Page 19 of The Wedding Driver
He stood a few paces away with his hands in his pockets and a guilty look on his face, reminding her that he’d cheated on his wife instead of filing for divorce, something that he’d thought about doing for years, but didn’t. He thought Victoria would end up dead because of her addiction, leaving their daughter without a mother.
“I’ll see you later,” he said.
She wanted to force the issue, her grandfather’s voice prodding in the back of her head, telling her to push him to talk. That he needed to stop hiding. But more so that she needed to ask him to do that for her—for them.
But she couldn’t.
Not in this moment.
“Call me if you want to.” She slipped behind the steering wheel and drove off with her heart in her gut.
She’d known Foster was a complicated man with a difficult past. She had no idea how heartbreaking it would be to love him.
* * *
Foster strolled down the alleyway with a couple of bags. He paused in front of Victoria’s things, but still no Victoria. He turned. “Have you seen her?” he asked Tony.
“Yes.” Tony took the water bottle that Foster offered. “She was here for a couple of hours last night. She’s limping real bad.”
“Did you ask her what happened?” Foster wanted to go through her things, but he knew if he did that, he’d get attacked by some of the other homeless. They might not look like much, but they had a wicked sense of community and some didn’t like or trust him, thanks to things that Victoria had said.
“She told me to mind my own fucking business.”
Foster chuckled. “Sounds like Victoria.”
“I’m worried about her,” Tony said. “She doesn’t seem right.”
“Does anyone around here have access to a phone?”
“We can use the convenience store phone in an emergency.”
“Please have someone reach out to me.” Foster pulled out another card and handed it to Tony. “I want to know when she comes back. Maybe she needs medical attention.”
“I’ll try.” Tony nodded.
“Here. Share this between you and Victoria.” He placed the bags on the pavement.
“You’re a very kind man.” Tony rubbed his scruffy face. “Even though Victoria says you’re evil.”
Foster made his way back to the Blue Moon. He entered the bar, ordered a bourbon, and made his way to the terrace where he found a seat overlooking the lake.
“Hello,” a male voice said. “My name is Maverick Snow. These are my brothers, Nelson and Phoenix. We’re the owners of the Blue Moon. We’ve seen you in here a few times and we wanted to introduce ourselves.”
Foster stood, stretching out his arm. “The name’s Foster. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Don’t you work for Sutten and Tanner?” Maverick asked. “And are the wedding driver?”
“I do.” Foster nodded. “And I am.”
“Doug and Jim did a great job for us,” Nelson said. “We thought you looked more familiar than just hanging out at the bar. Please let us know if there’s anything we can personally do for you.”
Phoenix pointed to the drink. “Next one’s on the house.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it,” Foster said.
“Say hello to Doug and Jim for us.” Maverick smiled. He and his brothers meandered around the patio, greeting the guests.
Foster sat back down and sighed. His mind had been playing the same loop all day and he couldn’t shut it down.
