Serves Me Wright (Wright #9) - K.A. Linde Page 0,97

Wright wedding with the Wright CEO at a Wright Vineyard.”

“Y’all are fucking obsessed with your name. It’s a little weird.”

I snorted at him. “Says the guy who insisted we use it.”

“Yeah, because we need money, and people associate y’all with money. But we’re serving Abbey wine because I know what I’m fucking doing.”

“So true,” I said with a shake of my head. “But if she doesn’t return my messages by this weekend, I’ll go to her place, try to grovel.”

“Good idea. Buy flowers. Girls love that shit.”

“How would you even know with a three-date rule?”

He scoffed. “I told you, that’s not what it fucking is.”

I chuckled, and it felt good to laugh a little with Hollin. That the world wasn’t ending even though this weekend had been shit. I needed to figure out how to approach Jennifer. I couldn’t—wouldn’t—let her go.

Hollin’s phone rang noisily in the office. “It’s my dad.” He answered, “Sup?” Then he straightened up, dropping his boots to the ground. “What happened? Yeah, I’m with Julian now. Let me put you on speaker.”

I glanced at him as he put the phone down on my desk on speakerphone.

“Hey, Julian. It’s Uncle Gregg.”

“What’s going on?”

“I just got off the phone with your aunt Lori. She’s with your mom, and she had a fall. She passed out, and they took her by ambulance to the hospital.”

“What?” I gasped, jumping to my feet.

“I wanted to let you know. If you and Hollin want to get to the hospital, we’ll meet you there,” he said. “I’m going to call your brother next.”

“I’ll be there.”

He told us the hospital, and then Hollin and I raced for the parking lot. We hopped in his truck and peeled out. I shot off a text to Alejandra to let her know why we’d left. Gregg was contacting Jordan, so all I had to do was worry as we drove across town to the hospital.

My mom had looked fragile for weeks. I had assumed it was the chemo. That she was going to recover like normal. I’d been so embroiled in my own issues that I hadn’t had time for her like I had the last time we did this. Then we’d told her about Dad. Fuck, of course she was going to take it hard. She’d put on a show for me and Jor.

Hollin didn’t try to reassure me on the way. He knew what could happen. What I had to lose.

So, he parked in the visitor lot, and we dashed inside. We met Jordan in the lobby. He’d been a lot closer, working at Wright Construction downtown.

“You made it,” Jordan said with relief.

“Have you heard anything?” I asked.

“Just got here. Guess we’ll find out together.” Jordan looked grim. “I texted Annie to see if she’d meet us. I’d feel better, having her assessment.”

We passed through the double doors and then found Mom’s room. The door was slightly ajar when we knocked. Aunt Lori opened the door with a sad smile.

“Hey, guys,” she said, brushing back her short bleached-blonde hair.

“How’s she doing?” I asked.

“She’s stable, but they’re monitoring her. Why don’t you go in and see her?”

I pushed past her without a second thought and found my mom lying in a bed, hooked up to beeping equipment, and looking as thin and rundown as I’d ever seen her.

“Mom.”

“Julian,” she said with a smile. “Did Lori worry you enough to come by?”

Jordan appeared in the door, too.

“Both of my boys.”

“Hey, Mom. How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine,” she said. She even laughed. “It’s all a big misunderstanding.”

“A misunderstanding? You passed out and came to in a hospital.”

“Lori overreacted. I don’t need to be in here.”

I frowned, and Jordan exchanged a look with me. I didn’t believe her. She didn’t look fine. She looked worse than when we’d seen her on Sunday. That was only a couple days ago, and she’d taken a downturn.

“Is this because of Dad?” I asked the question I hadn’t wanted to.

“What? No. Your father is…no longer my concern.”

“He said he was trying to reconcile with you.”

She laughed. “Is that what he said? What a fiction. No, he apologized and asked me about the cancer. He was polite but nothing more. It’s clear he’s moved on. And you know what? I finally have, too.”

Jordan and I both looked at her in shock. Our mom had loved our dad far longer than she should have. She had loved him still, even when she divorced him and moved away and started a new life. To have moved

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