Darlin'

Chapter Ten

The minutes felt like days. Mattie and Cameron were both killed in the same car accident. My head was spinning. No one had ever brought up the driver in the other car. I didn't even know his name. I felt like I was going to be sick or faint. I excused myself to go to the restroom. 

I barely made it to the stall before I hurled up queso and margarita mix. I slumped to the floor, feeling the cold tile under me. I tried to ground myself, trying not to lose my shit. I slid my phone out of my skirt pocket and googled Cameron's name. It didn't take long to find the old articles.

Wreck Leaves Five Dead and One Injured. Drunk Driving Suspected in Crash that Killed Four Teenagers. Reckless Driving Leaves Man Thrown From Vehicle.

I opened the first one.

A crash in the early morning hours today has left five people deceased. Police have identified Cameron Asher Galbraith as the driver of a Chevrolet Silverado. Chase James 19 was identified as the driver of a Ford F250 also carrying Shaylee James 17, Benson Anderson 17, and Mattie Cavanaugh 16. Leslie Jacobs was a passenger in the Chevrolet Silverado. She was the only person in either vehicle wearing a seatbelt and is the lone survivor of the crash. 

My blood ran cold as I read the last name listed in the other car. Mattie fucking Cavanagh. It had been there the whole time. I should have known it. I should have known the names of the people killed alongside Cameron. At the time I had been too angry. Cameron had been out drinking and was headed home to another woman's bed. It was a fact I had tried to forget for so long now. She had been a regular at the bar Cam and I frequented. The police had interviewed her and she claimed not to remember anything from that night. I had always hated her for it. She was the only one who could clear Cam's name and she couldn't even fucking remember what had happened. 

Without her testimony it was up to public opinion to decide who was guilty. They had laid the blame on Cameron who had had a DUI before and was 'old enough to know better'.  I caught myself before I threw the phone down. I wanted to smash it into a million pieces. Instead I picked myself up off the floor, fixed myself the best I could in the mirror and headed back to the table where Rhys patiently waited.

I calmly looked at him and said, "Can you please take me back to the office. I'm not feeling hungry anymore."

He nodded silently. He had already paid the tab it seemed. I made a mental note to pay him back later. This was supposed to have been a celebratory lunch for signing him to the company as my newest client. Now it felt like I had just chained myself to a situation I didn't want to deal with for the next two years. 

The drive back to the office was quiet. Neither of us knew what to say or how to say it. I hopped out of Rhy's Tacoma and headed towards the front door to the office. I turned back to see if Rhys was following me in but he was still sitting in his truck. I stood there a moment longer and watched as he decided to pull out and leave. I didn't blame him. This was a lot to unpack. 

I walked straight into Gwen's office. She started to protest the interruption while she was on a phone call but stopped when she saw my face. 

"Let me call you back Rhonda." She said as I slumped into a chair in front of her desk.

"What happened Lennon?"

I held back the tears that threatened to spill over. "Mattie, Rhys brother, was in the car that collided with Cameron. Rhys and I put it together while at lunch."

Gwen's face turned pale. I was sure it matched my own shade of puce at the moment.

"You have got to be kidding me. How the fuck did I not catch this sooner?"