Max won in half a second. Of course he did. He always would.
“I’m coming right now,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt. “I’m so sorry they couldn’t reach me sooner—my phone was on silent for the meeting. Did you try calling his dad?”
“We did,” Susan said carefully, and I heard the slight hesitation in her voice. “We went down the emergency contact list. We tried you first, then Mr. Carter, and when we didn’t get an answer from either of you right away, we called your mother.” She paused, like she wasn’t entirely sure she should repeat what came next. “She said she couldn’t come. That she was busy. I’m sorry.”
I swallowed hard, the taste in my mouth suddenly metallic and bitter. “I’ll be there as fast as I can. Please tell Max I’m on my way.”
I grabbed my bag, already texting my manager, a single thought pounding through my head: Get to Max.
