Stud Like Her by Fiona Zedde

Author:Fiona Zedde [Zedde, Fiona]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Red Hills Publishing

* * *

Much later that evening, she sat in a quiet corner of the hospital and called her parents. Her papa answered.

“Hey,” he greeted her with a smile in his voice. “This is a nice surprise.”

Chance winced. He was right. She didn’t call as much as she should.

“Stop it, love. I didn’t say it to make you feel guilty.” Of course, he knew what she was thinking. “It’s just nice to get a call from you instead of the usual text. Stop overanalyzing.”

She dug the edge of her palm into her eye, rubbing hard. “Um. So, how are you guys? Planning on moving back to Atlanta anytime soon?”

A gentle laugh. “You wish.”

Yeah, she did. But she also knew and almost accepted that it wasn’t going to happen. Her parents were enjoying their retirement in a country of perpetual sunshine, margaritas, and cheap rent.

“I miss you.” She leaned her head back against the wall, inhaling a deep breath which brought with it more of the hospital’s kinda gross antiseptic smell. “Days like this, I wish you guys hadn’t left.”

“What’s brought this on? Maudlin isn’t your usual MO, my little stone.”

Despite the heaviness in her chest, she fought a smile. Her dad was the more romantic of her parents. He’d fought for her to be named Chantal because he’d read somewhere it meant “song.” After she was already named, a little more research revealed it actually meant “stone.”

Karima said with a name like that, Chance had been destined to be a stud lesbian.

Her urge to smile faded away and she felt keenly the coldness of the wall against her almost bare scalp. Chance didn’t feel like confessing to her papa about Miss Betty, that seeing her collapsed on the bare ground, vulnerable and in pain, had hurt her heart. Made her question if she’d told the older woman enough how much she liked, respected, and valued her.

It also reminded her she hadn’t told her own parents those things in a long while.

Instead, she’d been acting like a spoiled child, refusing to visit them in Mexico or accept they didn’t live in Atlanta anymore. She’d been trying to punish them for moving away. But she’d ended up punishing herself too. If she didn’t get it together, she’d lose them, one way or another.

“I just miss you. Both of you.” Behind her closed eyes, tears threatened. “So much.”

“You should come visit, then.” The quiet acceptance and love in her papa’s voice made her want to jump on a plane tonight. Right now, even.

“I will. Very soon.” And she meant it.

For now, she had to be here for Miss Betty and make sure the Axelrods didn’t get away with whatever the hell they were trying to do.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.