“My sister, Chelsea,” Damon said, hooking a finger into the backseat. “And my niece Molly.”
Eli nodded at each of the girls in turn, then his eyes were back on Cain. “And this is?”
Damon hesitated. “This is… Cain.”
That introduction shouldn’t have made Cain wince the way it did. It was simple. Accurate. It was also completely devoid of any claiming whatsoever. Not evenmy friend Cain. Ouch.
“I didn’t know where else to go,” Damon said, urgency in his voice. “I need your help.”
“And you know I’ll always help you.” Eli gave Damon a smile that was way warmer than simple friendship. “Whatcha waitin’ for? Christmas? Getcha ass inside!”
Damon shrugged. “‘Fraid it’s not that easy,” he said sheepishly. “Messed up my leg again. Can’t really walk.”
“Course you did.” Eli smirked. “Come on, then.”
“Cain,” Damon said. “Could you…”
But Eli pushed Damon’s arm and motioned for him to swivel. He waited until Damon had swung his legs out of the car, then reached in and grabbed Damon under the armpit, lifting him to stand. He plastered Damon to his side, and his huge mass supported even Damon’s bulky frame smoothly as he half-carried Damon to the house while the dogs trotted obediently behind.
Cain watched their backs disappear for a moment, then exhaled sharply through his nose and looked at the girls in the backseat. “I guess we’ll follow.” His voice was brittle, but he shut off the car, stepped out, and opened the backdoor to help unbuckle Molly.
“I’ll grab the bags,” he said, and Chelsea nodded as she gathered her daughter into her arms.
Cain loaded himself up with luggage as best he could given his injured arm, and picked his way across the pitch-dark yard. With the headlights off, it was a little like navigating an obstacle course. His eyes still burned and he wanted to cry for reasons that had only a little to do with his sore arm.
Pull it together, Shaw.
He took a deep breath and climbed the rickety porch stairs, then stepped cautiously into the tiny house…
Except it wasn’t so tiny at all.
Like some backwoods TARDIS, the house was enormous on the inside. It had, indeed, been built into the mountain, but rather than the cavernous, dank space Cain had expected, it was a huge, two-story room, with large windows carved through the stone at the far end that would no doubt provide spectacular views in the daytime, wide-plank oak floors, and an enormous fireplace complete with a roaring fire. It even smelled good - like cinnamon and grilled meat all at once.
“Y’all need something to eat?” Eli asked Damon as he got him arranged on a cushy blue sofa near the fire.
“No. We’re fine. You and I need to talk, but is there maybe a place where we can sleep?” Damon suggested. “It’s late, and it’s been a long day. Two days, really.” Then he caught sight of Cain standing there, and his brow lowered. “Cain, what the hell are you doing with those bags?”
Really? “Carrying them,” Cain sniped.
“That’s way too much for you to carry! Are you crazy?” Damon was leaning forward in agitation, like he wanted to stand up.
“Calm down there, chief,” Eli said, bracing his palm against Damon’s chest and easing him back in the seat. “I’ll help the kid out.”
Cain sucked in air through his nostrils and stared up at the rafters, trying to figure out what the worst part of that exchange had been. Damon calling him weak? Or maybe Eli calling him a kid?
Neither. It was the proprietary way Eli had touched Damon, like he had the right.
“I don’t need help,” he said, dropping the bags on the floor. Then he added, “but thanks anyway,” because it felt rude not to.
Eli shrugged. “Anyway. Damon, you can bunk right here on the sofa, just like when you first got here last time. No stairs to get to the bathroom.” He gave Damon a wink. He told Chelsea, “I got two rooms upstairs, and one’s got a pullout. I’ll show ya.” His brow puckered. “You need me to carry her for ya, missy?”
Chelsea shook her head. “No, I’ve got her.”
Eli nodded and ushered her up the stairs.
“Your bags,” Cain reminded her, and Chelsea shot him a grateful look as he handed off two of the bags to Eli.
When Eli and the girls had gone upstairs, he stood awkwardly at the entrance to the living area, staring around the fire-lit room. He tried to think back to the last time he’d felt so out of place and completely unnecessary, yet so completely stuck.
