off the roll. “The sooner we clean this up, the sooner we can eat. It smells delicious, Minerva.”
Minerva gives me a look, and I shrug, indicating I don’t mind. The mess is cleaned up in no time, and Minerva takes the ladle from me and serves the rest of the meal herself.
Internally, I’m fuming. I’m so angry Skye could think so little of me she’d make plans to leave without so much as telling me. The conversation at the dinner table continues without me as I try to understand what the hell is going on.
Skye glances at me from time to time, worry etched in her beautiful features.
“Colt?” asks Gray. “Colt, are you listening?”
“Sorry, Gray, what was that?”
“That guy, whose son you’re big brother to, he’s out of rehab soon, right?”
“Ah, yeah, his thirty days are up week after next. I got them tickets to the game at the fifty-yard line. Blaise is super excited.”
“Blaise! That’s right! Cheeky little fuc… I mean… man.”
Minerva gives Gray a stern look and asks me, “This is the man that you’re taking care of his medical bills?”
“Yes, ma’am. He needs to get his act together and set himself on the right path for his kid’s sake.”
Skye makes a dismissive sound.
“You disagree, Skye?” asks Minerva.
“He’s the reason I’m about to get fired. Although I commend Colt for trying to help him, Blaise needs him, Derek isn’t one of my favorite people at the moment.”
“He still needed a helping hand. I’ll talk to him when he gets out. See if he can help fix the problem he’s created.”
Skye shakes her head. “It’s a bit late for that.”
“Clearly, if you’ve already made plans,” I say flatly.
Skye raises an eyebrow. “Maybe we should talk about it later?” She gives me a tight smile and turns her attention to Minerva. “I would love the recipe for the jambalaya.”
Gray bursts out laughing. “Good luck. That one’s a family secret… you’ll have to marry Colt to get it.”
Minerva looks at me wide-eyed as does Skye. “Well, one has to stick around for things to get serious,” I say to Gray, who immediately stops laughing.
Gray looks from me to Skye, then announces, “Dessert! We need dessert.”
Skye rises from her chair. “Thank you, Gray, but I think I’ve had enough for one night.” Skye smiles brightly at Minerva then asks me, “Colt, could you take me home?”
I place my napkin on the table, stand, and say, “Of course. Minerva, Gray, thank you for dinner.”
Everyone stands. I can tell Gray and his mom are uncomfortable.
Minerva links her arm with Skye and walks her to the front door.
Gray grabs my arm and whispers, “What the fuck are you doing?”
“You heard her, man, she’s made plans to leave. Guess, I mean nothing to her.”
“You know, Colt, you’re a fucking idiot. That girl is the best thing to happen to you in a long time. Don’t let your pride get in the way and fuck this all up. Now, get out there and apologize to her before she leaves the country and finds someone who’s going to treat her right.”
I grunt, shake my head, and stride out to the car. I’m so angry at Skye I can’t even look at her. The drive home is done in silence, but the whole time I can feel her eyes boring into me, and a few times I sense Skye about to say something, but she doesn’t. When we pull up at her house, Sky opens the car door, and I stare straight ahead.
“Colt, don’t be like this. Please, talk to me.”
She sounds hurt, and as much as I don’t want to be responsible for that, I can’t get myself to talk to her just yet.
“I’ll see you tomorrow. I have some things I need to do. We’ll talk later, okay?” I glance up, and she nods. Her beautiful face is creased with worry, but right now, I need to sort myself out. “See you later.”
Skye gets out of the car, shuts the door, and walks to the house. I wait until she’s inside, then I drive home. My mind is filled with thoughts of her. I’m hurt she’d think about leaving without telling me or even letting me in on the decision.
Walking into my home, Beau comes running up to greet me. He stops about three feet away and tilts his big head to one side as though he can tell something’s wrong.
“Hey, bud, she’s leaving us.”
COLT
The football sails through the air, sweat drips down my back, and the