Page 33 of Pretty and Loco

“No. I mean, I almost want to say that I feel like you told her one thing and then did another. So, in a way, I understand why she’s upset by you cutting her off. Maybe she didn’t think that she was crossing a boundary. But you said she called you three hundred and forty times in one night. Mentally stable people don’t do that, no matter how led on they feel.”

“Six.” I corrected her.

“What?”

“She called me three hundred and forty-six times in one night.”

“Well, yeah. You’re an amazing man, Rocko. Daddy raised you well. You’re a leader, you treat women right, you’re a protector, and you’re successful. And I’m not just saying that because you’re my brother either. Because, Lord knows, Shaun’s ignorant ass is a lost cause. But I said all that to say that she probably thought that she was getting her fairytale, and now she’s mourning that a little bit. It’s still raw. Give her some grace and time to recover, and if that fails, give her ass a court case.”

I laughed at the change in her voice.

“You’re laughing, but I’m serious. Never mind that ego, Rocko. I know men don’t like to call the police on women. I know you’d like to believe that you aren’t afraid of anything. But women can absolutely kill men too.”

We talked a little longer before I told her I was going to let her go to sleep. I didn’t want to keep her too long with my issues. When I got off the call, I felt a little lighter for sure. Cara might be right about giving Leah some time.

When I finished talking to her, I got out of bed and took one of the pain pills to stop the throbbing in my shoulder and hopefully be able to get a full night’s rest. I saw the phone lighting up on the nightstand with Leah still blowing up my phone. But it didn’t take long before the medicine made me feel like I was floating on an air mattress inside of a pool.

Cara said give her time. But I was slowly running out of patience.

***

My phone alarm woke me up, reminding me it was time to get up so I could get a massage from my physical therapist.

After I showered and got dressed, I went to the kitchen to grab a protein shake. Before I could make it inside, I stopped dead in my tracks when I realized my living room had been completely transformed with balloons, candles, and rose petals.

“Man, I know you're fucking lying,” I mumbled as I walked around the room. I looked at all the balloons and the pictures hanging off them. Most of them were pictures of me off guard, and some were ones she'd taken when we were out.

Part of me wanted to laugh, if not for the fact that all this meant she had access to my house and likely had it all this time. I’ve changed the gate code since she popped up on me the first time, so I don’t know how the hell she kept getting in. Then there were my cameras. They caught everything else except for her at my house. I guess this shit is what Cara meant when she said it was still raw. This was as raw as it was going to get.

I didn’t have the time to process my thoughts because my main priority was getting my arm back right so I could start the season on time. The sponsorships and brand deals I had lined up depended on how well I performed during the season.

But while I was in the car, I called my brother.

“It’s too early.” He mumbled.

“Send me the number to your tech guy.”

“Cool.” He hung up.

I chuckled and shook my head, waiting for the message with the number of the guy who owned the company that installed my security system.

When it came, I called him immediately and set up an emergency meeting for him to come by my house after my appointment.

After PT, I called to make sure he was on the way, and he told me he was already waiting at my house.

“What’s going on, my guy?” He asked when he got out of his truck and looked around the perimeter of my home at the cameras he had previously installed. “Everything working right?” He asked.

“Fuck no.” I scoffed and nodded for him to follow me toward the house.

His brow furrowed, but he followed me inside.

“My security system has been hacked. I went with your company because you said—”

“Let me stop you right there, Rocko. But I can guarantee you, you haven’t been hacked. I developed that system myself, and it’s solid. I wouldn’t sell you anything less.”

He said it as if it were fact, and I wasn’t about to go back and forth about what I already knew. Instead, I would prove it to him.

“Not only that, but they also don’t work. I had a woman in my house, decorating and shit. And the cameras didn’t catch any of it.”