Page 126 of My Best Bet

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Before leaving, I pressed a kiss to Mer’s head. She shifted and wrapped her arm around my neck. “Love you. Have fun,” she mumbled with her eyes still closed.

I didn’t have the heart to tell her that being away from them wasn’t going to be fun at all. “Love you, too. See you Sunday night, okay?”

She nodded and fell back to sleep.

Next, I dipped into Lucy’s room. She was sleeping soundly, so I didn’t want to wake her, but I gave her a quick kiss on the head before leaving.

Kappy and JP could sense my irritation at the airport, so they chatted amongst themselves.

I ran through the motions that day. During our practice that afternoon, Kappy and JP picked up my slack, talking to the team and trying to build some motivation, because my head clearly wasn’t in it.

I was just leaving the rink when Lucy called my phone.

“C-c-can you come get me?” she stammered.

My eyes closed. I knew I shouldn’t have left. “Why, baby? Is everything okay?”

“Just come get me,” she said in a teary voice

“I can’t, honey,” I choked out, feeling totally helpless. JP and Kappy both eyed me with worry.

Crying filled the line and my stomach bottomed out. I tugged at the front of my hair. I had to do something. “Can Mer come get you?”

“Can she? Can sheplease?Just come get me,” Lucy begged.

“Did something happen?”

“I don’t want to be here. She,” her breath hitched, “she hates me.”

“No she doesn’t, honey. What happened? Did you guys have an argument?”

“I said I didn't like lunch so now I d-don’t get d-dinner and I'm h-hungry.”

My face paled and I came to a complete stop in the rink parking lot. What was going on? Why would my mom do that? She never parented me that way, why would she grandparent in that way? Besides it being cruel, that was crossing a huge line for me, and my mom knew that. She knew I never wanted food viewed as a reward or punishment.

“Okay, let me just call Mer. I’m sure she’ll come get you, okay?” I said, hoping to God I was right and she’d be able to drive over and get her.

“Okay, hurry,” she said quietly.

I immediately dialed Mer and she answered on the second ring.

“Colt?” she asked in a worried voice. “Everything okay?”

“Can you pick up Lucy from my mom’s?” I blurted out. “I know it might be really awkward to go to my mom’s, but Lucy just called me crying and I can’t get to her. I don’t know what else to do, I–”

“No problem, I'll head there now,” she said calmly. “Can you send the address?”

My chest finally loosened. “Yeah, yeah, I’m really sorry.”

“Not a big deal, one sec.” I heard her murmuring to someone else, then she was back on the line. “Okay, Piper’s taking my last lesson for me. Just send me the address.”

After hanging up, I texted her the address. Leaving the rink and heading onto the team bus for a ride to the hotel, I thought everything had been solved, but that night, I was proven severely wrong.

41.Mer - Not Today

While the last thing I wanted to do was face Catherine Conover, I would do it for Lucy. I just hoped she was alright. Colt seemed so desperate on the phone, and I hated hearing that Lucy had been crying.

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