through the power of your mind? I bet the key would work better."
That only got a tiny smile. "Caid, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to get you back on the coffee, okay? I just remembered a thing I need to do…"
I blinked. "Uh…okay, sure." I stepped back hastily as she started the car and put it in gear. "Robyn?"
But she just waved briefly and pulled away.
I walked to my car slowly, pulling on my sweatshirt.
What the hell just happened?
##
Friday morning, Robyn left a message canceling dinner that evening, saying she was going out of town.
Saturday morning, her picture was in the paper. She and Josh had been photographed coming out of the The Mondrian, a supposed LA hotspot, the night before. I stared at the picture for a long time, surprised at the intensity of the betrayal I felt.
Sunday morning I went mountain biking, pushing myself hard and taking risks, hoping to push thoughts of Robyn out of my head with adrenaline.
Sunday afternoon, after a two-hour stop at the emergency room, I limped into my house with a swollen jaw, bruised ribs, several nasty scratches and a two thousand dollar bike that was probably totaled.
And Robyn was still in my head.
The phone rang as I was loading the blender with ice for an icepack. I let the blender run and took the phone out of the kitchen as I answered.
It was Liz. "Caid, where are you?? We expected you hours ago."
I could hear voices in the background, and could tell instantly that she was at least one drink on the wrong side of one drink to many. I heard someone in the background - it sounded like Danny - asking very loudly where the fuck I was.
Crap. I'd totally forgotten. Danny's house-warming at his new place in West Hollywood.
"Ah, shit, Liz, I forgot about it. I went biking this morning…"
"You forgot?!?" I winced, pulling the phone back slightly from my ear. My head throbbed, my jaw ached, my ribs…my ribs felt like someone had taken a baseball bat to them repeatedly.
"Yeah, I'm sorry…listen, tell Danny…"
"Now that you've been reminded, get your butt over here!" She giggled wildly.
Make that two or three drinks.
"I can't, Liz." I walked back into the kitchen and turned off the blender. Holding the phone to my ear with my shoulder, I poured the crushed ice into a large zip lock baggie, refilled the blender, and started it up again.
"Of course you can. Just get in that shiny little car of yours and start driving. It'll take you thirty minutes, tops." She paused. "What in the hell is that noise? Where are you?"
"I'm at home - you just called me on my home phone, remember?"
"No one likes a smart-ass, Caid." I didn't answer, biting back a groan as I pulled up my shirt and placed the ice on my battered ribs. I pulled the stretchy material down over the bag, holding it in place, then turned off the blender and filled another, smaller bag. "Caid, what are you doing? Why can't you come?"
I debated making up an excuse, but Liz, and everyone else, would see the damage in the morning anyway.
"I crashed my bike this morning, and right now I'm putting ice on various parts of my body that didn't fare so well when I went flying over the handlebars at twenty miles an hour and rolled down a hill."
It took her a while to decipher it - I could hear people talking to her in the background, and her trying to shush them and concentrate on what I'd just said.
"You crashed? Caid, are you alright?"
I smiled. She really could be very sweet. "Yes, I'm okay, the hospital people said…"
"The hospital ?" she gasped. "You're at the hospital ?"
Okay. Maybe the entire truth hadn't been necessary.
I sighed, and held the smaller bag to my jaw. "No, Liz, remember, I'm at home? Where you called me?"
"But Caid, you said the hospital people…"
"Liz," I interrupted firmly, sensing a mini Liz freak-out coming and forestalling it. "I was at the hospital to get checked out. Now I'm home. I'm fine. Well, I'm not completely fine, but I will be. But I don't feel up to coming to
That only got a tiny smile. "Caid, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to get you back on the coffee, okay? I just remembered a thing I need to do…"
I blinked. "Uh…okay, sure." I stepped back hastily as she started the car and put it in gear. "Robyn?"
But she just waved briefly and pulled away.
I walked to my car slowly, pulling on my sweatshirt.
What the hell just happened?
##
Friday morning, Robyn left a message canceling dinner that evening, saying she was going out of town.
Saturday morning, her picture was in the paper. She and Josh had been photographed coming out of the The Mondrian, a supposed LA hotspot, the night before. I stared at the picture for a long time, surprised at the intensity of the betrayal I felt.
Sunday morning I went mountain biking, pushing myself hard and taking risks, hoping to push thoughts of Robyn out of my head with adrenaline.
Sunday afternoon, after a two-hour stop at the emergency room, I limped into my house with a swollen jaw, bruised ribs, several nasty scratches and a two thousand dollar bike that was probably totaled.
And Robyn was still in my head.
The phone rang as I was loading the blender with ice for an icepack. I let the blender run and took the phone out of the kitchen as I answered.
It was Liz. "Caid, where are you?? We expected you hours ago."
I could hear voices in the background, and could tell instantly that she was at least one drink on the wrong side of one drink to many. I heard someone in the background - it sounded like Danny - asking very loudly where the fuck I was.
Crap. I'd totally forgotten. Danny's house-warming at his new place in West Hollywood.
"Ah, shit, Liz, I forgot about it. I went biking this morning…"
"You forgot?!?" I winced, pulling the phone back slightly from my ear. My head throbbed, my jaw ached, my ribs…my ribs felt like someone had taken a baseball bat to them repeatedly.
"Yeah, I'm sorry…listen, tell Danny…"
"Now that you've been reminded, get your butt over here!" She giggled wildly.
Make that two or three drinks.
"I can't, Liz." I walked back into the kitchen and turned off the blender. Holding the phone to my ear with my shoulder, I poured the crushed ice into a large zip lock baggie, refilled the blender, and started it up again.
"Of course you can. Just get in that shiny little car of yours and start driving. It'll take you thirty minutes, tops." She paused. "What in the hell is that noise? Where are you?"
"I'm at home - you just called me on my home phone, remember?"
"No one likes a smart-ass, Caid." I didn't answer, biting back a groan as I pulled up my shirt and placed the ice on my battered ribs. I pulled the stretchy material down over the bag, holding it in place, then turned off the blender and filled another, smaller bag. "Caid, what are you doing? Why can't you come?"
I debated making up an excuse, but Liz, and everyone else, would see the damage in the morning anyway.
"I crashed my bike this morning, and right now I'm putting ice on various parts of my body that didn't fare so well when I went flying over the handlebars at twenty miles an hour and rolled down a hill."
It took her a while to decipher it - I could hear people talking to her in the background, and her trying to shush them and concentrate on what I'd just said.
"You crashed? Caid, are you alright?"
I smiled. She really could be very sweet. "Yes, I'm okay, the hospital people said…"
"The hospital ?" she gasped. "You're at the hospital ?"
Okay. Maybe the entire truth hadn't been necessary.
I sighed, and held the smaller bag to my jaw. "No, Liz, remember, I'm at home? Where you called me?"
"But Caid, you said the hospital people…"
"Liz," I interrupted firmly, sensing a mini Liz freak-out coming and forestalling it. "I was at the hospital to get checked out. Now I'm home. I'm fine. Well, I'm not completely fine, but I will be. But I don't feel up to coming to
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