Free Chasing Rhodes (Rock Falls #1) by Anne Jolin Page A

fix the washing machine and you invited him to stay for dinner? How very Desperate Housewives of you, Beth.”
    “Oh, shut up. You’re both a bunch of jackasses, you know that?” She’s smiling now too.
    “Maybe so, but we’re your jackasses, sis! Besides, I’m happy for you. You guys have been running circles around each other for years.”
    “I don’t like him. Not like that. We’re friends,” she rushes out defensively.
    Lennon and I both roll our eyes as we stand to get out of the steam room.
    Three hours later and we’ve all been pampered to within an inch of our lives. Every part of me has been massaged and my nails have been painted a deep red to match the roses Greyson got me. I’m thrilled that Lennon drove because I’m so relaxed that I’m not sure it would be safe for me to get behind the wheel of a car anytime soon. We stop at Starbucks to grab a drink on the way home, coffee for the girls— yuck— and hot chocolate for me. It’s almost five and I decide to text Greyson even though I’ll see him soon.
    Me : The spa was amazing! Hope your day has been uneventful. See you at 7!
    Normally, Beth would be coming to dinner with me at my parents, but tonight is about them getting to know my new boyfriend, so she decided to stay home and rent a movie with Lennon instead. Greyson doesn’t text me back, but that is sometimes common for him if they’re having a busy shift.
    By seven o’clock, Lennon has curled my hair and I am dressed casually in black jeans and a grey over-the-shoulder sweater. I paired it with my brown, knee-high boots and a massive green scarf. This weekend has been amazing, and dinner tonight is going to be the cherry on top of everything! It’s too bad Kai’s trip home was cancelled. I was hoping he’d be in town to see everyone.
    I go out to the living room and plop down on the couch with the girls to wait for Greyson. It’s seven fifteen now and he still hasn’t shown up. I send another text.
    Me : Did you have to work late? I can meet you there if that’s easier.
    By seven thirty, he still hasn’t answered.
    “Maybe his phone died?” Lennon offered. Maybe it did. I give my mom a quick call to let her know that we are running late and would be there soon. She said that it’s no problem and Dad would put the meat on the grill when we get there. It may be winter and the ground may be covered in snow, but my dad grills all year round.
    It’s eight o’clock now and I’m torn between being worried about Greyson and leaving my parents hanging. I decide to head over to my parents and call the station on my way there. As I’m walking out the door, I send Greyson a message to let him know that I’ll meet him there.
    Me : I hope everything is okay. I’m headed over to my parents. Meet me there.
    I call the station on the drive to my parents to make sure that everything is okay. Sometimes, if they get a bad call late in their shift, it is possible for them to work late and not be able to call. The chief’s assistant tells me that there were no problems on shift today and he got off on time. Well that’s weird.
    I try calling him, thinking that maybe he fell asleep after work and my texts didn’t wake him. No answer. I am really starting to get pissed now. Where the fuck is he? I try calling him once more, but there is still no answer. I send a final text, working hard to bite back my anger.
    Me : Not sure what happened to you. Call me.
    Greyson never shows up at my parents’ house for dinner. He never calls. He never texts. In fact, I don’t hear from him for over a week.

I F IT WEREN’T for the fact that I called to find out if he’d shown up to work on Sunday morning, I wouldn’t have even known if he was alive. The night he didn’t show for dinner, my imagination quickly got the better of me. At first, I was convinced that he’d wrapped his truck around a tree in the bad weather, but no one had mentioned anything, and like I said before, it’s a small town.