"Her folks are in Canada helping her other sister, who's just given birth to her first child."
"And she has no one else?"
"Dad, she wouldn't have called if she did." I sighed, throwing in a minor lower lip wobble. "I have to go help her."
After a long pause, he nodded. "Sure, sweetheart. Guess I'm just grumpy because this cuts your vacation short."
"I know, Dad, but I'll be back at the end of next semester, before you know it." I stood, crossed the room and bent to hug him. "Love you."
"Love you too, baby girl." He stood and hugged me tight, the type of hug I wish he'd been around to give a lot more often when I'd been growing up. "Do you need me to charter a jet for you?"
"Would you?" I'd been counting on this too. A speedy getaway facilitated by my dad who had influence and money and got things done.
"Absolutely." He disengaged from our hug, already reaching for the phone.
"Thanks." Time to add the one thing guaranteed to ensure I escaped without seeing Kye. "Oh, I almost forgot. I ran into Kye on the way up here. Said he'd missed dinner because he was practicing some of the strokes you'd given him feedback on, and he wanted to discuss it further with you tonight. Said he'd be in his villa."
"Okay, thanks honey, I'll go see him once I've arranged everything for you."
"You're the best." I blew him a kiss and slipped out of the den, making my way back up to my old bedroom, where I had the perfect vantage point to wait and watch.
My cell beeped. Dad, sending me all the deets of my departure. Which would be accelerated if the rest of the plan I set in motion happened.
I waited a long five minutes before I saw Kye heading toward the house, no doubt in search of me, and Dad met him halfway, guiding him toward the gymnasium where he'd hopefully spend the next hour at least dissecting Kye's strokes.
My chance to escape.
I bolted from the house toward my villa, where I threw things into a suitcase, stuffed my overnight bag with things I'd need on the jet and grabbed a water bottle. By that time, the limo had pulled up outside.
Like clockwork.
As I slid into the limo's cool leather interior, I risked one last glance at the gym. No Kye in sight. Good. I'd done it.
Then why did I feel so goddamned bad?
Chapter 24
KYE
I knew it had been too good to be true.
Happiness didn't happen to schmucks like me. I should be used to it. Every single time I'd been happy in my life, something had happened to fuck it up. Losing Mum. Losing the only home I'd ever known. And now, losing Mia.
Our time together may have been short but it had been so worth it. For the first time in a long time, I'd been truly happy. Which of course meant it had to go belly-up.
To make matters worse, I had to abort my frantic search for her when Dirk collared me and dragged me to the gym to discuss my strokes. Strokes that I'd been practicing through dinner, apparently, according to Mia.
Smart move, setting her dad onto me, buying time to cool down. Because I could imagine how furious she must be. To walk in and see her bestie kissing me … this was such a fuck-up. I had to find her ASAP and explain.
After a long two hours with Dirk, I bolted to her villa and banged on the door. Checked my mobile for the umpteenth time. Fired off another desperate text for her to contact me. And banged on the door some more.
"She's not there."
I jumped and spun around, to find Pete eyeing me with speculation. Great, last thing I needed was this shithead witnessing anything between Mia and I, so I feigned nonchalance. "Do you know where she is?"
"Gone back to Denver. Some emergency with her room-mate." Pete shrugged and made loco circles at his temple. "Couldn't think of anything worse, cutting vacation short to head back to college early."
I could think of worse things. Like the girl I loved running out on me because she thought I was a low-life bastard.
"Yeah," I said, making a grand show of looking at my watch. "I'm beat. See you at practice in the morning."
As if. I wouldn't be here in the morning. I'd be on the first plane to Denver.
"Too bad, huh?" Pete smirked. "Looks like I wasn't the only one who wanted to nail Coach's daughter."
I could hit him. I should hit him. But the anger that would normally flood me in situations like this didn't come.
Sure, I still wanted to dropkick this dickhead for being a sleaze, but the darkness that usually descended? Vanished. Just like the woman who'd helped banish it.
"Whatever." I gave Pete the two-fingered salute and headed back to my villa.
I needed time to think, to plan, to research.
I knew one thing. If I went after Mia, my tennis career was finished.