by Rhian Cahill
“Do you want one of us to come pick you up?” Z asked behind her.
Sunnie didn’t answer. She quickly bundled her mother into the passenger seat and raced around to the driver’s side. Opening the door, she slid into the seat and, sticking the key in the ignition, she fired the engine with a roar then shifted the gear lever into drive. After a brief glance in the side mirror she tore away from the curb and headed down the street as fast as she dared. It took willpower she didn’t know she possessed to avoid looking in the rearview mirror.
Rand hung up the phone and breathed easier for the first time in more than twenty-four hours. Graham Carter promised he’d find Sunnie. If anyone could find where Phoebe had moved, it was Sunnie’s father. Out of the three men who’d raised Sunnie, Graham was the one Phoebe clung to the most. The fact the man had money didn’t escape Rand’s notice, but right now he didn’t care why Sunnie’s mother chose to keep Graham abreast of her every move. He just needed to know Sunnie was okay.
“Was that Sunnie?” Z asked as he came into the kitchen.
“No. Graham.”
“Graham?” Z’s forehead wrinkled before his eyebrows shot up. “You didn’t?”
“I had to. I can’t stand not knowing where she is or if she’s all right.”
“Jesus.”
“All I did was ask him to find out she’s okay.” Rand swallowed. “I can’t sit here and do nothing. I need to know she’s safe.”
“I get that.” Z pulled a beer from the fridge and mumbled, “I checked today’s paper for any reports of local car accidents yesterday.”
Rand chuckled. “Glad I’m not the only one going out of his mind with worry.”
“No, you’re not alone, but Sunnie’s gonna be pissed that you brought Graham into this.”
“I know, but what choice did we have when her phone is going straight to voice mail?”
Z cracked the top of his beer as the doorbell rang. “Sunnie?”
“Why would she ring the doorbell? She’s got keys.” Rand pushed back his chair and stood.
“Yeah, but they’re in the handbag she left in my car.” Z tipped the beer bottle to his mouth.
“Good thing her phone was in her pocket and not her bag,” Rand said.
“Fat lot of good that does when she’s not answering the damn thing.”
“At least she can call us if she wants or needs to.”
“Which is why the phone’s silence is pissing me off.” Z took another swig from his bottle.
Rand understood where his friend was coming from. The longer they went without hearing from Sunnie the more Rand’s insides twisted and his chest ached. Her lack of communication made him feel equal parts frustrated, angry, and depressed. And out of control. He hated being out of control. There was nothing he could say that would make either of them feel better so he didn’t bother opening his mouth.
He walked from the room and headed down the hallway as the bell rang again, followed by a fist banging on the door.
“Hold your horses, I’m coming,” he yelled.
When he reached the front door he yanked it open with a forced smile plastered to his face. The second he saw who it was, his gut clenched and the smile turned to a grimace.
“Brandon Davis?” A man in a shirt embroidered with the furniture shop’s name on the breast pocket stood on the doorstep.
“Yeah, that’s me.”
“Sign here, please.” The guy thrust a clipboard at him.
Rand took the board and used the attached pen to scrawl his signature on the dotted line before handing the paperwork back. Another man opened the back of the truck that had reversed into the driveway. Propping the front door open with his foot, Rand turned to yell down the hallway for Z only to come face-to-face with his best friend.
“The bed’s here,” Z said.
“Fuck,” Rand sighed.
They watched the two men wrestle the base out of the truck. If he’d been in a better mood he might have offered to help, but Rand couldn’t bring himself to dredge up any enthusiasm for the delivery. When he’d set up the time it was so they’d all be there. Now he wished they hadn’t been so lucky to get one delivered this quickly. All he had to do was direct the men to his room but even that seemed too difficult. He’d dismantled his old bed when he’d gotten home, and each bolt reminded him of the fact Sunnie wasn’t here. It was what finally made him ring Graham. As the men approached the front door he left Z to hold it open and led the way down the hall.
After the men had gone, Rand couldn’t bring himself to make the new bed even though they had all the sheets washed and ready. Turning on his heel, he headed to the kitchen where Z was cooking dinner. He wasn’t hungry but he knew he needed to eat, so he sat at the table and forced himself to consume some of the curry. Each mouthful stuck in his throat and sat heavy in his stomach. Rand pushed his almost untouched plate aside.
“I can’t eat.”
Z looked up from where he was twirling food around with his fork. “Me either.”
Rand’s phone chirped signaling a text message, and he shoved his chair back so hard it toppled over, crashing to the floor. Bounding across the room, he snatched the device off the counter and pressed buttons until the message appeared on the screen.
“Who is it?” Z asked.
“I found her.”
“What?”
“That’s all he says,” Rand answered.
“Who? Graham?”
“Yeah.” Rand took his eyes off the phone to look at his friend. “He’d have said if she was hurt, right?”
Z nodded. “I’d think so. Are you going to reply?”
“What should I say?”
“That we love her and want her to come home.”
“You don’t think that’s putting pressure on her?” Rand asked.
Z sighed and leaned back in his chair. “Probably. At least get him to tell her we love her. No expectations. Just let her know we’re here when she’s ready.”
“How about…” Rand started pressing buttons. “Tell Sunnie we love her and will wait until she’s ready to talk?” He glanced up at Z.
“And that’s not pressuring her?”
“Okay, okay.” He held the delete button. “I’ll remove the second part.”
“So, ‘tell her we love her’?”
“Yep.” Rand hit Send.
“Now what?” Z asked.
Rand shrugged. “We keep waiting.”
“Shit!” Z slid his chair back and stood. Grabbing his plate, he headed to the sink.
Rand followed. In silence, they packed away the leftovers and loaded the dishwasher. When they were done they wandered into the living room, but neither could settle and if Rand’s own fidgeting hadn’t got on his nerves, Z’s would have. He stared at the television while Z flicked through channels for the millionth time, never stopping long enough to see a full minute, and Rand couldn’t stand it any longer. He pushed to his feet.
“I’m going to shower. Maybe that’ll help.” He walked from the room as though the hounds of hell were on his ass.
He found no solace in the shower, plagued by memories of what had occurred in there mere days ago. When Rand stepped from beneath the hot spray, his shoulders and back were still rigid with tension. He dried off and wrapped the towel around his hips. Running his fingers through his damp hair, he left the bathroom and found himself in Sunnie’s room, staring at her bed. It hadn’t been slept in last night and, by the look of things, would remain empty again tonight. Needing to be close to her, he sat on the edge of the mattress and smoothed his palm over her pillow.
Before he could stop himself, he snatched the pillow from the bed and cradled it against his chest, his face buried in the plush padding. Sunnie’s scent surrounded him, the soft fragrance one she always wore. Rand didn’t know if it was a perfume or body lotion, but he would always associate the smell with Sunnie. It reminded him of summer rain. Clean and fresh. He laid the pillow down and, lifting his legs, stretched out on her bed.
Staring at the ceiling, Rand thought about what he’d told Graham. He’d left nothing out, including that the three of them had taken their friendship to a more intimate level.
Every screeched word Phoebe uttered was etched on his brain. The woman had a knack of turning a situation around to being about her. In her mad ramblings yesterday she’d basically accused Sunnie of wrecking her life—not Sunnie’s, hers. Rand had never liked Phoebe Michaels. Banishing thoughts of that harpy from his mind, he closed his eyes and breathed deep, pulling Sunnie’s scent into his lungs. The familiar smell went a long way to soothing his ragged nerves and turbulent thoughts.
Z pulled on his boxers and left the bathroom to look for Rand. He hadn’t seen him in over an hour and it wasn’t like his best friend not to say good night. The door to Rand’s room was wide open, the new bed unmade and vacant. Bypassing his own room, Z went out into the living room only to find it exactly the way he’d left it before showering. Checking all the windows and doors were locked as he went, Z searched the house before heading to the only two rooms left—his and Sunnie’s.
As expected, his bedroom was empty, but Sunnie’s was another story. Rand lay sprawled on her bed, his hips barely covered by a towel. And he was snoring loud enough to peel paint. Z smiled. How he hadn’t heard Rand before now was a mystery. Glancing at Sunnie’s bedside clock, Z accepted that it was unlikely she’d be returning home tonight. Walking around the end of the bed, he climbed onto the other side of the mattress and stretched out with his hands behind his head. He’d take a leaf out of Rand’s book and try to find peace in Sunnie’s bed even if she wasn’t in it.
He couldn’t be sure why Sunnie had run. There was no doubt she’d have wanted to calm her mother down, but Z felt she’d used that as an excuse to escape. Just when things had been going well Phoebe had to show up and ruin everything. How Sunnie’s mother always managed to be around to pour sadness on the slightest bit of happiness her daughter found—and with such regularity—mystified him and made him think she had some sort of magic powers, or sixth sense at least. She certainly had a flair for making Sunnie believe she didn’t deserve to be happy.
“You don’t smell like Sunnie.”
Z turned his head to look at Rand. “And thank God for that. She smells like flowers.”
“For a second there I thought she’d come home.”
“Ah, shit, sorry.” Z turned back to resume staring at the ceiling. “I didn’t think of that. You were snoring loud enough to demolish walls.”
“Guess I finally succumbed to exhaustion. Didn’t sleep at all last night and work was flat out today.”
“I’m not sure I’ll be as lucky.”
“I take it she hasn’t called.”
“No. Not a word from her or Graham.”
“If there’s still nothing in the morning I’ll ring Graham again. I think I’ll stay home tomorrow. Doubt I’ll get any work done at the office,” Rand said.
“I brought some plans home with me today. I can work on permits and ordering supplies from here.”
“I can’t go back,” Rand murmured.
“Back?” Z looked at his friend.
“Back the way things were.” Rand dragged his hand down his face. “I can’t pretend I wasn’t buried inside heaven if Sunnie doesn’t want to try and make this work.”
“Don’t think I can either. But let’s cross that bridge, when and if we get to it.”
“I can’t help thinking we’re already there.”
“No. We’re standing in sideshow alley watching Phoebe perform. We’ve been here before. Sunnie will come around. Or Phoebe will get tired of her daughter’s attention and move on. Again.”
“Damn. I hope Sunnie wises up before that.”
“Me too, but history says it’s unlikely.”
“So we pick up the pieces again.”
Z sighed. “Yeah. Like every other time cyclone Phoebe blows through Sunnie’s life.”
“I don’t think Graham was too happy to hear that Phoebe was at it again.”
“What did he say?”
“Not much really. Just that he’d put a stop to Phoebe’s interference for good.”
“Wow. Sounds like I’m not the only one looking to read Sunnie’s mother the riot act.”
“I’d say there are five of us in that line. Graham said he’d call Roger and Wayne.”
“Oh, boy.” Z smiled. “Last time the three of them got together Sunnie ended up moving in here in spite of her mother’s loud protests.”
“I remember. The three of them are a force to be reckoned with.”
Z sat up and pulled the cover down so he could crawl underneath. If they were going to spend the night in Sunnie’s bed he may as well get comfortable just in case he did manage to fall asleep. He thumped the pillow a couple of times before lying down and pulling the quilt up to his waist.
“Getting comfy, I see,” Rand said.
“May as well. Don’t see much point in waiting anywhere else.”
“Me either.” Rand pulled off his towel and slid beneath the covers. “Do you think she’ll take the chance?”
“I know it doesn’t look like it now, but yeah, I think she will.”
“Are you sure that’s not just wishful thinking?”
Z chuckled. “There’s a good dose of that in there, but I have to go on how things were before Phoebe showed up and that, my friend, was definitely Sunnie taking a chance.”
Rand smiled. “Yeah, it was.”
“Now we just have to wait out the storm that is Sunnie’s mother and then we can get back to working out the new status quo.”
“I think we were well on the way to establishing that this weekend.”
“We were, but now we have to fit around life. Work, friends, family.”
Rand laughed. “Well, we know how one member of Sunnie’s family feels about things.”
“Phoebe might be Sunnie’s mother, but she’s not family. How many times has Sunnie spent Christmas or birthdays with her in the years since high school?”
Silence met Z’s question. Neither of them seemed to be able to recall when Phoebe had been present.
“Damn. I don’t think Sunnie has spent Christmas with her mother since we were teenagers.”
“Good thing she has her dads and us.”
“You know, now that I think about it, I don’t recall Phoebe being around at Sunnie’s graduation either.”
“No, if I remember right, she was in Bali with her latest sugar daddy when we graduated.”
“Christ. She’s a real piece of work.” Rand looked Z in the eye. “We need to stop her from hurting Sunnie from now on.”
“Oh don’t worry. I plan to make certain she doesn’t hurt her again.”
“You can’t guarantee that. No one can.”
“Maybe not, but I can sure as hell make it difficult for her to get near Sunnie. And I plan on making sure Sunnie knows exactly how much she’s loved every day for the rest of my life.”
“Ditto.”
“She just needs to come home so we can put our plan into action.” Z was fairly confident Sunnie would take a chance on loving them both, but he crossed his fingers just in case.
Chapter Nine
Sunnie flipped through the papers on her mother’s desk. She’d only been here once since Phoebe moved in months ago, and curiosity compelled her to snoop around a little. Her mother didn’t really include Sunnie in her life. Then again, Phoebe didn’t let anyone get too close. Even when Sunnie was a child, Phoebe kept things, people, compartmentalized. All in neat little boxes at arm’s length. At least that’s how it seemed to Sunnie.
Yesterday was a perfect example. The minute they’d walked in the door Phoebe had claimed a headache and taken herself to bed. But not before making Sunnie promise she wouldn’t leave. After all, what loving daughter would abandon her mother in her darkest hour? Sunnie knew her mother had manipulated her, but she’d needed the time to think. To consider her next move—rehash the ones she’d alread
y made. Being alone the entire night had given Sunnie plenty of time to reflect.
By the time morning rolled around Sunnie had come to a decision, one that meant possibly destroying the fragile relationship she had with her mother. But she couldn’t deny she was in love with Rand and Z. Would never forgive herself if she didn’t try to make a deeper relationship work with them. Of course the minute Phoebe had emerged from her bedroom Sunnie’s plans were put on hold. Her mother was in desperate need of help and what self-respecting daughter wouldn’t be there for her mother?
Spending the day with her mother had been an eye-opener. She’d never considered Phoebe as anything other than her mother, but after hours of shopping and salon visits Sunnie began to see the woman behind the mother label. And she didn’t like her. Phoebe was manipulative, petulant, selfish, and downright nasty. She hated to admit that her mother had fewer manners than the five- and six-year-olds Sunnie taught, but there was no use pretending, and she doubted Phoebe would appreciate it if she did.
Their last appointment of the day had been with a hairdresser and manicurist. It seemed Phoebe had a date. Sunnie hadn’t met the new man in her mother’s life, and judging by the way Phoebe hustled out the front door when the bell rang, she wasn’t going to. She glanced at the wall clock. Almost an hour since her mother left and she still hadn’t called a taxi to take her home. Her mother had given her a handful of cash, told her to order pizza, and not wait up. Only Sunnie had no intention of staying another night.
She needed to go home. Wanted to with a sudden urgency that had her quick-stepping across the living room to the phone. As she picked up the handset the doorbell chimed. The melodic rhythm of some classical tune filled the house. Sunnie hurried into the foyer. Reaching the door, she bent to look through the peephole. Even distorted by the miniature lens, Graham Carter was an intimidating presence. Straightening, Sunnie slipped the safety chain free and turned the deadbolt.
As the door opened she had to jump back to avoid being smacked in the face as her fathers rushed in. She wasn’t prepared for the other two men flanking Graham and her stomach dropped to her toes at the sight of Roger and Wayne on either side of him.
