Page 76 of The Deviation
Relief floods my limbs, even as I fight the urge to roll my eyes. I can already imagine the conversation they’ll have after I leave. They’ll decide this is a phase and I’ll get over it. I won’t hold it against them. In their shoes, I might be guilty of the same doubts. They’ll get used to the idea in time. Because if I get my way, Calum is here to stay.
“Soon,” I tell them with a shaky smile. “You’ll meet him soon.”
* * *
I’m halfway home when my phone rings and Ned’s name flashes up on the screen. I hit a button on my steering wheel to send it through to voicemail, intending to call him back as soon as I get home. I’m eager to tell him about my conversation with my parents, but don’t want to have to focus on driving while we talk.
Within seconds a text comes through. Two more quickly follow. A robotic voice reads them out to me one by one.
Call me asap.
Have you spoke to Calum? Did he get fired?
What the hell is going on?
Fresh spikes of adrenaline shoot through me with each message. What the—?
Pulling into a side street, I quickly park the car and grab my phone from its holder.
I call Calum first, cursing under my breath as I wait for him to pick up. He doesn’t. When it goes to voicemail, I try to rein in my anxiety. “Hey, Cal. Ned’s sending me some weird messages. Is everything okay? Call me as soon as you get this.”
When I move on to calling Ned, he picks up on the first ring. “Thank god. What’s happening?”
“I have no idea. What do you know?”
“That Rush guy we met at the festival, Arthur I think it was, called to say the whole band needs to come in for a meeting regarding an upgrade to our managerial arrangements. He said Calum is no longer available.”
My eyes close and I drop my forehead to the steering wheel. “Shit. Did he say why?”
“He refused to say more. Just that we’d be filled in at the meeting.”
They must have found out about us. It’s the only thing I can think of. But how?
“When is this meeting?” I ask.
“Friday morning. I tried to get a hold of Calum but he’s not picking up. Have you spoken to him?”
“Not since last night.” We’d spent almost an hour on the phone, both of us in our respective beds. After sleeping in late yesterday morning, he’d spent the day catching up on household chores. He’d talked about all the work he wanted to get donethis week at Rush. “Everything was fine then.” If something bad happened today, surely he would have called me.
Wouldn’t he?
“Hang on a sec.” I slam my phone back into its holder before restarting the car. When the Bluetooth connects, I speak again. “I’m heading over to Cal’s place now. Hopefully he’s there and I can find out what’s going on.”
“Okay,” Ned says. There’s a quiver in his voice and I can picture him pacing his living room, his own fears charging to life.
“Is Toni with you?”
“I called him. He’ll be home soon.”
Taking a deep breath, I pull back out onto the main road. “Good.”
“Tell me when you find out what’s going on. Yeah?”
“You bet your arse I will,” I say, nodding to myself. “Don’t worry. We’ll sort this out. Everything will be okay.”
Except that may not be true. Cal’s job means everything to him. If he’s lost it, because of me, we may never be okay again.
THIRTY-ONE