Page 33 of Highball Rush
Anudge to my leg and a quiet voice woke me with a start. I gasped, blinking, trying to see in the dim light. For a second, I had no idea where I was.
“Didn’t mean to scare you,” Gibson whispered.
Right, I was at Gibson’s house. I’d fallen asleep on his couch, waiting for him to come home.
“It’s okay. What time is it?”
“Almost eleven.”
I sat up and stretched my arms overhead, the blanket I’d grabbed sliding down to my lap. “It’s not even late. I must still be jet-lagged. How was your night?”
He lowered himself to the edge of the couch next to me. “Okay, I guess. But there’s something I need to talk to you about.”
His tone made me a little nervous. He sounded so serious. “Sure, what’s up?”
“I told you people were gonna talk, and they were.”
“About your secret girlfriend?” I reached over and poked his arm.
He scowled at me. “Yeah. Scarlett’s convinced of it. She was asking me questions and I think I might have made it worse.”
“What did you say?”
“I don’t even remember, now. I said your name’s Maya and you work for a record company. And I tried to tell them you’re not my girlfriend, but I got frustrated and I don’t think I did a very good job of it.”
Could this man be any more adorable? He sat on the edge of the couch with his elbows resting on his knees, his head bent forward. It was like he’d just told me he’d blurted out that Callie Kendall was back.
I rubbed a few circles across his back. Maybe I was being a little too familiar, but he didn’t flinch away or tell me to stop. Just glanced at me over his shoulder, a groove between his dark eyebrows.
“I’m sure it’s not that bad,” I said. “What’s the worst that will happen? People will say your girlfriend is staying with you? There’s no real harm in that.”
He abruptly stood. “No, the worst that will happen is we’ll have half the town camped out in front of the house by tomorrow afternoon, everyone waiting to get a look at you. Hell, Cassidy’s probably already researching Maya Davis.”
“She won’t find much. I’ve never used social media and I try to keep my picture off the internet as much as possible.”
He grunted and walked into the kitchen.
I fiddled with the edge of the blanket. I wasn’t worried about the town’s curiosity because I’d made a decision while Gibson had been out. I wasn’t going to run again.
I was still afraid of where this road led, but as I watched him pace from the kitchen and back, I knew it was the right choice. People had protected me for a long time. They’d put themselves at risk to keep me safe. Gibson’s parents, Quincy and Henna, even Jenny Leland.
And since my case had been re-opened, that list had only grown. All those people—the Bodines, the Tuckers, the others in town who were trying to find out the truth—had become targets. And most of them had no idea they were in danger.
There was no way I could leave them to face that alone. Not when I could help. It was time I did something to protect the people who’d done so much for me, regardless of the risks.
“Gibson, I need to come forward and tell the truth,” I said.
Gibson stopped in front of me. “Tell people that you’re Callie?”
I nodded.
“No.”
“Yes.” My hands trembled and I felt as if I were dissipating into mist. Maya morphing into Callie, then back again. Fear swirling with resolve. I balled my hands into fists to stop them from shaking. “You said yourself, people are going to dig. You have to understand, the judge is dangerous, and not just to me. He could… I don’t want to think about what he could do to you. To a lot of people.”
“I’m not worried about anyone else. I’m worried about you. You told me you stayed away because it wasn’t safe. It’s no different now. In fact, it’s probably worse.”
“That’s exactly why I have to come forward.”
