“Are you serious? Your phone is about to be cut off?”
“I don’t have a job anymore. The scholarship doesn’t pay for my cell phone bill.”
He’s pissed.
“Don’t worry about your cell phone. I’ll take care of it.”
Chris knows all my personal information, from social security number all the way down to my fucking panty size. All he has to do is have someone call and pretend to be me so he can pay the bill over the phone. Part of me is pissed that I know what he’s going to do and part of me is grateful that he’s willing to go to such lengths to help me.
“Thanks.”
“I’ll do anything for you, Claire. You should know that by now.”
Against everything inside me, I lean over and kiss his cheek before I jump out of the car. My hands are shaking as I hit the unlock button on the key fob. I slide into the driver’s seat and slam my door shut before I allow the first tears to fall.
Chapter Fourteen
Adam
THIS IS MY FIFTH TRIP to Hawaii. The first four trips were packed with exhausting competitions and late nights with plenty of booze and girls. This time is different. My first two days in Hawaii were spent unpacking and grocery shopping for my training diet. My coach, Remmy Dufrense, won’t be here for another three days. I need to keep up my routine until then, but I’m already feeling the urge to toke or down a bottle of vodka.
After what happened last week with Chris, I’m getting a strong feeling that this trip will be the biggest mistake of my life. I’m not imagining things. Claire’s voice sounds different today than it did yesterday morning.
“What did you do yesterday?” I ask as I grab an apple out of the fruit bowl on the kitchen counter and bite off a huge chunk.
At least the house the company rented for me in Kekaha is less than a block from the beach and a market with an awesome selection of pokē. I don’t plan on spending much time anywhere else, besides work, for the next two months.
“I studied and went… I went to a concert.”
The word concert and the hesitation in her voice confirms my suspicions.
“Who’d you see?” The long pause on the other end of the line just makes the frustration build inside me, spreading through my arms and down to my fingertips. I have to stop myself from throwing the phone. “Claire?”
“I saw Chris. He asked me to watch a jam session with one of his idols. I went as his friend. You said that was okay.”
She’s not asking if it’s okay; she’s telling me I already said it was okay. I knew this was going to happen, I just didn’t expect it to happen so soon.
“So you just went to watch?”
“Yes, of course. Are you mad?”
“I’m not mad, just not sure how to feel about it yet. I don’t like the idea of the two of you hanging out.”
“We didn’t really hang out very long. I left once the crowds were gone.”
I want to know every fucking detail about what happened. I want to know if he touched her, even if it was just a friendly hug. But I can hear in the tone of her voice that Claire doesn’t want to be grilled on this.
“Adam?”
“Yeah.”
“I need to ask you a favor.”
I sit down at the writing desk in the living room and lean back in the wooden desk chair. “You can ask me anything, babe.”
“I feel really embarrassed asking you this, but can you pay my cell phone bill? Chris found out my service is about to be cut and I don’t want him to pay it. I’d rather you do it. I should be able to pay you back in a few weeks.”
“Stop.”
“Stop what?”
“You don’t have to explain and you don’t have to pay me back. I’ll call and pay the bill as soon as we hang up.” Sneaky little fucker. “Thanks for asking. I want you to come to me whenever you need help. Okay?”
“Okay.”
She gives me her account information and I call as soon as we hang up. By the time I hang up with the cell phone company, I’m feeling a little better about the fact that she doesn’t want to depend on Chris, but still uneasy about their proximity to each other. But it’s nothing a long therapy session with the Pacific Ocean can’t cure. I’ll get ready while I wait for my company car to be dropped off.
I change into my bodysuit and I’m about to grab the house key off the hook in the kitchen when the doorbell rings. It must be Sam, the project assistant, with my car.
“Coming!” I yell as I slip the key into my backpack and head for the door.
I pull the door open and I’m a bit confused for a second. I had assumed Sam was a guy, but the brunette standing on my doorstep is definitely not a guy unless she’s clenching her bulge under that peach bikini.