game.”
He shoved his phone in his pocket. “We did all right. Need to shift a few things.”
I leaned back against the brick, my eyes catching on the stars in the sky. One thing I loved about Texas was the sky at night. It was almost mystical.
The quiet lingered again, but I didn’t fill it. I needed it. Between the game, Landry giving me a crash course of Laces Out protocol, and the continuous buzz in my pocket as my mother called, I was overstimulated.
“What did you mean last night in your kitchen?”
The question caught me off guard. I swiveled my head toward him. His hands rested in his pockets, his gaze searching.
“What?” I asked, swallowing as I straightened.
“I mentioned growing up with your dad. And you saidI wouldn’t know.”
He wanted to do this now? I faced him, searching for the underlying reason for his question. All I saw was sincerity. Which made it worse.
I motioned my hand to his pocket. “What about you? Want to share why you’re out here in the dark on the phone?”
My guess was something that made my stomach churn. Like another woman. Someone he could actually speak to in public without feeling like he was breaking one of the Ten Commandments.
The silent standoff wasn’t uncomfortable. But I felt my cheeks heat the longer he stared at me.
My hand reached for the latch on the door, the itch to escape from the heavy topic when he spoke. “It was the Silver Ridge Assisted Living facility.” I glanced over my shoulder at him. “My dad has dementia and onset Alzheimer’s.”
Oh.
