Page 10 of Wylder & the Rising Rockstar
“We’ll have her back in one,” her dad said.
Wylder stared at him as her window shut. One hour? What was the point of even leaving campus? “Um, so, how ‘bout the Jackets?”
He chuckled at that. “I’m guessing you didn’t watch the game last night?”
“Never miss one.” He knew that was a lie. The only times she watched NHL games were when Killian trapped her in his room to make her study, and he always had them on. But her dad was a fan. “Are they doing well?”
“On track to make the playoffs.”
“That’s good, right?”
“Depends.”
“On?”
“What happens in the playoffs.”
She would have laughed, but she knew he was serious. The Jackets were heartbreakers. Both her dad and Killian loved and dreaded the post-season. It was too stressful for Wylder.
They didn’t say anything else as they passed from Riverpass into Twin Rivers, crossing the river using the main bridge. A caution, black ice, sign sat where there’d once been an accident. A car of teenagers plunging into the river, resulting in one death and other injuries. Since then, the bridge was like a fortress, with high, steel and concrete guardrails, warnings, and a lower speed limit.
Once across the bridge, her dad turned the wrong way, and Wylder sat up straighter. “Do we have to stop by the store before going home?” This was how they’d get to the family hardware store.
“Nope. Your mom is closing up before she meets us across the road at the Main.”
“The Main? But what about mom’s soup? Biscuits dripping in butter and honey. I want to go home, Dad.”
“Sorry, sweetheart. We figured this was the easiest way to spend time with you before we have to get to the Callahan’s for Euchre.”
Wylder slouched down in her seat, more disappointed than she should be, but also suspicious.
Her mom was already waiting at a booth with three hot chocolates when they walked in. Wylder slid into the booth, sharing a smile with her mom. Unlike her dad, her mom actually met her eyes. “Hey, hon. How has your week been?”
“You’d know if anyone in this family answered their phones.” She tried to tamp down her irritation by taking a sip of hot chocolate and licking whipped cream from her lips.
“Wylder,” her stepmom admonished.
“No.” She leaned forward. “Don’tWylderme like I’m crazy or something. He won’t meet my eyes.” She pointed to her dad. “Neither of you have answered your phones all week. Becks and Nicky have been sending me to voicemail. You’re all hiding something.” Her eyes narrowed. “Does Becks have a secret? He knows where Logan’s brother is, doesn’t he? What, did he go to some cabin only Becks knows the location of to hide?” It was weird to even consider that Becks was the person Luke confided in.
Her mom’s eyes widened. “If we had anything we could tell you, we would. I think your brother is just busy. Nicky too. As for us… it’s the Christmas season. The store has been slammed, but we are sorry if you feel neglected.”
“I don’t feel neglected, Mom, I feel lied to.”
Mrs. Callahan appeared at the table with a tray of plates. She set a bowl of chicken noodle soup and a plate of biscuits in front of Wylder. “Your mom told me this is what you’d like tonight.”
Now Wylder felt like a jerk. She’d practically yelled at her parents, and her mom was always thinking of her. The next best thing to her mom’s soup was Mrs. Callahan’s. “Thank you, Mrs. C.”
She smiled and slid plates in front of her parents. “I’m heading out to prepare for our Euchre party, but Cara will take care of you if you need anything else.”
When she walked away, she left silence in her wake.
Wylder sighed. Whatever they were keeping from her, the guilt was written all over her dad’s face. That was probably why Becks hadn’t answered her calls. He was too much like their dad, terrible at lying to her.
Her mom reached across the table and put a hand on Wylder’s arm. “Wylder, I promise, when there is something we need to tell you, we will.”
It would have to be good enough.
At least the soup warmed her insides like it was meant to do during the first snow. She just wished everything else didn’t leave her so cold.
