Dirty Talker (Filthy Dirty Summer)

“E. Krissy,” she says huffily.

I laugh. Damn, I love to irritate her. “Right. What’s up, Kris–E?”

“Have you left yet?”

I grab my keys and start walking through my house to turn lights off. “No. Why, did you forget something? Oh, I know, Grif forgot his nose hair clippers, right? I can swing by your house and get them on my way. We all know he can’t go a few days without those.”

“Har, har! Funny. No, seriously, I have a favor to ask.”

I stop and get serious. “Sure, what’s up?”

“So Megan called me. You know, Ty’s mom. She’s already talked to Coach Killian, but she called me because she knew I’d worry when she didn’t show up.”

I grip the phone tighter. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

“Nothing. I mean, she’s fine. It’s her car. It wouldn’t start or something, I’m not sure. Anyway, she got it to a shop to be looked at, but she said that it will probably be tomorrow before she can make it to Georgia. Is there any way you can bring Ty with you? I told her he could stay with us. He was so disappointed that he may miss the first game tomorrow. And well, Megan is filled with mom guilt, so I finally convinced her to let him come, but we’re already on the road—"

“No problem. Send me her address.”

“Oh, Kade, you’re a life saver. Thank you.”

I hear my brother in the background say something smart, but I don’t even respond because right now, all I can think about is the fact that I may get to spend more time with Megan. “No problem. Have a safe trip. We’ll see you soon.”

I hang up the phone and finish locking up before walking outside to my truck. I’m staring at my phone, waiting on the text to come through, and when it does, I back out of the driveway to go across town. I’m antsy the whole way. I’m sure that Krissy already called Megan to let her know that I’m coming, but what she doesn’t realize is that I’m not leaving without her.

I pull into her driveway, and Ty is standing outside next to his team bag and what looks like an overnight bag. He’s bouncing on his toes as he approaches my truck, and I barely get stopped before he’s standing at my open window. “Thanks for picking me up, Coach!”

I push the door open, and he takes a step back. “No problem, happy to do it. Go ahead and load your stuff in the back. Is your mom inside?”

He nods. “Yep, she’s in there.”

“Great. I’ll be right back.”

I go up the steps and knock on the door. As soon as it opens, I smile at her. There’s a frazzled look on her face, and it’s obvious it’s been a stressful morning for her. “You ready?”

She opens the door wider. “Ready? Oh no, it’s just Ty. I can’t go without a car—"

I spot her suitcase across the room and walk into her house to get it. I wrap my hand around the strap and pull it with me to stand in front of an open-mouthed Megan. “Sure you can. You can ride with me to Georgia, and I’ll bring you back. You can drive my truck any time you need to go somewhere while we’re there.”

“What? No, I can’t do that.” She buries her face in her hands. “I definitely can’t do that. If you can just take Ty, I’ll be down as soon as my car is fixed.”

I step closer to her. For the first time in a long time, I feel myself start to panic. I don’t know what it is, but I can’t just leave her behind. It’s crazy. She’s an independent woman, and I’m sure she can get her car taken care of and all that, but I want to be the one to help her. I want to be the one to turn her day around. “Why? Why can’t you do that?”

She huffs and puts her hand on her shapely hip. She stares up at me and then shakes her head. “Because you’re already being nice by taking my son... and I can’t go without my car.”

I decide to try another tactic. “Okay, so hear me out. It’s a three-hour drive, and I’m a little behind on a project. If you came with us, you could drive half the way so I can knock it out so I’m not worried about it. So see, you’d actually be doing me a favor.”

Her pretty nose scrunches up, and her eyes narrow. “Are you just saying that? I really don’t want your pity.”

I shake my head. I’m not lying to her. Since I’ve been helping Coach, I have gotten behind on some projects and proposals, so I feel no guilt when I assure her, “First of all, there’s no pity here. I want you to go with us. I can get some work done, and I won’t be stuck eating alone all week.”