Crash and Burn (13 page)

“Calm down, Stone,” Mrs. Halkins said, touching his arm as a soothing gesture. “She was in the car with me. Are you listening?” She tapped him on the arm again.

He stopped moving and tried to focus on the older woman. She had kind eyes. What was she saying? He cocked his head. The noise was annoyingly loud. Everyone calling his name, making sure he was okay.

“What?” he said to her.

“Divina was coming with me to the race, but she received a call from the hospital in Connecticut. Her father was admitted an hour before the race started. She had to go. They aren’t sure if he’s going to make it. It wasn’t her fault she wasn’t here. Do you understand?” She patted his arm.

“I hear you, but she couldn’t call to tell me?”

“No,” Mrs. Halkins said. “I told her not to.”

Stone nodded to the woman and, with one last glance around him, bolted into the trailer. Peeling his suit off, he was thankful for the quiet and solitude. The picture of him and Grace mocked him as he collapsed into the easy chair.

No one put him first. This was his poor-me moment. Didn’t win the race, no one to share the disappointment with. Sure, Barry, George and any of those other guys out there would have commiserated with him, but they were being paid to listen. He’d let them down today too. He closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath. Even his loving parents had stopped coming to races because the noise and grime were too much for them every weekend.

And now Grace put her father first. He knew it was the right thing, but he wanted to be first. He wanted Grace in his corner for once.

He let out a quick breath. Pity party was over. He put on his sponsor’s baseball hat and a jacket and, with a false smile, went out to meet his fans.

He was dead tired when he arrived home much later that night. Pulling into the driveway, he was shocked to find lights on. He had been hoping he’d have the house to himself with everyone in Connecticut visiting the patient.

Inside, he tossed his jacket on the banister and kicked off his sneakers. He rounded the corner to the living room and stopped in his tracks. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“My nails, obviously,” Divina said. “You look awful.”

“I feel awful. Why are you here?” He pointed to the ground for emphasis.

“I live here?”

“Is Grace here too?”

She shook her head and blew on her nails.

“Then why aren’t you in Connecticut with your father?”

She looked up at him with a blank expression. “He’s in the hospital. What was I going to do to help? Nothing. They didn’t even know what’s wrong with him.”

Stone nodded at her and made an about-face. The term
selfish bitch
came to mind. Man, could he pick ’em. How could he have not seen the difference between a woman like Divina and a woman like Grace? He should have realized in Vegas that Divina only cared about herself.

Once in his room, he flopped onto his back in bed. The cell phone glowed in the darkness. Grace had called twice. No message either time. He had her cell number now. Calling her seemed like a good idea, but if he called her what the hell would he say?

The pep talk wasn’t doing much. He could have asked how her father was. The light on the phone went out. He couldn’t be angry at her because her father was more important to her. Of course he was. He’d raised her. Stone was nothing. He was an inconvenience. She should have gone to Connecticut. He would have if had it been one of his parents.

The cell vibrated in his hand and the light popped on. No name showed on the caller ID, but he recognized the number he’d memorized moments before. It was Grace.

He let it ring twice. “Hello?”

“Stone?” She sounded breathless, frantic and not like the controlled Grace he knew. “Stone? Are you okay? I’ve been trying to get through to you or Mr. Halkins, but no one’s answering their damn phones.”

Damn?

“It’s me. I’m fine.”

“We saw the crash on TV. I was so scared. I saw the medics come out to your car, but the sportscasters covered the other guy’s car because it was a worse accident. Is he going to be okay?”

“I don’t know. I guess so, no one told me anything.”

There was a pause on the line.

“Where are you?” he asked.

“I’m in Connecticut. I’m sorry I couldn’t make the race. I was heading there. You probably don’t believe me, but I was.”

She was rambling. This wasn’t the cool, calm Grace he knew. She was apologetic.

He smiled in the darkness. “Mrs. Halkins told me what happened. I wish you’d been there. How’s your dad?”

“Better. They still don’t know why his blood pressure dropped.”

He ran his hand through his already-messy hair. “You want me to come up there?”

Another pause.

“It was only a suggestion. I have stuff to do around here. You don’t need to babysit me.”

“Stone, I...I’ll be coming home in a day or two. You must have racing stuff to do. You’d be bored stiff sitting around the hospital all day.”

“Are you at your parents’ house?”

“Yeah. I couldn’t call with my parents around. They don’t understand what’s going on at our house. You wouldn’t believe it. Dad was watching the race to see Divina on TV because he read in the paper that she would be at today’s race. I almost passed out.”

He chuckled. “I can almost imagine your face.” He laughed again. There was another pause.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” she said, emotion choking her.

“Yeah, me too.”

“I’ll try to call again tomorrow.”

“Okay,” he said, sitting up.

“Good night, Stone.”

He held his breath for a moment. “Night.”

He disconnected the call before she said anything else.

* * * *

Grace clutched her phone to her chest. It was the most civil conversation they’d had. Usually it was Stone begging, telling her why she should help him, and her trying to keep some civil level of distance between them, but this was a nice change. She was convinced he was okay–at least he was home and answering his phone. She’d been so frightened that he might be as injured as the other guy, who they’d taken away in an ambulance. For the first time, she realized she cared about what happened to Stone Adams. She would have cared either way, if he’d gotten hurt whether they’d been putting on the charade or not, but when she saw him spin out on the track and sit there, her stomach had dropped and she’d felt her chest being crushed.

There was no acting involved. She thought about his quirky smile and wanted nothing more than to see for herself that he was fine.

Her mother walked into her bedroom and sat at the foot of the bed, where Grace was propped up against the headboard, still clutching the phone.

“I just spoke with your father’s doctor,” she said.

Grace didn’t answer and her mother continued.

“He’s rallying. They don’t know why, but things are looking up. They said he’ll need to go to a rehab hospital for a week or so, but for now he’s out of the woods.”

“Do they know what caused his drop in blood pressure?”

“They think it was an infection.”

Grace chewed on her lower lip, something she hadn’t done since middle school. “Mom, what will you do while Dad is at the rehab hospital? Can you handle things around here? Or at least overnight? I’d like to go home and grab some of my things.”

Her mom patted her leg. “You’ve been such a big help already. I talked to my sister and she offered to have me stay with her until your father comes home. She also said she’d drive me to see your father.”

“That sounds great.” Grace covered her mom’s hand with hers. “Thanks, Mom. If you need anything, I’m only a phone call away.”

The anticipation crawled up her spine. She was going home to see Stone. She couldn’t help the smile that crept onto her face in the dark room. Her mother got up and left.

“I’m going to bed. I’ll be packed in the morning if you could drive me to your aunt’s house,” she said before closing the door.

Grace hugged herself in the dark. She wondered if most drivers’ wives felt like they couldn’t wait to have their husbands in their arms after an accident–a sick, excited feeling. Grace threw all the stuff she’d brought with her, which wasn’t much because she’d come from Halkin’s car, into her backpack. Thankfully some of the college stuff she’d moved home was in her room in boxes. She found clothes, toiletries and a brush. She added her dirty laundry to do at Divina’s house. In the morning she planned to visit her father in the hospital for a few minutes and catch the ferry to Long Island. From there she’d call a cab or Kayla to get her home.

Home. She thought of their crazy house, where no one knew if they were coming or going, as her home. It had only been a few weeks. Divina was leading a harem of men, one who wanted a trophy wife and the other who was devoted to her heart and soul. It was the most excitement Grace’d had–maybe forever. Perhaps she’d cut Stone a break when she saw him, or kiss him senseless.

Chapter 11

“Slow to get there and even slower to get home,” Grace told Kayla, as she pulled in behind Stone’s black car. “Thanks. I can’t believe how long it took from the ferry to here. I thought those grandpa drivers would never turn.”

“Get in there,” Kayla said with a quick hug and a kiss on Grace’s cheek.

Grace took the front steps two at a time and opened the front door wide. She scanned the living room, the part of the kitchen she could see and then up the stairs. There were no noises.

“Divina? You here?”

There was no answer. Her anticipation started to waver and deflate.

From behind her someone touched her shoulder. “Grace?”

She spun. “Stone!” Leaping into his arms, she hugged him with her whole body. Just as quickly, she backed off. “Oh, sorry. Did I hurt you?”

“Feel free to do that anytime,” he said, smiling. “I told you I was fine.” He held up both arms and turned for her.

Fine was one way to describe him. “What were you doing outside?”

“I was looking around the garage. I wondered why no one parked there,” he answered.

“It’s an unanswered mystery,” Grace said, laughing. “My father is getting out of the hospital today and going to rehab. Kayla picked me up at the ferry.”

“I could have gotten you, if I’d known you were coming home. I would have been happy to. What are brothers-in-law for?”

His joke felt like a slap in the face. She was finally all-in and he was making old jokes. Had she missed something?

“What’s going on?” she asked hesitantly.

He shook his head. “Let’s get something to drink.” He led her into the kitchen.

She noticed how stiff he moved, like he was still sore from the crash. She didn’t comment.

He held out a chair for her and she sat. This didn’t feel good. Butterflies started their dance in her stomach. She sat silently, her hands folded on the table.

“I can’t do it, Grace,” Stone started.

Her stomach plummeted and tears watered her eyes, but didn’t fall.

“When you didn’t come to the race yesterday I was pissed. Really angry. I...I know it was because of your father, I get that, but I was still ticked. I wanted you there with me. I needed you to be there with me.”

“Stone, I’m–”

He held up a hand. “Let me finish. I’m done. I don’t want to pretend to be married anymore. I’ll take responsibility for my actions, divorce Divina, give you back your life and next time I get married, I’ll make sure it’s to someone who loves me for me, not because I’m making them or offering to pay her.”

Grace sighed.

“You tried.”

“Have you told Walt what you plan to do?”

“No. He’ll kill me. I’m sure George Halkins will consider dropping me for trying to deceive him. You know how much family means to him.”

“Yes, I do,” she said. “Stone, I can’t let you do this. I’m here. I’m willing to do what I need to do to help you. Divina can wait to marry Hank. It’s not like he’s going anywhere. I’m sorry about Saturday. I should have been there, but he
is
my father.”

“I know he is. I can’t do this to you. Make you choose.”

She laughed once. “Stone, that’s life. It’s all about choices. I want to play your wife. When I saw the accident, I was completely freaked out, thinking you were seriously hurt and I couldn’t do anything. I realized I wanted to be your wife for the good and not so good times.” She unclenched her hands and punched him in the arm with one fist. “Admit it. You need me.”

“If you say so.” His serious tone evaporated as fast as the change in lanes in a race. “If you think you can handle me.”

“I can and I will.”

“Well, Mrs. Adams, what would you like to do today? I have some time before I have a press obligation Walt set up. Some fan event to show off diapers or something.”

“I’ll come with you, but first we could go see your friend, Jon Logan.”

His smile disappeared. “No, Grace. I’m not going to see Jon.”