He skidded to a halt, tapped his earpiece, and used the back of his hand to wipe the sweat away from his face. “Hey, honey. Is everything okay?”
“Dad, hey. Thank God you picked up. I thought you’d be asleep.”
“I’m on a run. What’s wrong?”
“I’m fine, but my car broke down on the way to work. I’m right outside of Falmouth.”
“Did you get it looked at like I told you?”
Kelli sighed. “Dad, can we not do the lecture now, please? You know how busy I get.”
“I’m on my way back to the house, and I’ll be there soon. Stay inside the car and send me your location.”
Without waiting for her response, Ian hung up and tore through the streets like a bullet. By the time he made it back to their house, he was panting and sweating profusely. He stumbled through the front door, only pausing to remove his shoes and shirt. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of movement and turned, seeing Lucy and her best friend, Maggie, standing on the back porch, facing each other and gesturing wildly.
Abruptly, he stopped the music and made a beeline for them.
Both of them turned to him with their eyebrows drawn together and a tight set of their shoulders. Slowly, Maggie unclenched her hands and released a deep breath. Lucy, on the other hand, held herself very still, a shadow settling over her face.
Lucy cleared her throat and folded her arms over her chest. “You’re back early from your run. Everything okay?”
“Hi, Maggie.” Ian offered her a quick smile and turned his attention back to his wife. “I made breakfast this morning. It’s in the oven.”
“Hi, Ian.” Maggie wouldn’t look at him and instead stared at an unmarked spot in the distance. She pursed her lips and cleared her throat. “Your egg casserole was delicious, by the way.”
“Thanks, Mag. So, Kelli called, and her car broke down outside of town. I’m headed over there right now. Everything okay here?”
Lucy stood up straighter. “Yes, it’s fine. Do you need me to come with you?”
Ian shook his head and retreated into the house. “No, it’s okay. I’ll call you in a bit.”
With that, he hurried up the stairs, taking them two at a time. In their room, he splashed cold water on his face and pulled on a clean shirt and a pair of shorts. He shoved his feet into a pair of sneakers and raced out the door. Ian couldn’t stop replaying the scene between Lucy and Maggie in his head.
The two had been friends since high school, and in all the years he’d known them, he’d only ever seen them fight a handful of times, and nothing as intense as what he’d walked in on.
What was Lucy so upset about that she was fighting with Maggie?
And why was she pushing away the people she loved?
Ian continued to think it over as the streets of Falmouth blurred past him in either direction. As he approached the town limits, he eased his foot off the gas and leaned forward to peer through the dashboard. After a long moment, he spotted Kelli’s car parked near the side of the road. Slowly, he brought his car to a stop and pushed the door open.
Kelli greeted him halfway and threw her arms around him. “I was beginning to worry.”
Ian patted her back. “Sorry, sweetheart. I ran into your mom and Maggie on the way home.”
Kelli drew back, and her eyes moved over his face. “Is everything okay? You look a little worried.”
Ian kept an arm around Kelli’s shoulders and steered her toward the flattening tire. “Nothing to worry about, sweetheart. Do you have any other way to get to work?”
“I’m not going to leave you here on your own.” Kelli folded her arms over her chest, looking so much like her mother in that moment that it made Ian freeze. “I already told them I’m having car problems, and they said it’s fine.”
Ian handed Kelli his phone and circled the car. “Don’t they work you to the bone over there? I’m surprised they’re not demanding you walk to work.”
“It’s not that bad.”
Ian popped the trunk open and paused to wipe the sweat off his brow. “Sweetheart, I’m not going to tell you how they should treat you at your job, but it seems to me you’re underappreciated.”
And overworked.
