13. Carter

13

CARTER

It’s the middle of the night when my cell phone rings in my pants pocket, yanking me out of a pleasant dream involving me and a certain nanny in a beachside cabana under a star-filled night sky.

I quickly silence the device and then look down at Andy. I exhale in relief when I see he’s still sleeping. His mouth is open and he snuggles his teddy bear. Careful not to jostle the mattress, I slide off the bed and tiptoe out of the room.

I close the bedroom door with a soft click when my phone rings for a second time. Unease flows through me as I dig in my pockets for the device. Unless Dane is drunk somewhere and butt-dialed me, I can’t think of a reason someone would be calling this late that doesn’t fill me with eerie foreboding.

The negative emotion intensifies when Coach Palmer’s name flashes across the screen.

Did Valerie tell him what happened between us?

No, she wouldn’t.

It has to be something else.

I move into the loft, away from the kids’ bedroom doors, and answer in a quiet voice, “Coach?”

“Jones. I’m sorry for calling, but I didn’t know who else to call.”

I’ve known Palmer for years, and I’ve never heard him sound shaken up. “What’s going on? Is everything alright?”

“No. It’s Valerie.” He chokes on his daughter’s name and then says five words that rock me to my core, “She’s been in an accident.”