Page 24 of The Getaway Guy
She did. But where else could she go? Using what?
She’d have to either call Ana, having no doubt that her best friend and maid of honor had probably taken care of the items she’d left behind in the penthouse suite and grabbed the purse and bank cards she’d left behind, or ask Elias to cover the expense of renting her own space until she braved the phone call with Ana.
Speaking of calls…
Her gaze locked on the prepaid phone she’d left on the nightstand for safekeeping.
Guilt bombarded her, as did sorrow. She’d made such a mess of things, but deep down shehadn’twanted to hurt Rhys. She’d just…panicked.
She stretched out a hand and picked up the phone, staring at it for a long moment before entering the first digits of Rhys’s private number.
Funny how she’d always called him by his last name during their relationship and engagement but now…Rhys. She wasn’t sure the reason for the switch, but she wasn’t sure of much these days, was she?
Except for the fact the sooner she got this over with, the better.
She tapped in the number and stared at it, but couldn’t press the button to put the call through.
What could she say? What could she possibly say to makeanyof this better?
Maybe she was being childish and immature but this? This conversation washardto explain and when she couldn’t explain it to herself, how could she possibly explain it to him? To the media?
To Ana?
Tears stung her eyes, and she clutched the phone until her fingers and hand hurt. She pressed them against her forehead and blinked hard.Think, Quinnie. What are you going to do?
Her nose twitched as she inhaled, wondering if the smell of bacon was real or imagined or some twisted, tear-related thing. A comfort food thing.
When Quinley was growing up, her mom was never much of a cook because she hadn’t needed to be with a housekeeper on hand six days a week, but those Sunday mornings when her mom attempted to make some semblance of breakfast, bacon was always involved because her father loved it.
Her mom…
Quinley’s heart twisted again and squeezed tight. Her parents were…complicated. She loved them, and they loved her to the best of their ability. She didn’t doubt that. But it wasn’t a perfect relationship like those shown on old TV sitcoms.
While her father had always made it clear he wanted a son, her mother had reveled in having a daughter. But her mother would alsoalwayssupport her father. Whether she agreed with him or not, she’d support him, at least publicly.
Which, in the grand scheme of things, was all that mattered because if she looked for sympathy from her mother, she wasn’t going to find any. That meant calling her mother for help wouldn’t work because even if her mother wanted to help, she’d do whatever her husband ordered.
When it became obvious that she would not be making a callyet,Quinley tossed the covers back and sniffed again, deciding maybe venturing from the bed might be worthwhile with bacon as the reward. Maybe the taste would bring clarity.
She could only hope.
She pulled on the borrowed, too-large sweatpants she’d taken off for sleep and shuffled her way into the attached bath.
The cabin Elias had rented was thankfully a two and two, complete with a basket of owner-welcoming items like packaged toothbrushes, travel toothpaste, and a tiny pack of makeup remover wipes she’d torn through last night just to get the top layer off.
She remembered the sight of the simple gift had left her teary-eyed because shehatedgoing to bed without brushing her teeth, and the kindness on top of Elias hauling her six hours across the state had reenforced her belief that there were good people left in the world.
She couldn’t say she was one of them right now, and Rhys—there it was again—would undoubtedly agree, but she was humble enough to appreciate the kindness of others.
A kindness she wasn’t apparently capable of herself. Not yesterday.
Once she’d brushed her morning breath away and finger combed her hair as best she could, Quinley opened the bedroom door and glanced out to find Elias once again in the kitchen at the stove.
That was definitely bacon. “Good morning,” she said softly, fighting tears yet again. She hadn’t shed any yet because she knew once she started crying, she wasn’t going to be able to stop anytime soon. So she cleared her throat and pushed them down deep, deeper than ever. “Need some help?”
Elias had his back toward her, and she’d apparently surprised him because he stiffened before turning to shoot her a glance over his shoulder as he removed the ear buds he wore.
“I’m good. You get any sleep?”
