They nodded. I loved that my friends were awesome enough to offer their company, but they also knew me well enough to know when I needed them to back off.
I put on my favorite black flip flops and headed downstairs. A few of the girls looked at me, and I fake smiled. “I’ll be back later.” I figured my roommates could fill them in on the rest.
I wasn’t sure where I was going, but I needed the fresh air. My feelings about my father were already conflicted, this just made it worse. I decided to head to Waterfront Park.
I still remembered the day Dad left Gasden. He’d kissed me goodbye and promised I’d still see him all the time. Ten years later, I saw him once a year if I was lucky. He was an exec at Piedmont Capital, one of the largest banking institutions in the U.S. I was his small town daughter. I had nothing to offer him, and he made that crystal clear. My mother made the best of it when he decided he was tired of commuting back and forth. In other words, he was tired of us.
I wasn’t paying attention to where I was when I heard my name.
“Mallory?”
I kept walking, ignoring him. Was my luck really that bad? Colt happened to be sitting on the Kappa porch with his pledge class?
“Mal! Wait up.”
I slowed, he’d catch up anyway.
“Are you okay?” He put a gentle hand on mine. His eyes were equally gentle, and for some reason, that made me lose it.
“Hey. What’s going on?” He pulled me into his arms. He just held me and let me cry. I appreciated that he didn’t attempt to make me talk again.
I let him hold me for a few moments before I could regain my composure. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. What’s going on?” He looked at me with concern.
“My dad had a heart attack.”
“What? When?”
“Tonight. My mom called a little while ago.”
“Is he all right? Are you going to Charlotte?”
“I don’t know.”
“Let me drive you if you do. You shouldn’t do it alone.”
“No. I’ll be fine. You’ve got your pledging and everything.”
He laughed dryly. “Like that would stop me. I know how hard this has to be for you.”
He was one of the few people who did. He was the only one at Harrison who knew the truth of how strained my relationship with my dad was.
In college, having the exec dad was helpful for once. It made it easier to shed my small town image. No one cared about what town I was from once they figured out who gave me my last name. They assumed it meant I had money, and that put me in a different category.
Colt ran a hand down my back. “Have you talked to Davie?”
I shook my head. “No. I figured he’d call if he wanted to talk.”
“Yeah. He’s not the biggest talker.”
“You can go back to whatever it was you were doing.”
“It’s just a stupid pledge thing.” Concern still marred his face.
“Go on. I want to be alone anyway.”
“Are you positive?” He watched me warily. “I really don’t care if I miss anything.”
“Go. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. I’ll have to loop back to the house soon anyway. My friends will freak if I’m not home before dark.”
“You’ve got some good friends.”
“Yeah, I do.” I included him in that group. Maybe things with Colton could work out.
“Do me a favor. Let me know what your mom says tomorrow. I’m serious about going with you.”
“I’ll keep you posted.” I had no intention of taking Colton up on the ride, but I’d let him know any updates.
“Okay. Take care of yourself.” He squeezed my hand before jogging back to his house.
I watched his retreating figure. I remembered back on how I’d watched him at football practice during high school. I had such a crush on him, but I spent half of high school dating his brother. It would have looked awful if anyone knew the truth about how I felt. At one time, I’d convinced myself I was in love with Jack. I’d said the words, but the more time passed since the breakup, the less likely that seemed. My mom called it puppy love, and I was beginning to think she was right.
My phone rang a few minutes later. It was Tanner. I let it go to voicemail. I waited for the notification before checking for a message.
Hey, Mallory. I heard about your dad. If you want to talk or anything, let me know. Also my dad’s a cardiologist at Emory. I can have him get involved if you want.
The sentiment was thoughtful, but I wasn’t in the mood to talk. I made my way back to the house, glad when I realized the girls had put on a second movie. I snuggled in between Juliet and Cara on the couch. The Delta Mu house was beginning to feel more and more like home.
Chapter Twelve
My mom called first thing in the morning. I’d gone to sleep with my phone on the pillow next to me, and the blaring rendition of Taylor Swift’s Red startled me.
“Mom?” I answered groggily.
“He’s looking good, honey.”
I woke up fully. “Oh, good.”
“I didn’t talk to him directly, but it sounds promising. He was moved out of the ICU overnight.”
“Does he want us to come?” I propped myself up with my pillow.
She didn’t say anything for a moment. “Don’t take this the wrong way.”
“He doesn’t want to see me.” I choked back the hurt. Juliet stirred. I’d forgotten the girls had insisted on sleeping in the room.
“It’s not that. He just doesn’t want you to see him in his condition. He wants to wait until he’s better.”
“But he’ll see Davie.” I didn’t have the energy to hide the iciness in my voice even though it obviously wasn’t her fault.
“Please don’t get upset. You know how he is.”
“Yeah, I know.” I needed to calm down. Breaking down in front of my roommates wouldn’t be good. “Thanks for the info.”
“I love you. Please don’t let this get you too upset.”
“I won’t,” I said just to placate her. “Love you too.”
I hung up, set aside my phone, and leaned back against the pillow. Half of me wanted to go back to sleep, but the other half wanted to run until I was so exhausted nothing else mattered.
“What’s the word?” Juliet asked sleepily.
“He’s fine.”