All Summer Long (Fool's Gold #9)(81)

“Me, either,” Charlie admitted, watching Clay speak with his mother who waited on hold on the phone. She turned back to Dominique and lowered her voice. “Evie, Evangeline, is the youngest by several years. She’s not exactly close to her mom.”

Dominique swung around to stare at May. “Now that you mention it, I don’t remember her mentioning a daughter. But that’s not possible. May is the perfect mother.” She frowned.

Charlie surprised her by putting her arm around her. “Not with Evie. I don’t know very much except she moved out when she was still a teenager and hasn’t been back. I know Clay and Shane have kept in touch with her, but even they didn’t know she was a cheerleader.”

Dominique took that in. If someone as good and understanding as May could make mistakes, there was hope for everyone else.

May seemed to collapse a little. Glen held her close while Rafe took the phone from her and pressed it to his ear.

From what Dominique had seen, Evie had been put on a stretcher and carried off the field. She hadn’t opened her eyes or even moved. The hit had been a hard one. Anything could have happened.

“Los Angeles isn’t that far,” Dominique said. “Someone could get a flight out of Sacramento and be there in a couple of hours.”

“I’m sure that’s what will happen,” Charlie said.

May excused herself and left the kitchen. Dominique hesitated a second, then followed. She followed May into the guest room on the main floor.

“I’m sorry,” she said, coming up to her friend. “You must feel awful.”

May nodded, her arms wrapped around her midsection. “I can’t believe what happened. I don’t think she was moving. Did you see her move?”

Dominique stepped closer and held May tight. “Let’s find out what the doctor has to say before you assume the worst. I’ve seen hundreds of injuries in my day, let me tell you. Modern medicine is a miracle. I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

May drew in a breath. Her whole body was shaking. “I didn’t know,” she whispered. “I didn’t know what my own daughter was doing. I haven’t spoken to her in years. Sometimes I let myself forget about her because when I remember, I know I was wrong. And I don’t know how to fix that.”

Tears filled May’s eyes. “That’s why I wanted to help you with Charlie. One of us should get it right.”

“You can still get it right with Evie,” Dominique said, enjoying being the one offering comfort rather than taking it. “She’s going to need you now more than ever.”

“What are you talking about?”

“She’s been hurt. She needs her family.”

Dominique remembered an idiot stumbling into her while she was leaping into a grand jeté, knocking her off balance. She had crashed to the ground, feeling as if several bones had snapped. All she’d been able to think was how much she’d wanted Dan. He, of course, had been with Charlie. Dominique had been on tour, in London, painfully far from home. She’d recovered. She’d only missed three performances. But the sense of vulnerability had stayed with her. If Evie was seriously injured, she would want to be with those who loved her.

“You think I should go to her?” May asked.

“Of course.”

May shook her head and took a step back. “No. She doesn’t want me. I’ll send her brothers. She likes them.”

“You’re her mother.”

“You don’t know what I did. I can never take it back.”

“Whatever it was, I did much worse and Charlie has forgiven me. She needs you, May. This is your chance to be there for her.”

Clay walked into the room. “I just got off the phone with the local air-charter company. Finn can fly us to L.A. right now. We’re meeting him at the Fool’s Gold airport in fifteen minutes. The flight will take just over an hour. Annabelle and Heidi are going to work the phones and get in touch with Finn’s office. They’ll radio him when we find out where Evie is and we’ll land as close as we can.” Clay’s eyes narrowed. “You coming, Mom?”

“Of course she is,” Dominique said, giving her friend a little push toward the door. “Go on. The rest of us will take care of things here at the house. Make sure one of you calls us and lets us know how she is.”

May glanced between them. “All right. Yes, I’ll go, too. You’re right. I need to be there.”

She stepped into the hallway. Dominique expected Clay to follow, but he surprised her by walking over and hugging her. “I see a lot of potential in you, Mrs. Dixon,” he said, then kissed her on the cheek.

Five minutes later, May and her sons were gone. Glen had driven them to the airport. Heidi and Annabelle were working two cell phones, trying to find out where Evie was. Charlie walked over to her mother.

“That was unexpected,” she said. “I hope Evie’s okay.”

“Me, too.” Dominique looked at her daughter. “I quite like your young man.”

Charlie smiled. “Me, too.”

* * *

“I WOULDN’T do that if I were you,” Shane said.

Clay paused in the hallway. “You scared of a girl?”

“She’s not a girl. She’s our sister, and, yes.” Shane glanced back toward the downstairs guest-bedroom door. “You think you can do better? Go ahead.”