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“This is one of Hunter’s cars,” I say. “Did you follow me here from LA?”
I’m so confused.
Has Parker been the plan to rescue me all along?
“Get in,” he simply orders.
As we speed away, I turn to him, searching for answers in his eyes. But before I can speak, his cell phone rings. He answers, his face turning pale as he listens.
"What's wrong?" I ask, my heart sinking. “Is it Hunter?”
Parker's jaw clenches as he ends the call.
“No,” he says, his voice barely a whisper.
“What’s going on, Parker? You’re acting strange. What aren’t you telling me?”
“Nothing.”
He drives with an intense focus.
Never asking me if I’m okay.
Never looking me directly in the eye.
Not giving me any fucking answers about Hunter.
“What’s going on?” I ask again, fed up with his weird silent treatment. “Give me your phone now and let me call Hunter.”
“Have I ever told you about my Mama, Megan?” he asks out of the blue.
Parker and Lars have been fixtures in my life ever since I met Hunter but I wouldn’t say that I know much about their personal lives, only the things that Hunter may randomly share with me about them.
“Well…no.”
“She worked her way up from a cafeteria worker to an executive assistant in the administration department in Cooper LA hospital.”
Uh, okay.
He continues. “If she had grown up with different opportunities, I’m sure she would have been a nurse or even a doctor though. My mom’s real smart and a hard worker.”
I still don’t get it.
What’s the point of this story?
“Why are you telling me about your mom, Parker?” I feel uneasy. “Are you going to let me use your phone or not?”
“I’m sorry, Megan. You know I’ve always liked you a lot.”
“Why are you sorry?” My stomach rolls and I have to take a few deep breaths to stop myself from gagging. “You just rescued me from Naomi’s crazy daddy. Why would you apologize for that?”
“My mama is sick, Megan. Heart issues. She’s a patient in the same hospital she worked in for most of her life. But that greedy ass place doesn't care about that. If she doesn’t pay her growing tab, they’re ready to send her to the teaching hospital across town.”
I stay quiet.
“And I can’t have that.”
“And so what does that mean?”