Love her?He braced his head against the steering wheel a few times.God, he wished this were as simple as love.Maybe if it were just love, he wouldn’t hurt being away from her or be this scared that he couldn’t find her.
Grant tried calling Jennifer every half hour all night long.With the morning light shining through his windows, he watched the coffeemaker in his kitchen slowly drip, taunting him with the promise of life.He’d been up all night, unable to sleep.He promised himself that when he found her, he’d chain her to him so she wouldn’t be able to go anywhere without him.
He snatched up his phone when he saw it was Tessa.“What!”
“I talked to Jennifer this morning.”
“Where the hell is she?”
“She wouldn’t tell me.God, Grant, she sounded awful.”She choked back tears.
“So, she is sick?”
“No.She won’t talk about it.All I got out of her was that she needed some time alone to deal with the pain.”
“What pain?”he bellowed.
Tessa winced at his gruff yell.“I asked her that.All she said was she knew all along she didn’t fit in your life.”
He threw a coffee cup against the far wall of the kitchen.“That’s bullshit.I’m about to lose it, Tessa.Ask her to call me or at least pick up my next call.I need to hear her.”
“I will.I’m sorry, Grant.I wish I could help more.I’ll call around to places we’ve been before and ask if they have seen her.”
“That’s a good idea.Just be there for her until I can get to her.I don’t like that she’s alone.She’s been alone enough in her lifetime.”
****
Tessa
Tears silently ran down Tessa’s cheeks as she listened to his phone click off.Strong arms turned her and pulled her against his chest.A strangled sob caught in her throat.“Oh, God, Devon.They both sound so bad.I don’t know how to help them.”
He held her as she sobbed, letting her get some of the pressure off her chest.“You’re doing everything you can, baby.”
Tessa pulled away and wiped her eyes.“No.I haven’t.I need to talk to Madlyn again, but in person.She’s the cause of this.I just can’t figure out how.”
“That woman is a viper.Do you want me to go with you?”
Tessa pulled out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt from her dresser.“Yes, but maybe you should stay in the car?”
Devon watched her walk into the bathroom, and the shower turned on.“I’ll do whatever you need.”Devon turned to get travel cups of coffee.It sounded like it was going to be a long day.
