“She’ll figure it out, I’m sure.”
“Yep. Until then, she’s here with me. Where she needs to be. I don’t need her running off and into the arms of some other idiot.”
“Um, I’m pretty sure no guy is ever going to be good enough to you when it comes to Lora.”
“Damn right,” he said, and I cracked a smile, shaking my head.
“You are so relentless.”
He grabbed my chin, dropping a kiss on my lips. “And you are perfect.” He gave me another deep kiss, and for the rest of the day, we chilled out. We ate lunch and dinner, and around 9:00 p.m., he had to go to his office to make some calls and email a few people back. I decided to lounge on the couch and watch romantic comedies on Netflix. But as I watched the movies, I couldn’t help glancing at my phone.
I hadn’t heard from my parents in a few weeks, and I wanted to call so badly, but I wasn’t even sure what to say to them. I knew Mom would ask me to come back, and Dad probably wouldn’t even bother talking to me. Even though I loved being with Cane, I missed them so damn much. I promised myself I would call the next afternoon, but I shouldn’t have because that promise haunted me, snatching away precious moments of my sleep. It didn’t help that Cane was still working in his office, well past 2 a.m., when I finally fell asleep.
Eventually I did drift off, and for some strange reason, I dreamed that I was in the middle of an ocean, floating on a small piece of wood. I was going nowhere, and for some odd reason, I liked it.
Something about my dream told me that I liked being in the middle of the ocean because I was no longer facing the worries at home. But when I woke up with Cane holding me, I knew being alone was the last thing I ever wanted.
Chapter Twenty-One
CANE
They always say there is calm before the storm. In my world, if there is too much calmness, there is a definite storm headed my way. I should have been prepared for the monstrosity—ready for it to shut the power off and destroy my home, ripping through like a fucking hurricane, but I was so caught up in the moment. So in love. So content that I refused to think about that brewing storm…but it was coming.
And this time, it was deadly.
I had to work the following day, but something felt off about it. The air was humid and thick, clinging to my skin, causing me to break out in a sweat. It was hot as hell, the sky covered with bundled gray clouds. It looked like it should have been pouring down raining, but it hadn’t…at least not yet. On my way to work, every stoplight turned red. At work, one of the employees spilled coffee on my shoes when I was walking into the building.
I had a normal work day, though, and finished up most of my emails and calls, drawing up new plans for the rest of the year. When I was done, I packed it up, walking down to the lobby with Cora.
“Have a good night, Mr. Cane,” she said as we reached the VIP parking deck.
“Same to you, Cora.”
Her car horn beeped when she pressed her key fob. I watched her crank it up and go, and then headed for my own car, parked in its designated spot in the corner.
I couldn’t help feeling like I was being watched while walking. I looked all around me, the hair standing up on the back of my neck and on my arms, but I ignored the feeling and hurried to open the door. I hopped in and left, letting the feeling roll off my back as I hurried home to Kandy.
* * *
I expected a smile and a hug from Kandy when I got home, but I got neither. She was sitting on the kitchen counter with a bowl of ice cream in front of her. She wasn’t really eating it, though. More like sliding her spoon around in the soupy mess.
“Hey,” I said, stepping around the counter.
Her eyes drooped up slowly, and I spotted the hurt in them. “Hey,” she murmured.
“What’s going on? Why do you look so down?”
She huffed, dropping her spoon. “I called my mom three hours ago, and she hasn’t called back yet.”
“Maybe she’s busy,” I offered.
“No. She always answers, Cane. Always. I think she’s really upset about the situation we’re in. She probably thought I’d be back home by now. I mean, she texted me back before, but this is the first time I’m calling just to call and…nothing.”
“Hmm.”
“Maybe it’s best if they don’t hear from me,” she muttered. “I hurt them bad this time. I’ve tried not to think about how I just walked away, but I realize it was so fucked up.”