Open Your Heart (Kings Grove #4) - Delancey Stewart Page 0,57
a sense of how we’re going to approach things.”
“Okay,” he said. “That sounds good. Is he still being flexible with you? With your six months?”
“I’m not sure,” I admitted. “He was a little evasive on the phone the last time I spoke with him, which is part of why I’m going in person. He’d been pushing for me to come earlier, remember?”
“Right.”
“But I haven’t heard much in a while.”
“Worth checking in, then, I guess.”
“Yeah.” I watched the hills and trees fly by the car windows as I spoke, mountain green slowly turning to valley brown.
“Call me when you get back,” he said. “I’d love to have you over for dinner finally.”
I’d been dodging that invitation, though Dad had been to dinner at the house with me and Tuck once. “Okay,” I said, still not sure I wanted to spend time in the house where I’d grown up. I worried memories might wait for me there, lurking around corners like abandoned playthings.
“I talked to Annie Gish,” he added. “She’d like to come whenever you do—catch up.”
I smiled. “Yeah,” I said. “I’d really like that. We’ve been trying to connect, but we’ve both been so busy with work.” We’d had to cancel every set of plans we’d made so far.
“We’ll try to do it when you get back.”
“Okay. Thanks, Dad.” After he said goodbye I hung up. We still hadn’t gotten to the heart of the trouble between us, and I still didn’t have a good idea what had made him stay away all those years. But I had begun to sense that my Dad wasn’t a bad man, that he wasn’t malicious, and that whatever had kept him away really must have been more complicated than simply deciding he didn’t care for me anymore.
Tuck was quiet while I talked, focused on the road. He was a good driver, taking the daunting curves confidently and easing into the brake instead of slamming it like a lot of people did on unfamiliar curves.
“Thanks for the ride.”
“You’re welcome.” He was quiet for a while, and then he lowered his voice and asked, “Have you made much progress with my boy Cam?”
I laughed. “Cam is potentially the most frustrating person I’ve ever met.”
“Yeah, but you like him,” Tuck said, pointing out what was clearly obvious to anyone who saw me near him.
I shrugged. “That doesn’t seem to matter with him. He’s convinced there are a thousand reasons why it wouldn’t work.”
“You are in the midst of trying to move to Texas.”
“That’s one reason he keeps giving me.”
“It’s not a bad one, Harper.” Tuck watched me for a long second before swinging his gaze back to the road and adding. “Do you really know what you want? If you’re planning to go to Austin, then maybe it’s for the best.”
My heart ached as he said it, the dueling desires within me pulling again in opposite directions. I’d told Cam it didn’t matter, but maybe it did. My goal was to leave Kings Grove—it had been since the beginning of all this. Never mind that the thought of leaving now opened up a little cave inside me that felt darker and lonelier than ever. I knew it would only be temporary, and then I’d be settled in Austin and I’d make a life there. I didn’t lie and tell myself I’d forget about Cam, but I could move on. Couldn’t I?
“Maybe,” I said finally.
We arrived at the airport, and Tuck helped me out with my bag. I’d ordered a smaller suitcase the week before, so I wasn’t lugging the enormous bag I’d brought to Kings Grove. I gave him a hug and went inside, and before long I was landing in Austin.
“Oh my gosh it’s hot,” I said, wiping my forehead as I stepped out of the Uber and onto the sidewalk in front of Theo’s house.
He greeted me with a light hug. “It’s always hot here! It’s good to see you again, Harper.” His voice was warm, but something in his chocolate eyes was less so. He looked wary, unsure somehow. “Come on in.” He’d volunteered his guest bedroom for my trip, and since he was Chelle’s family and we’d met a couple times before, I had no problem agreeing to that. If nothing else, it saved money.
I settled my things in my room, which was simple and clean, and then wandered back out to where Theo sat at a table in the small dining room, papers scattered before him.