Page 47 of Doc Rock
He wanted to rage and yell at her. He wanted her toknowhow much hurt he suffered over the years. Make her suffer a fraction of what he had.
Then, at the same time, his heart tore when he thought about hurting her. The girl he’dknownwould take all of his anger and accept everything he threw at her, keep her heartbreak on the inside.
He was one of the few people she'd ever trusted, and even then, he didn’t think she told him as much as she did her parents.
Donnie let the silence hang in the air before he asked,“What are you going to do?”
“I don’tknow.”Ford pulled up to his rental house and put the handbrake on, switching the engine off.
Donnie’s next words were cut off as the car’s hands-free switched off. He picked the phone up and wedged it between his shoulder and ear as he climbed out of the car.
“Sorry, I didn’t catch what you said.”
“I said, are you sure you don’tknowwhat to do?”Donnie pushed him a little more.
Ford opened the front door, stepping inside, he glanced absently around the room of his rental house, until his eyes caught on her electric guitar. The one he’d kept for all these years and used in so many of their concerts.
When the boys asked, he always claimed the songs sounded better on this guitar, but the reality wasit wasa piece of her, the only one he had left, and he didn’t want to let it go.
“I need to talk to her. No shouting,”Ford admitted, then added,“I told her about her money. Can you contact her and arrange togetthe accounts to her?”
Donnie wisely didn’t comment on Ford wanting to speak to her again, instead saying,“I’ll call her now. She’s going to be a very wealthy woman by tomorrow.”
“Yeah. She didn’t seem to care. She tried to refuse.”
“I’m sure she did. I’ll do it now, buzz me whenever you need.”
“I’ll phone you later,”Ford said before he ended the call.
Ford placed his phone down on the table in front of him and reached to his neck, pulling the necklace he always wore out of his shirt. Undoing the clasp, he slipped the simple silver ring off the chain and onto the third finger of his left hand.
Staring down at the ring that he’d kept close to his heart ever since she vanished, hefeltthe heartbreak of her leaving all over again and examined his feelings at finding her.
Could he do it? Could he allow himself to be vulnerable to her?
She’d ripped him apart once before. Maybe he needed to leave things alone and walk away now.
A small part of his brain argued back, whispering that thiscouldbe their new beginning.
He stared at the ring before finally taking it off his left hand and slipping it onto the ring finger of his right hand.
Snatching up his phone again, he pulled up Taylor’s phone number, sending a message.
‘Can you ask Clara for Mai’s number?’
It wasso strange to call her Mai.
Chapter 19
Mai
Mai flopped down on her sofa the second she walked in the door to her house; she didn’t care that she was creasing her dress.
She laytherelooking up at the ceiling of her living room. Frowning, she noted a small spot in the corner of the room. Was that a water stain? The bathroom was right above that corner—maybe she had a leak?
She loved her townhouse, the first home she’d ever bought. When she got her permanent contract, shesteeled herself and, after years of moving from place to place, decidedit wastime to lay down roots.
When the real estate agent showed her the house, with its open plan living room and kitchen, two good-sized bedrooms, and a backyard that was private but still drenched in sunlight, shecouldseeherself livingthereand put in an offer.
