33. Tucker

Skylar seemed… strange this morning. I don’t know what’s going on with her, but I”m going to find out tonight. She rushed out of the house before I could question her.

I spend the morning working on a head gasket replacement. I hate these things; they take forever to do. By the time noon rolls around, I”m more than done with my day. I unzip my coveralls, planning to call Skylar and see what’s going on with her, but my phone is dead. I must have forgotten to charge it last night.

I could call her with the office phone, but I don’t know her number off the top of my head. I really need to start learning important things like that. What if there was an emergency and I needed to get a hold of her? Does she even have the shop’s number?

I shake off the thought, making a mental note to write down her number and keep it in the office. There’s nothing I can do about it right now. Instead, I get back to work. If I skip lunch, I can make it to the school and pick up Riley, while also seeing Skylar a little earlier.

I don’t know why, but there’s something bothering me. No matter how many times I try to focus on work, I can”t. I have this intense need to see Skylar. Finally, I throw my tools back in the tool box a little after one in the afternoon. I can”t shake this feeling that something’s wrong.

I quickly lock up the shop and drive over to the elementary school. As soon as I walk into the front office, Leslie smiles at me and waves me over.

“Hey, Leslie, is Skylar busy?”

Her brows pinch together as she stares back at me.

“Skylar left like three hours ago… She said she had something important to take care of and wouldn’t be back the rest of the day… I don’t know where she is, Tucker.”

My mind whirls with all the possibilities, each one worse than the previous one. I shake my head, trying to clear away the negativity. She might just be at a doctor’s appointment or the bank or something completely normal. Maybe she told me about it and I just forgot… but she didn’t. I know it in my gut, something’s wrong and I need to figure out what it is.

“Thanks… I”m going to have my mom pick Riley up from school.”

“I”m sure everything’s fine with Skylar.” Leslie smiles sadly at me.

“It’s not, I can feel it. Thanks for your help, Les.”

I race home as fast as I can and plug in my phone. It takes less than five minutes to finally turn on, but I swear it’s the longest five minutes of my life. I want to throw the damn thing against the wall as I wait. I”m impatient, I need to know what’s going on with Skylar.

As soon as the stupid thing turns on, it lights up with a voicemail from Skylar. I breathe a sigh of release and press play. The message is all broken up, she must have been driving through a dead zone.

“Tucker… to go… Philadelphia... Garrett… I… get… I”m leaving… I”m sorry… I can’t… love you… talk to you... Bye.”

My heart sinks to my stomach as intense pain races through my body. No! This can”t be happening again! I can”t let her go, not this time. I”m going to chase her. I”m not going to give up. Skylar Barren is the love of my life and I refuse to let her walk away from me again without an explanation.

I have two phone calls to make, then I”m going after her.

“Hello?”

“Ma, I need you to pick up Riley from school.”

“Ok, what’s going on? You’re upset.”

“Skylar’s gone. She left me a message but it was all broken up… I think she’s running again, Ma.”

“Then you chase her, Tuck! You don’t let her go!”

“That’s my plan. She went to Philadelphia; I won”t be back for a day or two. Do you mind taking care of Riley?”

“Of course not. I’ve never seen either of you happier than when you are together, Tuck. She’s scared, show her she doesn’t need to be.”

“I will.”

We hang up and I make the next call, thankful for the support system I have in my life. Less than ten minutes later, Colt pulls up to the curb and I hop in his sheriff’s car.

“Really? We’re taking this?”

“Don’t you dare insult Stan.”

“You named your police car Stan?” I raise a brow.

“Yes! Stan Smith from American Dad. It’s a nice strong name for this guy.” He pats the dashboard.

“So… Why are we taking Stan and not Bessy?”

“Well, I figure I can break some speed limits without getting pulled over.” He glances at me before turning back to the road. “And also, if Skylar doesn’t come willingly, I can lock her in the back and we can claim we’re arresting her for crimes committed in Maple Springs and no one will blink an eye.” He shrugs a shoulder, making me chuckle.

“Only you would think of something like that.”

“It’s Skylar, man. We should both be thinking like that. Every single time we went up there, we should’ve dragged her home kicking and screaming. We never should’ve left her there.”

“I wanted to let her live the life she wanted,” I whisper, staring out the passenger’s window.

“And now?”

“Now, I”m not willing to let her go as easily as before. If she can look me in the eyes and tell me it’s over, I’ll leave, but not until she does that. I”m not going to let her go without a fight.”

“Good. It’s about damn time you fought for that girl!”