Page 52 of Mistaken Identity
I coded myself into the truck, then shook my head. “Are you seriously still using your old school ID number?”
He chuckled. “How’d you remember that?”
“Because I used to charge my lunches on it when I was out of money.” I snorted. “You said I could.”
“I know.” He paused. “How’s your dad doing?”
I ran my hand along my neck as I got in, throwing my bag in the back seat.
“Crushed,” I admitted. “He works a lot, to try to keep his mind off of it, but he’s lost without my mom.”
I’d bet he was. I remembered them being two peas in a pod in high school.
“Can’t be easy losing your grandson and your wife that fast,” he said. “You always want to make sure you don’t outlive your spouse, so you don’t have to live without them. And you definitely shouldn’t outlive your own kid, let alone your grandkid.”
My stomach somersaulted in my belly.
Instead of answering, I started the truck up and backed out of the lot.
“What’s the address?” I asked.
He gave it to me, and I input it into the GPS and smiled. “Nice, it only takes thirty minutes when you’re not in the middle of rush hour.”
“Took me two and a half hours to get there the last time I was in town,” he admitted. “Tourists fuckin’ suck.”
I snorted.
“I’m a tourist,” I pointed out. “Plus, if it wasn’t for tourists, I wouldn’t have this cushy job flying to paradise twice a week.”
“True,” he said. “You’re more than welcome to stay there. Just make sure you cover the furniture back up when you leave.”
“Thanks,” I said as I started my drive. “How’s Lottie doing?”
It’d been three days since I talked with Gunner about Lottie.
And in those three days, Audric had given me updates as they came.
I found that I really liked not hating Audric.
I effortlessly fell back into the easiness of friendship with my best friend’s other best friend.
“She’s doing better. The ear infection went away pretty quickly, and the doctor is satisfied with her eardrum for now.” He continued to talk as I navigated the main thoroughfare that was usually bursting with life.
Tonight, though, no cars remained parked along North Shore’s busiest street.
The one and only car I’d passed so far had been a police car, and they’d waved at me as I’d driven past.
As Audric talked and I listened, I got this little pang in my heart that made me long for what we used to have.
That sad simpleness before everything had gone to hell.
I longed for being angry about how and with who Laney spent her time.
Oh, how life had changed.
“Are you mad at Laney?” I asked.
I was.
