22
Mateo resisted the urge to call Abigail for two hours, thirty minutes and forty two seconds. The moment he caught a break in his schedule, however, he sequestered himself in the locker room and dialed the number for his old cell.
It rang and rang. He was just about to give up when Abigail picked up. Her sweet voice over the line still felt like something from a dream and it took him a while to answer.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Abby.”
That’s right. Keep it casual.
“Hello, Mateo.” There was a catch in her voice that carried a hint of distress.
He snapped to attention and gripped the phone closer to his ear. “Is everything okay?” “Everything is fine,” she said.
“Where are you?”
“I’m walking by the sea wall.”
“Walking? By yourself?”
“Yes.”
“Stay right there.” He fished in his pants pockets
