“We can get along!”
“Then you sure fooled us. You were getting along, then something happened. We don’t know what but the two of you sure acted like you were avoiding each other on Sunday.”
“Tiffany, I—”
“Good night, Mom. We’ll call you in the morning and tell you our decision.”
Kylie’s stomach dropped to the floor. “Your decision about what?”
“About whatever we decide. Marcus has to call his father now. Goodbye, Mom. I’ll talk to you in the morning, and I promise Marcus and I won’t do anything.”
Before Kylie could open her mouth to say another word, there was a resounding click in her ear.
Kylie quickly snatched up the phone the moment it rang again five minutes later knowing it was Chance.
“Kylie, you okay?”
His deep, husky voice had a comforting effect on her. “Oh, Chance, what are we going to do?”
“You didn’t call the police, did you?”
“No.”
“Good. I got a chance to talk to the both of them and—”
“Can you believe what they’ve done? Just wait until I see them. I’m going to—”
“Calm down, Kylie.”
“Calm down? My child is out somewhere after midnight and you want me to calm down?”
“Yes. My child is out there, too. One good thing is that they’re together.”
“You think that’s a good thing?”
“I trust Marcus, Kylie. He won’t let anything happen to Tiffany. And he gave me his word that they won’t do anything they aren’t supposed to do.”
Kylie glanced out her bedroom window. A fist tightened around her heart knowing her little girl was out there somewhere. “Yes, that’s the same thing Tiffany said,” she murmured quietly. “And you’re right, we’re going to have to trust them.”
Kylie was quiet for a long while, then she said, “Did Marcus tell you why they did it?”
“Yes, he told me.”
“I thought we acted pretty normal on Sunday night,” she said.
“Yeah, but I guess they still picked up on something.”
“Well, even if they thought we weren’t on the best of terms, it wasn’t any of their business!”
“Oh? You finally agree with me about that?”
Kylie frowned. “I’m serious, Chance.”
“I’ve always been serious about that.” He then asked, “Where are you now?”
“In my bedroom.”
“How about going downstairs and putting some coffee on. I doubt if either of us will get much sleep tonight and if we’re going to worry, we might as well do it together. I’m on my way over.”
“All right. I’ll have the coffee ready when you get here.”
Chance made it to Kylie’s house in less than ten minutes. She met him at the door with a cup of steaming hot coffee.
As if it was the most natural thing to do, he leaned over and kissed her lips. “You okay?” he asked quietly, after taking the cup from her hand and following her into her living room, where he sat down on the leather sofa beside her.
“Yes, I’m okay. But I’m still worried about them, Chance. I didn’t think to ask how they were getting around. I assumed Marcus took his car.”
Chance nodded after taking a sip of his coffee. “Yes, he has it. Boy, he’s going to be grounded for life.”
“So is Tiffany and she hasn’t started driving yet. And just to think I had considered surprising her with a car for her sixteenth birthday. She might as well kiss that surprise goodbye.”
“And they pulled this just to make a statement that they didn’t like the way we acted on Sunday. If that doesn’t beat all,” Chance said.
“Yeah, I guess it means a lot to them for us to get along.”
“But it’s not like we argued or anything, Kylie.”
She inhaled deeply. “I know but I guess they were watching us more closely then we thought. You have to admit we were rather distant to each other.”
“Yes, we were,” he readily admitted it. “And I didn’t like it.”
She met his gaze and said, “Neither did I.”
After a few moments of silence she added, “Do you think we’re doing the right thing by not calling the police?”
“Yes. But I did contact my brothers. There was no way I could not let them know. At least I was able to reach Bas and Morgan. Evidently Donovan is still somewhere out on the town and he isn’t answering his cell. But I’ll talk to him tomorrow. And I notified my cousins, as well, in case Marcus contacts them.”
Kylie’s nodded. “I forgot about your basketball game in the morning.”