The Education of Hailey Kendrick - Eileen Cook [71]
“Can I come with you?” Kelsie’s voice was serious.
“Can’t imagine going anywhere without my best friend,” I said.
Kelsie threw her arms around me. “As long as you know that if I’m going, we’re going first class.”
29
After Kelsie left, I closed my eyes, and I must have fallen asleep, because when I opened them again, the room was dimmer, the late afternoon light turning silver gray. I saw a figure standing in the doorway, but with the bright light from the hall, I couldn’t make out who it was.
“Dad?” I asked.
“He just left. He went down to the cafeteria to get something to eat. Watching you sleep can wear a man out.” Drew stepped into the room.
“I was just dozing.” I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to make it look decent, or at least not horrid. I wiped my tongue over my teeth. They felt a bit furry. No one had brushed them for me while I was out cold. My breath probably smelled like dirty gym socks.
“Dozing, huh? You always snore like a truck driver when you doze?”
“I wasn’t snoring,” I insisted.
“Oh, I’m sorry. You weren’t snoring. You were simply choking to death on a live ferret.”
I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing. Drew pulled the chair closer to the bed and sat. Great. He was close enough now to see the smell waves coming out of my mouth.
“Just so you know, typically, bungee jumping works best when you wear the bungee part.” Drew motioned to my leg. “How are you feeling?”
“A bit rough. You know what they say. The fall went fine right up until the very end.” I picked at a loose thread on the blanket. “About the last time we were together . . .”
“You want to apologize.”
I met his eyes, surprised he knew what I was going to say.
“The thought of not having a chance to kiss me again made you throw yourself off a roof. I should be more careful. I know the effect I can have on women.”
I threw one of my pillows at him, then winced from the effort. He caught it before it even came close to his face.
“I was going to apologize for hitting you. There was no excuse for that. And I didn’t throw myself off the roof—for you or anyone else.” I had the feeling I was going to be explaining this to people over and over for weeks. I paused, trying to find the words to explain to Drew how I felt. I couldn’t explain it to myself, so I wasn’t sure how to tell him.
“I know you didn’t try to kill yourself. You’re crazy, but not that kind of crazy. Besides, now that you’ve seen the glory of Denny’s, you’ve got too much to live for.”
“The stuffed French toast was pretty amazing.”
Drew poured a glass of water. “I brought you some more ice while you were out.” He held the glass so I could have a drink. “I figured you’d be thirsty. I’ve been knocked out a few times in hockey. I always wanted a giant glass of water when I came around.”
“Thanks. It was nice you came.”
“I keep telling you, I’m a nice guy.” Drew looked around to make sure we were still alone. “In addition to checking on you, I came to tell you something.”
“Sounds very top secret.”
“I know who’s leaking all the stories to the tabloids.”
I sat up, ignoring the flash of pain. “Who?”
“Mandy Gallaway.”
My mouth fell open. “Why would she sell stories to the press? She hates the tabloids. And it’s not like she needs the money.”
“You might be wrong about that. I asked around. Turns out her grandfather controls the purse strings and he thinks some of her shenanigans make the family look tacky. Sounds like he’s limiting her allowance. Now, she still is getting more money than the average family of four, but with her tastes she’s going to need any extra coin she can get her hands on.”
“Did you actually just use the term ‘shenanigans’? Are you channeling your inner eighty-year-old?”
“I think you’re focusing on the wrong thing again.”
“Are you sure that it’s her?”
“I’m sure. She’s ticked off a lot of people on staff. It’s one thing if she wants to do her own thing, but letting that security guard take the heat was low. The guard was put