Page 80 of The Player + The Pact = I Do

I press send and try to remember what Dad said before he went in. We talked about how he loved New York, though he didn’t say how long he was staying. We walked to Leo’s building arm in arm.

Something must be wrong.

I call his number, but he doesn’t answer.

I feel nauseous. I clutch at my stomach with my hand. He seemed perfectly well when I left him. It can only have been something big that got in the way of him getting fromthe building reception up to Leo’s floor. Something huge. A heart attack. Or stroke.

I should start calling around hospitals. I don’t even know if he has insurance. As I bring up the keypad on my phone, ready to call god knows who, my cell rings again.

It’s my dad.

“Hello?” I answer. “Is everything okay? What happened?”

“Hey, Dollface,” he answers. “How are you?”

“Forget about me. Where are you? How are you? Are you in the hospital?”

“No, no, no,” he says. “I’m in my car.” In his car? I can’t picture it. I don’t know what car he’s driving.

“On the way back from the hospital?” I ask.

“No, I haven’t been to the hospital.”

“Dad!” I say. “Leo said you didn’t show for your meeting.”

“Ohhh, yeah. That. I was going to call you. I got a message just after I saw you. I had an emergency.”

“What kind of emergency?” I ask.

“It’s taken me out of town for a couple of days. That’s all.”

“You’re not in New York?”

“I’ve got a few things to clear up. I might even have a job lined up. You never know. Wish me luck, Dollface.”

I hold the phone away from my ear, hoping I’ll get more of a clue about what’s going on by looking at the screen. It doesn’t make sense, but neither does my dad right now.

“So… you’re not sick?” I ask.

“Fit as a fiddle,” he replies.

“You just ditched the meeting with Leo.”

“Like I said, I had an emergency.” He clears his throat. “Listen, Dollface, I’m driving. I’ll call you another time.”

Before I can respond, the phone goes dead.

Suddenly I’m six years old again, sitting on the windowsill, watching the taillights of my dad’s silver Honda disappear into traffic.

I put on my sneakers and head out to find a cab that will take me to New Jersey.

TWENTY-SEVEN

Jules

I hold the door to Leo’s apartment open so Sophia can follow me in, then I drop the keys on the side table. I don’t need those anymore. I can’t wait to get moved out and move on with my life. Leo was a diversion. I need to reframe and refocus. I need to get back to celibacy and the career ladder.

When I arrived back at my apartment last night, I didn’t need to tell Sophia that it was serious. My puffy eyes and rumpled tissue did the talking for me. I told her about my dad and she didn’t sayI told you soorwhat did you expect. She just gave me a hug and a glass of wine and let me cry through back-to-back episodes ofBridgerton.

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