Page 40 of Guess Again
What’s wrong?
Callie quickly typed back.
I need to see you.
Where are you?
The Crest.
You okay?
I need to talk to you about the baby.
There was a pause with no return text. Callie felt an urgency to tell him. She wanted to call him rather than text, but it was too noisy on The Crest and she feared someone would overhear. She looked around to make sure no one was paying attention to her.
I’m keeping it.
The reply this time was instant.
You didn’t go through with it?
No. I want this baby WITH YOU. I want to start a life with you. I need to see you tonight.
Do you have your parents’ boat?
Yes.
Meet me at North Point Pier. I’ll be waiting on the dock.
I love you, Blake.
I love you, too.
Callie stared at her phone a moment longer. Her life was about to change, and she felt the weight of the last year lift from her shoulders. She was ready for every bit of what was coming. She took a deep breath and wiped a tear from her cheek as a smile came to her face. She slid her finger across the text to delete the thread from her phone. The encrypted texting app she and Blake used promised that deleted text threads were gone forever. The app was Blake’s idea. He’d always warned her about leaving traces of their communication on her phone.
She turned from the sand courts, ready to run to her boat.
“Who was that?”
Callie looked up from her phone. Lindsay was standing behind her.
“Oh, um, my mom,” Callie said. “She wants me home.”
Lindsay squinted her eyes and made a sour face. “It’s nine o’clock on a Saturday.”
“The regular crowd shuffles in,” Callie sung, trying to divert Lindsay’s attention from the urgency she was emitting. She forced a smile. “There’s an old man sitting next to me . . .” She crinkled her nose. “No?”
“We’re playing next.”
“I can’t, Linds. My mom’s all over me about something.”
“Why is your mom such a buzzkill?”
“You think anything my mom does makes sense?” She shook her head. “She’s probably having a breakdown about something. I’m going to take the boat home. Be back in an hour. Then we’ll play those guys. Kick their butts.”
“You sure you’re okay?”
Callie felt another tear run down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away. “Yeah. All good. I’ll see you later.”
