Page 65 of Cru's Crush
“Done.”
I looked up at him. “Who?”
“Me.”
His air of confidence was enough to convince me to give him a shot. What else was I going to do if I didn’t?
I was already upat six when my cell rang with a call from Daphne.
“How are you doing?” I asked.
“I just spoke with my mum. Dad isn’t doing well.”
“I’m so sorry, Daph.”
Her breath caught. “I’m sorry too.”
I waited, knowing she was crying.
“I miss you already,” she said after a few seconds.
“I miss you too.” Except it was so much worse than that. I felt as though part of my heart was already halfway around the world.
“I’ll call again when I land,” she said.
“Daphne?”
“Yes?”
“If you need me, I’ll be on the next flight.”
“I know you will. I love you, Cru.”
“I love you, Daph.”
It was another eight hours before I heard from her again. She was headed straight to the hospital and saidshe’d call once she knew more about her father. When I didn’t hear after four more hours passed, I called her but had to leave a message when it went straight to voicemail.
“Hey, sorry to ring you so late,” she said when I finally heard from her around midnight.
“Don’t be. I’m up. How are things?”
“They rushed him into surgery shortly after I arrived to reduce the swelling in his brain. He’s out now, and they’re saying he’s stable.”
The more she talked, the more I felt as though I should be there with her. Maybe in the morning, I’d see if Brix would be willing to return from Mexico so I could fly to Australia.
I also needed to call my fellowcaballeros, Beau especially since he was close to Daphne’s parents, as well as Uncle Tryst. His generation referred to themselves as the Viejos, and while they’d all taken a step back when our generation took over, they still came to our aid when necessary. Now, it was one of their own who needed help.
I waited until after nine the next morning to call Beau, and as I’d anticipated, the news of Noah’s stroke shook him.
“I’d ask why you aren’t with her, but I know how tough things are in the vineyard this time of year. Any idea when she’ll be back?”
“None.”
“Let me know how I can help,” he offered.
“You have a lot on your plate there too.” Sam had inherited a large estate in a town outside Buffalo. It had vineyards and a winery, along with a cattle operation. She and Beau were in the midst of bringing the property back after years of neglect.
“We won’t have much of a harvest this year. If necessary, I’ll come out for that.”
