She lifted a brow. “This from the man who’s been on the go nearly as long as I have?”
“I travel and often, yes, but I’ve been home. I’ve seen my family. You’ve been running.”
“I’m not running,” she insisted.
“All right, not running. Searching, then. For something. In all your travels, have you found it?”
“How can I even answer that? I don’t know what I’m looking for.” But that was a lie. She knew what she was looking for and knew she wouldn’t find it in any new country, on any new adventure.
“I’d say that’s an answer in and of itself.”
Kennedy scowled into her beer. “I’ve had my reasons for staying away from home.”
“They aren’t family. You’ve seen them since you left. So who?”
Her gaze shot to his.
Flynn jerked his shoulders and gave an easy smile. “Deduction, deifiúr beag. Who was he?”
Someone better off without me.
She was saved from answering by the ringing of her mobile phone. “Late for a call.” Fishing it out of her pocket, she saw her mother’s number flash across the screen. “Not so late back in Tenn
essee.” She hit answer. “Hey, Mom.”
“Kennedy.”
At the sound of her name, she felt her stomach clench into knots. Because it wasn’t her mother, and the strain in her eldest sister’s voice was palpable. “Pru?”
“Are you sitting down?”
Absolutely nothing good could follow those words. “What?”
Beside her, Flynn straightened, setting his pint to the side.
“You’re not on the street where you can accidentally walk into traffic or something are you?”
“I’m sitting. What the hell is going on? Where’s Mom?”
Her sister took a shaky breath. “Kennedy, Mom was in an accident. Her car was in the shop, and she was in a loaner. We’ve had a cold snap.”
“What?” Kennedy whispered.
“She…” Pru gave a hiccupping sort of sob. “She didn’t make it.”
The earth fell out from beneath Kennedy’s chair, and she curled her hand tighter around the phone, as if that pitiful anchor would help. She didn’t even recognize her own voice as she asked, “Mom’s dead?”
She wasn’t aware of Flynn moving, but suddenly he was there, his strong hand curling around hers.
“The doctors said it was all but instant. She didn’t suffer. I…we need to make arrangements.”
“Arrangements.” She needed to get the hell off the phone. She needed to move, to throw something, to rail at the Universe because this…this shouldn’t be happening. “I have to go.”
“Kennedy, I know this is hard but—”
“I’m coming home. I’ll be there absolutely as soon as I can. Call you back as soon as I know when.” She hung up before Pru could answer.
“Do you want me to come with you?” Flynn asked.