Page 89 of Shattered Mind

“Got anything in mind?” he asks as he checks his mirrors.

“Well, I haven’t had a McDonald’s in almost a year,” I say just as my stomach rumbles loudly, indicating I’m probably hungrier than I thought.

Carter frowns. “They have them in America, Liv.”

“Yeah, but they don’t have them in small towns, Carter.” I respond with a ‘duh’ tone to my voice.

He nods in realisation. “McDonald’s it is then.”

We arrive at the restaurant twenty-minutes later and Carter takes us through the drive-thru before finding a parking space for us to eat. I didn’t feel like going inside because I’m cold as shit and probably look like death right now.

We chat as we eat, briefly catching up on the things we’ve missed in the time I’ve been gone, and I learn that not much has changed about Carter in the last eight months.

I decide not to tell him about Grayson. I’m not ready to open that can of worms yet. And how do you explain that you got ghosted by the guy you were sleeping with right after you had a car accident? Instead, I stick to safer topics, like my job, the people I’ve met and Savannah and Reign.

Our food doesn’t last long, and I know I can’t delay the inevitable any longer when Carter starts the car and pulls back onto the road.

The rest of the drive is silent as I stare out the window and try to readjust to being in a vehicle on the left-hand side of the road. I think Carter knows I need this time to myself, and I appreciate him giving it to me more than he knows.

Our surroundings start to become familiar as we grow closer and closer to home, and those earlier nerves return tenfold.

The bright lights and tall buildings of the city fall behind us as we turn onto the long street leading to my parent’s house and I sit up in my seat, my chest becoming tight with anxiety.

“You okay?” Carter eyes me wearily as he looks between me and the road ahead of him.

“Ask me againin ten minutes.”

CHAPTER 51

GRAYSON

Ihave a whole speech prepared as I push through the doors of Bella’s Café. The bell chimes overhead and my hands sweat with apprehension as I brace myself for the awkward conversation I’m about to have with Liv.

It’s taken me a week to gather the courage to face her and try to offer some semblance of an explanation for my absence. A week of going over every moment I spent with her.

I realised that the way I’ve handled things has been extremely disrespectful and cowardly on my part and after the way my brothers have been treating me all week, I decided it was time to bite the bullet and be honest with her.

The only problem is, it’s not Liv that greets me as I approach the counter. It’s Bella instead.

My brows furrow in confusion. I’m almost certain Liv has worked every Tuesday shift since she started here, so her absence is unusual.

Bella’s smile is welcoming as her eyes land on me. “Hey, Gray. You having the usual?”

I shake my head. “Actually, I was looking for Liv. Is she still out on leave?”

Bella stares at me in confusion. “Umm… no?”

I blink at her, completely baffled by her answer. “Okay… is she at home then?”

She looks around the café as if she’s searching for something before her gaze comes back to me. “Didn’t anybody tell you?”

My pulse picks up speed as dread begins to settle in my chest. “Tell me what, Bella?”

Bella sighs, her eyes taking on a sympathetic gleam. “Her flight left last night.”

All at once, it becomes hard to breathe. I step closer to the counter, placing my hands on it for support as I look down at her. “Flight to where?”

She frowns, tilting her head to the side ever so slightly. “To London. She really didn’t tell you she was going?”

---