Flanked (23 page)

Chapter Nineteen

The new season started without Garret. He watched the broadcast of the first event of the year from his sofa with his father and a beer for company. If that wasn’t enough to make a man depressed, he didn’t know what was.

“You should go and be with your friends even if you can’t ride yet.”

He glanced up at his father’s suggestion. Garret found him wearing the same concerned expression he’d gotten used to seeing over the past couple of months of living at home with him. “That seems kind of silly. No? Spending the money to travel there when I’m not competing.”

His dad shrugged. “It’s not silly if it makes you feel better. Besides, since you found that insurance you told me about, your surgery was all paid for so you have the money in the bank to travel a bit if you want.”

At the reminder of that lie, guilt washed over Garret, and not for the first time. He’d told his father that he’d gotten a catastrophe insurance policy that covered major bills for things like surgery. That kind of policy did exist, but it would have cost him a bundle to have it. He certainly didn’t want to involve his father in the marriage-for-insurance plan that had really gotten him coverage and paid for the surgery.

Though with his arm growing stronger every day, he supposed he wouldn’t have medical insurance for long. Not after he and Silver got divorced. Then no one would be the wiser about what they’d done. It would be just like the marriage had never existed. No harm, no foul. That thought was no comfort to Garret.

He and Silver had gone from texting all day long and talking at least once a week, to barely any communication at all after the weekend in Montana for Luke and Annie’s wedding. Why, he didn’t know. Part of the problem was his being afraid to contact her. After she’d said they shouldn’t tell anyone about the marriage and just get divorced as soon as he was healed, he figured she couldn’t wait to be done with it. The fact she hadn’t been initiating contact a whole lot either was proof of his suspicions. She was over the whole thing with him. She’d probably moved on to another guy.

Crap. What if she had gotten herself a boyfriend? Or maybe she was just tired of him and had moved on to another temporary guy. Garret had scratched her itch, and now with him stuck recuperating in Ohio for the foreseeable future and her living and working in North Carolina, maybe she didn’t see any point for her to keep in touch. Not when she could find someone local to satisfy her needs.

He let out a sigh and adjusted his position on the couch. He pulled the throw pillow out from behind his back and flung it to the end of the sofa, then wiggled again, looking for a more comfortable spot.

“Garret for Christ’s sake, just go.” The force behind his father’s words surprised him.

Garret turned to frown at his father. “What did I do?”

“You’re miserable. You’re practically crawling out of your skin. I can see it. I’ll pay for the fuel for the truck, Just drive to the next event. Be with your friends. This sitting around is going to drive you nuts.”

He hadn’t been too thrilled to be sitting around his dad’s house to begin with, but he certainly didn’t like the idea of getting kicked out of it. Maybe there was a reason his father wanted him gone. “You know, Dad, I’m fine with you having Molly over if you want. If that’s what this is about—”

“That is not what this is about.” His father shook his head. “I’m good with seeing her at her place.”

Garret tried not to delve too deeply into what
seeing her at her place
really meant they were doing there. He had a much better understanding now of how addicting being with one woman could be. He couldn’t think of his father too harshly for wanting that feeling, especially since Molly lived right here in town. If Silver were closer, he’d be at her place all the time too.

But then again, Silver would have to want to see him, and he wasn’t so sure that was the case any longer. Garret let out a big breath and looked up to find his father still watching him. Maybe he should listen to the man for once. “All right. I’ll drive to the next venue. I want Tandy to take a look at my shoulder anyway. It’s healing up nice. Maybe he’ll let me come back earlier than he thought.”

“Good. That’s a good plan. Let me know what you need from me.”

“All right, Dad. Thanks.” This would be good. He’d get to see Chase and the rest of the guys. He’d talk to Tandy. He’d have a distraction from thinking about Silver day and night and wondering why she wasn’t calling or texting. This might just save his sanity.

He pulled out his phone and typed a text, copying it to Chase, Aaron and Skeeter.
Got room for a fourth in your hotel room next week? I’m coming.

Even though he knew Chase was behind the chutes in the middle of the competition, the text came back almost immediately.
You got it!

His dad had been right. Just knowing he would be at the next event made him feel better already.

When Aaron walked into the bar and saw Garret talking to Chase, a grin spread across his face. “Hey, glad you made it.”

“Me too. It feels good to be back, even if I’m not riding.”

“You will be soon enough. Don’t worry.” Chase raised his beer to Garret in a toast.

“From your mouth to Tandy’s ears.” Garret grinned and downed the last of his bottle. “I’ll go and get us another round.”

“I’ll come with you.” Aaron stood and followed Garret to the bar. Once they were out of earshot of Chase, Aaron leaned in. “So Silver’s coming tomorrow.”

“She is?” Garret’s heart sped in reaction to that news. “Uh, was that planned?”

“Nope. I mentioned to her that you were going to be here and she suddenly decided to come.” Aaron shrugged. “She didn’t say why. Maybe she needs you to sign something for insurance. I don’t know. We’ll see, I guess.”

Silver showing up at the event could only mean one thing. She was here to arrange the divorce. She’d want him to sign something all right, but it wouldn’t be for the insurance company. Most likely it would be the papers ending their marriage. Garret’s rehab was almost finished. Him coming here probably made her think he’d be riding soon, if not this weekend. Of course she’d want her freedom now that he didn’t need her health coverage anymore. It was what they’d agreed upon.

From day one he’d known this was coming, so why did it feel like he’d just taken a fist to the gut?

The bartender came to take their order and Garret was suddenly in the mood for more than just beer. “Shot of Jack with a beer chaser, please. Aaron?”

Aaron looked a little surprised but nodded. “Yeah, better make it three. I’m sure Chase will be up for a celebratory shot now that you’re back.”

“Yup, that’s what tonight is all about. Celebrating.” Garret watched the bartender pour the shots and wondered if he should just tell him to keep them coming.

The night passed in a drunken blur, starting with that one shot and continuing with many more, for him at least. Garret figured out at one point that he was drinking alone as the others humored him and switched to drinking soda.

A few hours into the night, he mentioned to Chase and Aaron he wanted to get another tattoo. After that, he was aware of being in the back seat of Aaron’s truck, feeling kind of ill and wondering if he could reach the window if he needed to hurl.

The next thing Garret knew, he was opening his eyes, fully dressed and laid out flat on his back on top of the hotel bedspread. He turned his head slowly. It turned out to be still too fast. A wave of nausea hit him and the room seemed to spin around him. The blurry digital numbers on the bedside clock said eight-nineteen. He’d go with the assumption that it was morning and he hadn’t slept through the entire day. With the blackout curtains in the room, it was hard to tell day from night on a good day when he wasn’t still reeling from a hard night of drinking.

Thank God, he wasn’t riding tonight. This was bad. He hadn’t been this drunk, or this hungover, in years.

The soft snores in the room told him he wasn’t alone. In fact, there was a dip in the bed on the other side of him. He braced himself and risked turning his head again, slowly and carefully to not disturb the delicate balance that was keeping him from vomiting. Finally, a sleeping Skeeter came into view. When the hell had Skeeter gotten here? He only remembered being with Chase and Aaron.

And holy crap, why the hell did his nipple feel like it was being squeezed in a vise? Garret reached up and rubbed at it through his shirt. It was sore as shit. “Ow. What the…”

He reached beneath his T-shirt and felt a metal ball on either side of a bar passing through his nipple. Holy shit. He’d gotten his nipple pierced? What the hell else had he done? He was afraid to look.

“You awake and alive, sleeping beauty?” Chase’s voice, sounding sleepy and gruff, came through the darkness from the other bed.

“Barely. What the hell happened last night?” Garret’s voice wasn’t sounding so good either. And he’d kill for a drink of water, though right now it would probably come right back up.

“Let’s see, there were lots of shots. Then you tried to get a tattoo, which I didn’t let you get once I heard what you wanted.” Chase laughed. “You’re welcome, by the way. It would have been hilarious, but as your friend I couldn’t let you go through with it.”

Garret groaned, almost too afraid to ask. “What did I wanna get?”

“A G-clef tramp stamp.” There was amusement in Chase’s tone.

“Oh, man.” He and Silver would have had matching tattoos. At least he hadn’t tried to get her name put on him anywhere—he hoped. “How’d my nipple get pierced?”

“You wouldn’t let us leave until we let you get that. I figured it wasn’t too bad. You can take it out and it’ll heal, and it seemed to make you happy last night. You kept talking about some girl who had always wanted to be with a guy with a nipple ring. You said if you got one maybe she’d like you better.”

Wow. He’d gotten drunk to forget about her, but apparently his drunk self was all about Silver. Garret ran a hand over his face. “Thanks for taking care of me.”

“No problem. That’s what friends are for. You’ve done it for me a few times too.”

Friends. Garret would have to remember he’d still have his friends even after Silver divorced him. Crap. That didn’t make him feel all that much better.

There was a moan from the other side of the room and he heard stirring.

“What time is it?” Aaron asked.

“About eight-thirty,” Chase answered him, sounding much more awake now.

“Can we go to breakfast? I’m starving.” That declaration from Skeeter had Garret’s stomach turning.

“Sure.” Chase swung his legs over the side of the bed.

“Yeah, I could eat.” Aaron agreed and sat up in the other bed.

As Garret valiantly tried to not think about food, the others got dressed. He’d hold on until they left, then he’d try to get up. That way if he had to bolt for the toilet and puke, no one would be there to witness it and make fun of him.

Finally, the three stood by the door, ready to go. “Can we bring you back something?” Chase asked.

“Maybe coffee.” He might be able to hold that down. “And a muffin if they’ve got them?”

“You got it, bud.” Good old Chase was there for him.

“Thanks. And hit the light before you go.” With one arm flung over his face, Garret heard Skeeter chuckling as the room went dark and they left.

Whatever. They could chuckle all they wanted. One day the tables would be turned and he’d be the one laughing at one of them. He longed for that day and the time when he’d be hangover free. With that in mind, Garret steeled himself and sat, sitting still on the edge of the bed for a long time.

After he’d adjusted to being upright, he made his way gingerly to the bathroom. Brushing the fuzz off his teeth helped. A shower made him feel even better, except when the hot water hit his sore nipple. He’d have to consider what to do about that. Later. As crazy as it was, the nipple ring made him think of Silver, and he was reluctant to take it out just yet.

As he dried off from the shower, a knock on the room door had him groaning. The guys must have forgotten their keycards. With the towel wrapped around his waist, he made his way across the room, still moving a little slowly but feeling way better than before. That was until he saw Silver standing in the hall. Then his heart pounded hard enough to make him lightheaded again.

“Silver. Wow. You’re here early.”

“And you’re nearly naked.” Her brow rose as she glanced past him. “Are you alone?”

“Yeah.” He stood back and she moved into the room as he reached for the light switch and turned it on.

Her eyes opened wide. “Oh my God. Is that a nipple ring?”

His hand went to his chest. “Yeah. I, uh, had a few too many last night and woke up with it.”

Might as well be honest, though he did leave out the story about wanting the tramp stamp.

She reached out and touched the metal ball. “Did it hurt getting it?”

“I have no clue.” He let out a laugh. “It’s sore as hell now though.”

Silver left her hand on his chest for a moment before she pulled it back and glanced at his shoulder. There was a small scar visible, but besides that he was healed. “How’s your arm?”

“Better. Hopefully Doc Tandy will let me ride soon.” No use hiding that fact from her either. She’d find out when he was riding again.

“Good.”

“Yeah, it is good.” Garret cleared his throat and dared to ask what he’d been wondering for so long. “So, uh, I haven’t heard from you much. What you been up to?”

“Working mostly.” She shrugged. “I had a few gigs with the band. That’s about it. What about you?”

“Rehab. Hanging with my dad. I got in some hunting. Dad got a buck. Nice one. Six-pointer. I got a doe.”

“Oh. Good. That’s nice.”

He smiled. She didn’t know what the hell he was talking about but she tried to look interested anyway. You had to love a woman like that. The word
love
had him swallowing hard. He couldn’t think shit like that. The fake honeymoon following the sham marriage was obviously over. Things had definitely changed between them. A month or two ago she would have come through that door and been straddling him on the bed in a minute. Now they were standing in the middle of the room like awkward strangers, one of whom happened to be wearing nothing but a towel.