Read Mending for Free Online Page B

name.  He maintained his position, turning just his head to look back at her.  His blue eyes were playful.  His lips were curved into a crooked adorable boyish grin.  The sight of his face was more than she could handle.  She pressed ignore, immediately pulling the car over to the shoulder and let the flood gates down again as her sobs returned.  They caused her body to quake and tremble. 
    Before she had pulled back onto the interstate, the phone rang for a second time.  She knew it wasn’t him.  The ringtone was different.  It was “Old Time Rock and Roll”.  That was Sam’s ringtone.  It was from their favorite movie with their mom, Steele Magnolias.  They would dance around the living room pretending bottles were microphones, singing and being silly.  The memory made Gabby smile for the first time since she had left Bradley’s apartment.  It became clear that no matter what she did, she couldn’t get him off her mind.  She also knew by the timing of the call that more than likely Bradley had called Sam and informed her of what had happened. 
    Gabby realized there was no way she could even begin to talk to another human being.  Her goal was to put herself back together and get back on the road.  It was getting late and it would be dark soon.  She still had well over an hour’s drive to get back to Columbia.  Like she had done when Bradley called, she swiped the ignore button.
    She sat up straight in her driver’s seat of her Honda and arched her back causing it to pop.  She arched again and stretched to the right, making more popping and repeated again to the left.  She cracked her neck from left to right and back again.  Taking several cleansing breaths in and out, she wiped her burning eyes, and dried her chapped face.
    She looked back over her left shoulder again waiting for an opportunity to merge back into traffic on the interstate.  When the time came, she pressed her foot firmly against the gas and accelerated with resolve.  Her new goal for herself was to make it home without having to stop again for crying over Bradley Banks, to not think about him another minute.  She decided the best way to do that was to cut her phone off and to play car games with herself.  Her favorite was the alphabet game, where you have to find signs or license plates with a letter from the alphabet (in order).  Yes, mindless games would help her forget her worries.

    The trip home had taken almost five hours after factoring in bathroom breaks, stopping to get herself something to eat, and the time she had pulled over to cry.  Thankful she was finally at her apartment in Columbia, she dragged her suit case out of the trunk of the car, threw her purse on her shoulder and sulked into the building.
    When she walked into the apartment, she dropped her things and plopped down on the couch, completely and utterly spent.  She decided she should probably turn her phone back on and let Sam know she had made it home safely.  When it powered up, the voicemail symbol popped up.  She swiped to open the visual voicemail.  There were five messages from Bradley and there were ten from Sam.
    Gabby hung her head low and fought back tears once again.  She felt so bad for having caused Sam to worry, but she still wasn’t confident in her ability to talk about the situation with anyone.  Hell, she wasn’t sure of her ability to talk, period. 
    She pressed play for the first of Bradley’s messages.
    Bradley:  2:34pm
    “Gabby, I know you’re upset with me.  Will you please call me back.  Let’s talk this out, please.”
    Bradley:  2:38pm
    “Gabby, even if you don’t want to talk, at least text me back and let me know you’re ok.”
    Gabby wasn’t sure she could continue to listen to his voice.  She had not even been aware of the tears that had once again started streaming down her face as she listened to his messages.  She had never heard him sound like that.  His voice was always confident and