Page 72 of The Thorne at My Side
???
A refreshing shower helps me to reset my thought process. I got a bad night of sleep after waiting at the restaurant for an hour after Austin left. I couldn't settle my mind trying to figure out why DCFox didn't show up.
Maybe he got a glimpse of me and turned around?
Maybe he saw Austin and thought he was getting set up or phished?
Maybe some sort of tragedy befell him and he didn't have his SMS phone with him so he had no way to reach me?
Then I spent the next hour lying in bed thinking of all the terrible things that could happen to a man on his way to a date.
I ran through several of these scenarios again during my shower and decide that it's best he fell down an open sewer andbroke his thumbs so he couldn’t operate a phone to tell me where he was.
It's better than some of the other possibilities.
After I'm dressed, I dig my phone out from under my pillow and see that I have a missed call from Sam.
I call her back as I slide my notebook into my bag and check that I packed my charger. I'm leaving for the airport in forty minutes to fly and meet the team in St. Louis for a rally before flying to the twin cities for another rally and then flying overnight to Florida.
"So? Tell me everything!" Sam practically yells because of the noise behind her. I'm guessing she's at the first event of the day in Texas.
"Nothing to tell," I say slowly into the phone so she can hear me.
"Oh shit, is he still there? Sorry, why'd you call me back! Go get some!"
"No, he's not here, he's not, well, anywhere."
"What do you mean? Did he ghost you?"
"More or less," I admit with a sheepish shrug that she can't see.
"Damn, that's rough. Did you at least have a good meal? I love that restaurant."
"No, I didn't have an appetite, especially after Austin showed up."
"Austin Thorne?"
"Yeah he walked in while I was waiting for DCFox and basically harassed me. I mean I gave as good as I got this time but still, he was the last person I wanted to see."
"Ugh, poor you," Sam says before she pauses. "So, what are you going to do now?"
"Well I'm about to head to the airport."
"No, I mean with the SMS Connect guy. What do you think happened?"
"My current theory involves a manhole cover and broken thumbs."
"Sounds plausible."
I let out a little laugh before I inhale and exhale deeply. "Honestly, I don't know. I feel like I should message him but I don't know what to say. Maybe the meeting pushed him too far too fast. But, no," I remind myself out loud, "he was the one who asked to meet up. It just doesn't make any sense."
"Yeah, it's weird. I don't know what to tell you but I do have one question."
"Oh yeah, what's your question?"
"Did Austin look hotter at puppy yoga or at the restaurant last night?"
"No comment," I say and then I hang up on her as she starts to protest my lack of response.
