Body Shot (Last Shot)(63)
She frowned as she unfolded her legs from beneath her and stood. “Huh. Who can that be?” He watched her find her phone in her purse and peer at it. “Oh boy. Uncle Colin.” She answered the call. “Hello?”
Beck took another bite of his taco as Hayden talked.
“Oh no…what happened? Where is she?” She paused to listen. “You need me to come there? Or maybe you should call an ambulance.”
Beck’s spine snapped straight and he frowned. What was going on? He met Hayden’s worried gaze.
“No, no, I’ll be right there. Okay, just stay with her, Uncle Colin.” She ended the call and grimaced. “Sorry. I have to go.”
“I’ll take you.” He rose too, grabbing a paper napkin. “What’s happening?”
“My aunt fell again. Dammit. She’s supposed to be using her walker, but sometimes she doesn’t. Uncle Colin is freaking out, as usual. I don’t know if he’s overreacting or if she should be going to the hospital, so I better get over there. You don’t have to take me.”
“I will.” No way was he letting her deal with this herself.
“You don’t even know them,” she protested, picking up her purse and keys.
“I know you. That’s enough. Maybe we can get you over there quick enough to take care of things and still get that work done you wanted to.”
She eyed him, pausing at her door. Finally, she said, “Thank you.”
Chapter 17
Beck hustled Hayden out to his Jag. Once he’d started the engine, he asked, “Where do they live?”
She gave him the address and brief directions and he zoomed down her street, turning onto Grand Avenue, then onto I-5.
“Um, you’re a fast driver,” she commented, gripping the armrest.
“I’m a good driver.”
“Okay, yes.”
“I kick Cade and Marco’s asses at the Speed Bowl on a regular basis.”
“The Speed Bowl?”
“Go-kart racing.”
She laughed. “Oh my God. You’re crazy.”
“Crazy fun, baby.” He was happy that he’d made her laugh despite her obvious worry about her aunt. “I’ll take you there next week. We’ll race.”
She sighed. “Much as that sounds like fun, I have a stupid busy week next week.”
“You need time for fun. We’ll find time. Maybe on the weekend.”
“You work on the weekends.”
“Yeah, usually, but we can juggle schedules if need be. We’ll figure it out.” She was chewing on her bottom lip and he didn’t like that. “Hey, relax.” He reached over for her hand to squeeze it. “What’s wrong?”
“You can’t just leave things open like that. What are we going to do? When are we going to go? I need to know. I need to prepare.”
His heart did a weird flip in his chest. This really did make her anxious. And much as he wanted to give her new experiences and get her to loosen up a little, he did not want to make her anxious. “Okay, baby. Just let me nail things down at the bar and see when I can have time off. Then I’ll tell you exactly what we’re going to do and when we’re going to do it. And you can prepare for all the fun we’re going to have.”
“You think I’m crazy.”
“No, I don’t. I think you’re cute.”
She gave a soft sigh. “I’m sorry. I know I’m kind of, er, rigid.”
“Not as rigid as I am when I think about you.”
After one shocked beat, she burst out laughing. “Oh my God.”
Satisfaction settled in his gut. He’d made her laugh again.
“I’m just stressed with being busy at work, and then things with my aunt and uncle and…” She paused. “I hate feeling like things are out of control.”
“Why are you looking after your aunt and uncle? Don’t they have kids?”
“They do, but my cousins live in New York, with families and busy careers. It’s hard for them to get home. They did come when Aunt Gina was in the hospital. And I’m right here. I don’t mind helping, really. They did so much for me when Mom and Dad died. I was overwhelmed with the things that needed to be done, and of course devastated at losing my parents, so close together like that. My aunt and uncle helped me so much, so of course I’ll do anything for them.”
He nodded. Not that he understood that feeling about actual family, but it was how he felt about Cade and Marco. During their service, they’d come to trust one another with their lives. He knew they’d risk their lives to save his and he’d do the same for them.
“Are they your mom or your dad’s family?”