Page 57 of Playing With The Mountain Man

Even her voicemail recording made me smile. As I was debating whether to leave a message, her phone beeped, and I was put on the spot. “Hey hey, pretty girl. I’m just checking in. Give me a call when you’re free. Any time.”

I ended the call and shoved down the disappointment.

As I turned into the parking garage, my phone rang, and I nearly drove straight through the barricade.

“Hey!” I answered quickly as I overcorrected and bounced my SUV off a gutter. “Shit!”

“Cody!” I was scolded by a voice I’d recognize anywhere.

“Oh hi, Mom,” I corrected.

“Oh, that’s unenthusiastic. Want me to hang up and we can try again?” she offered as I turned into my parking spot without scraping the side of the SUV against the concrete pillar.

“Sorry.”

“You’re forgiven. How was dinner?”

“How did you—” I didn’t even bother finishing my question. I already knew the answer. Nan might have been tired when I drove out of her driveway ten minutes ago, but she was never too exhausted to spill the tea.

“Nan still makes the best apple pie,” I told her.

Mom chuckled. “Yes, she does. How’s the shoulder?” Mom came out and asked the one question everyone else was avoiding.

“It’s fine,” I started, repeating the standard answer I offered when anyone even skirted near the topic. “Well, it’s not exactly fine, but it’s going to be,” I adjusted, pinching the bridge of my nose.

“What are they saying?”

“Not much. More scans. More waiting. Hopefully, I’ll get some answers in the next couple of days,” I admitted, resigned to my fate.

I killed the ignition and grabbed my phone before jumping out of the car and striding across the parking garage toward the elevator.

“And until then?” Mom asked warily.

“Until then, I lay low. Try not to stress about it too much. I mean, all I can do is hope for the best.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Mom offered, but I got the feeling she wasn’t saying something.

“That's all I’ve got.”

“Have you given much thought to your options?” Her question was a whisper.

“Options?”

“If it doesn’t come good, if you can’t play again … what are you going to do, Cody?” she asked, and I could almost feel her nerves through the phone.

“I’m trying not to think too much about it,” I admitted as I stepped into the elevator car and stabbed at the button for my penthouse.

“That’s fair, but maybe, I mean, since you have time …”

“I’ll get there, Mom. I will. Just not right now. I need to believe that I can still do this,” I tried to assure her. Or maybe I was trying to assure myself. I wasn’t entirely sure, and that was part of the problem.

“Well, I have my fingers crossed for you,” she told me, and I felt a smile tug at my lips.

“Thank you, Mom,” I acknowledged, letting out a heavy sigh and leaning back against the mirrored wall.

“Now, when were you planning on telling me about your girl?”

Chapter twenty