Payton just shrugged. The wild, bubbly girl that I’d grown up with had disappeared.
She angled her head away from me, but I could hear her sniffling. “Payton, look at me.”
She shook her head. I stood from the swing and walked in front of her, crouching down. She angled her head further into her shoulder, her hair hiding her face.Yeah, that’s just not going to work for me.I took her hands in mine. “Pay, I know this feels like the worst day of your life. Trust me, I get it.”
Everyone always said “I’m so sorry” when someone died and acted like they knew what the people suffering the loss were going through, but unless they’d gone through it themselves, they had no clue. I, unfortunately, was well aware of what this felt like, having only been a year ago that this was me in this same position, saying goodbye to my father after he had a heart attack at work. He was gone before the paramedics even got there.
“But you’re going to get through this.”
Her eyes finally met mine, and the pain circling in her eyes caused a deep pain in my chest. It was as if someone had just sliced my chest open and had my heart in their hand and squeezed. I wished I could take this pain away from her and protect her from the world. But that wasn’t how life worked.
“Don’t push everyone away. Your family needs you, just like you need them.”
She slowly nodded and silently stood. With her arms wrapped around my waist, she buried her face in my chest. She clung to me as if I were her lifeline—the way someone clings to a life preserver to keep from drowning. I’d do anything tokeep her from drowning in her grief. I rested my cheek on the top of her head and let her release her emotions. After a few minutes, her breathing evened slightly, and she wiped tears off her cheeks. Watching Payton fall apart hurt me more than anything.
“Thank you for being there, Rhy. This week would have been a hundred times worse without you.”
“I’m always here for you, Payton. No matter what, okay?” She nodded against my chest. “You ready to go back inside?”
She shook her head and tightened her hold on me. “Can we stay out here just a few minutes longer?”
“Absolutely.” I held her closer to my chest. “Whatever you need.” It was in that moment that I realized how perfectly she fit in my arms and that I never wanted this moment to end.
“Hey, are you even listening to me?” My best friend snaps his fingers in my face, pulling me from my thoughts of a memory from the day things really changed for me.
“I’m sorry, what?”
“Are you feeling okay, man?” Ollie studies me.
“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” I wipe my sweaty palms on my chef’s whites.
“I don’t know, you tell me. You just seem a little off.”
“Nope.”Yep.“I’m feeling just fine.”Not at all full of nerves about your sister’s first shift.“Maybe just a little tired.”Or a lot tired because I couldn’t stop thinking about your sister last night and woke up with my hand wrapped around my dick.
Ollie doesn’t get to respond because Payton rushes into the kitchen. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she says frantically. “I’m sorry I’m late.”
I look down at my watch and smirk. She’s literally right on time, but only Payton would believe she was already late.
“If you’re not early, you’re late,” Ollie says sarcastically. We both know that had either of us mentioned she was on time, thatwas exactly what she would have said. However, I know better than to say anything aloud, otherwise I’d be getting alongside Ollie.
That only makes me laugh more.
Ollie steps away for a second, and Payton’s eyes move toward mine. I give her a reassuring smile before Ollie returns with a black smock in his hand. “Here, this is for you.”
My eyes rake down Payton’s body. The shirt with Tilley’s logo over her right breast clings to her in all the right places. Part of me loves it, while the caveman in me hates it because if I notice, I know there’s no way in hell no one else won’t notice.
Payton nods along as she listens to Ollie’s instructions. I try not to pay too much attention to them, but I can’t help it. When it comes to Payton Mosby, I’m like a damn moth to a flame. Even in a crowded room, I can find her in mere moments.
I catch the end of their conversation. “So I’m going to have you follow Sara Bethfor tonight, but you’ll be on your own in no time. It won’t be too crazy, and we’re all here if you need anything. Okay?”
Payton nods, but I can see the hesitation behind her eyes.
Someone calls Ollie’s name outside of the kitchen, and he leaves after giving his sister a reassuring squeeze on the arm. I continue to busy myself while I secretly observe her. Payton wraps the apron around her waist, and after I watch her struggle for the third time to tie the strings around her waist, I give up and close the distance between us.
I step up behind her so that her back is just inches away from my front. “Here, let me help.”
“Thank you,” she says softly over her shoulder.
