Page 82 of Roar for Me
“I was at the wedding. She didn’t realize I was still friends with him. She’d kept him away from us for years. Isolated him.” Jen didn’t need to say anymore. Aurora knew the signs of an abuser.
She laid her head in her hands as Jen continued. “It took a lot for Duncan to put himself out there. I was so glad he did. But I’m sorry he screwed it up. I know it hurts for him to talk about, but he should have been the one to tell you.”
Aurora nodded. Her migraine was coming back.
Two weeks after they left, Duncan clicked through movies on Netflix, failing to find something to distract him from his loneliness. His new project was coming along faster than he’d expected, and Ryder wanted to see him, but he couldn’t shake the nausea of failure. He didn’t know how to tell Roar he’d done as she asked. Would it even make a difference? A bowl of popcorn, his dinner, sat next to him on the couch.
His cell phone rang. He picked it up but couldn’t recognize the number. It said Pennsylvania. Maybe it was about the factory. “Hello?”
“Duncan? It’s me, Katie.”
Aurora’s daughter was whispering into her phone. He dropped the remote and his jaw. It couldn’t be.
“Katie? Oh my God, how are you? Is your mom okay?”
“I’m fine, but Mom is … Duncan, I don’t know what’s wrong! She’s waking up crying all the time now, sometimes twice a night. She barely eats anything at dinner. I ask her why, and she just says she’s not hungry. I saw you calling the other day, and she wouldn’t pick up. So, I got your number off her phone. She doesn’t know I have it.”
If she was hurting so badly … “Did she tell you why she doesn’t want to talk to me?” He couldn’t keep the pain and desperation out of his voice.
“I asked her, and she said she felt like she had got too attached, and she shouldn’t be.”
Bewildering. “But—”
“She always told me Dad was her one great love. She’s too stubborn to think maybe she might find another!”
All the pieces started clicking into place for him now. It wasn’t him not measuring up. Realization dawned across his face as he felt a beating in his chest for the first time in days. He couldn’t let her get away. She was too special to him.
“Thank you, Katie. You have no idea what this means to me.”
“I have a suggestion, Duncan, but you’d need to be on a plane next week.”
“I’ll do anything. What is it?”
“If she sees you again, I just know—oh crap, she’s coming upstairs! I’ll text it to you right away!”
“I’ll be waiting!” Duncan whispered as well for some reason, then hung up and stared at the phone. Her daughter was fighting for them, but why wouldn’tshe? What had her so scared? No matter. He just had to show her that she was worth fighting for.
All I Ask of You
“Aurora, sweetie! Come on in!” Jerry greeted her at the door to his and Dave’s townhouse.
It had that urban loft vibe, with brick walls and exposed ductwork. It wasn’t far from her office either. She could hear Jen and Britney warming up their vocal cords as Dave played the piano. Setting down her purse, Aurora joined them at the piano in the wide open-concept living room. Dave was hosting a jam session, like the old days when they could hang out in the choir room after school. She jumped right in. Singing again felt good. It was just what she needed to break through this funk. Hopefully, her makeup hid the dark circles under her eyes.
The door opened again. “Hey, boo, Mike’s here!”
Mike came up to the piano. “Sorry I’m late.”
“No problem, Mike. Do you need a warm-up?” Dave poised his hands over the keys.
“I ran through my exercises in the car, so I should be okay.”
Dave pulled out his sheet music collection and spread it out on the couch. Britney pulled out the Andrew Lloyd Webber collection. “Why would we need anything else?”
“I have Sondheim too.”
“I’m not sure there’s enough of us for that,” Aurora said.
“We’ll see,” Dave winked at her. “Someone could sing two parts.”
