Jack: I’m coming to see you. Where are you staying?
“Now, I need a distraction. Somewhere quiet, where I can breathe, and I don’t get treated like a show pony in public,” I saidquickly, dismissing Jack’s text and shoving my cell phone into my jeans pocket.
Oscar scratched the dark brown scruff on his strong jaw and slowly nodded.
“I took my girl to a campsite up in the Equality State?” His response sounded like a suggestion and a question at the same time.
“Wyoming?” I questioned.
“Plenty of scenery and three or four people every few miles.”
“Campsite? I don’t know if I’m up for tents and living rough after months on tour,” I muttered quietly, but all the while considering it a possibility.
“Nah, we could fly up there and hire a big-assed Winnebago. They have a nice comfy living space, and every amenity you would need.”
“Sold. Let’s make it happen. It’ll do me good to go off-grid for a while. It might give Lily a bigger opportunity to think on what she’s missing and give me less chance of caving and begging her to take me back.”
CHAPTER 18
LILY
The day after Jack left, I woke to Elle’s call with a start after crying for most of the night.
“Hello,” I croaked.
“Hey, are you okay?”
A wave of emotion swamped my throat when I remembered what had happened and I had to swallow it back.
“Not really,” I croaked in a sleepy tone. Lifting my cell phone away from my face I cleared my throat, then listened again.
“Drew spoke to Alfie… and Jack might have had a conversation with me,” Elle admitted.
I guessed from her tone that she knew Alfie and I had fought. Part of me felt relieved that I didn’t need to tell her that, but I also felt deeply embarrassed about it.
“Drew and Lorrie are going to take the kids to the zoo. I’m coming over to keep you company.”
“No, Elle, really. Your family comes first. I’ll be fine.”
“I know you will, you always are. But I want to see my friend… besides any excuse to escape sticky fingers and chasingafter little legs all day sounds like paradise,” she mumbled, chuckling.
I smiled, then grew concerned when I remembered my upset stomach. “Don’t come,” I blurted. “I’ve caught some kind of stomach bug. I’ve been sick for the past twenty-four hours.”
“Sick?”
“Yeah, vomiting. I think it was the chicken wrap I ate on the plane.”
“I’ve never known anyone with such a sensitive stomach,” she mumbled. Our conversation paused for a few beats before she spoke again. “You know what? I’ll risk it. I’d rather catch something than spend another day here with this lot without a little respite.”
“Are you sure?”
“I wouldn’t come if I wasn’t desperate to see you,” she stated with a smile in her tone.
“Then you’ll be most welcome. Let me know when you’re coming across the water.”
“Good grief, you look rough,” Elle said as she swept into my kitchen and dumped a soup and sandwich take-out lunch on the countertop. “I picked this up on the way because I figured you’d skipped breakfast.”
The smell of the lentil soup, even in their containers, set my stomach rolling. Bolting from the kitchen to the downstairs bathroom, I dropped to my knees and vomited yet again.
