Page 92 of Recipe for Rivals
Nova glanced at Chad’s retreating back. “Dusty, we both know this wasn’t your fault. I’ll handle it. You go take care of your family.”
By family, she meant my grandpa.
Was it pathetic that I wanted to cry? Nova immediately trusted that I hadn’t asked for the fight. Her kindness bowled into me like sunlight in the early morning, blinding me with gratitude and an overwhelming surge of appreciation.
Nova seemed to sense my thoughts, because she took a step closer. “Go. I have this.”
I nodded, at a total loss for words. Grandpa was quiet when I reached him. Together we weaved through the crowd to head back to my truck. Once I got him situated and his walker tucked safely in the back, I climbed in and rested my hands on the wheels. “Want to grab a Frosty before we take you back?”
“I’m a little tired,” he said.
I glanced at him before pulling onto the road and noticed that he looked weary. I turned up his favorite country radio station and leaned into my seat. I’d disappointed him, and he didn’t want to discuss it.
Well, upon further consideration, neither did I.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
NOVA
Monday night,I counted eight days in a row that Carter had called to talk to the kids and Ben had refused to come to the phone. Eight days of ignoring his dad.
“What have you said to him?” Carter asked, disbelief marring his words.
I had just gotten Alice out of the bath and wrapped in a towel while Carter spoke on speakerphone from the counter. “Careful,” I said. “The kids can hear you.”
Well, Alice could as she dripped on the bath rug in front of me. As soon as I mentioned that their dad was calling, Ben jumped up from the tub and ran out of the bathroom, trailing water along the linoleum floor and out to the carpet. I’d grabbed a towel and chucked it toward him, which he came back for, but the carpet was going to take a while to dry. I could’ve used one of those giant fans the firefighters had.
I had finally answered the third time he called and held the phone out so Alice could chat with him while she played with the bubbles and her Barbies.
“Then take the phone to another room,” he snapped.
Okay. Wow. There were two options here. First, I could hangup on Carter. He didn’t have a right to speak to me like that. Or second, Icouldgo in the other room and try to get to the bottom of it with him. Were our roles reversed, my heart would be broken if Ben didn’t want to talk to me for over a week.
Then again, that wouldn’t happen. I always paid attention to my kids.
I took him off speakerphone and put it to my ear, nodding at Alice to go on and get her pajamas on. I waited until she left the bathroom, sank onto the closed toilet seat, and clenched my teeth. “Let’s chat when you’ve had time to find a better mood.”
“Nova—”
“No, Chad, seriously. It’ll give me a chance to talk with Ben and?—”
“Who’s Chad?”
“What?”
“You called me Chad. Who is Chad?”
My stomach fluttered anxiously. Had I? I must have, or how else would Carter know his name? “Just a friend.”
“The guy who was at your house last week with the cat?”
“No.”
He was silent for a second. “So…what? Are you dating two guys?”
“I’m not dating anyone.” Again, not that it was any of his business. “We aren’t going to talk about this. Let me speak to Ben. He’s probably going through something, and we need to get to the bottom of it. I don’t know why?—”
“I have an idea why he won’t to talk to me. It must be your new boyfriends.”