I pinched the bridge of my nose and held in a sigh. If anyone would know how to handle this, it would be him, but the father in him would feel obligated to tell Dad, and I wouldn’t betray my sister like that. I tried to convince her to tell our parents what was going on, but that was her decision, not mine.
“Yes, she’s going to School of Visual Arts. If she’s happy, I’m happy. I know better than to argue with her when she makes a decision.”
“Yes, feisty little thing.” He laughed. “Hey, I know you’re not big on patience, but take it slow and steady up there. Find joy where you can.”
“Why the long face? Is the machine empty?”
I lifted my head, and my gaze slid to Danielle’s. Her mouth twitched into a wide smile when her eyes locked with mine. Her dark hair was down for the first time and cascaded over her shoulders in waves. A grin lifted my cheeks as I hoped she missed the gasp falling from my lips. In the rare moments she relaxed, she was so gorgeous, she stole my breath.
“I am.” I smiled at Danielle as she approached my table. “I better go. Thanks for calling, Uncle Evan.”
“What kind of godfather would I be if I didn’t check on you? See you soon, kid.”
I ended the call and reached over to pull out the chair next to me. Danielle always darted her eyes away when I did that, but I still caught the pink rising in her cheeks. A simple, nice gesture surprised her too much. I wished she’d tell me why.
“Just a long couple of days.”
“You’ve been quiet.” She dug into a large bag and pulled out two Tupperware containers. “Instead of candy, I thought you could use some cake.”
“You baked me a cake?” I squinted at Danielle, hiding the twitch of my lips when she handed me my own container and fork.
“Kyle usually asks for this cake every birthday. I don’t cook or bake a lot, but I make a mean double chocolate cake.” Her lips pursed, and it was all I could do not to grab the back of her head and taste them. “You’ve been a little down in the dumps, and cake always does the trick for me. I planned on surprising you tonight, but one of the surgeons called me late to check on a patient, so I was a little delayed.” She scooted closer and put her hand over my wrist. “I know you’re frustrated at your progress, but I wouldn’t lie to you. You’re moving along in huge leaps and bounds—”
“It’s not that.”Not only that.I brought a forkful of cake to my mouth and held back a moan. I wanted this cake for every birthday, too. Warmth spread into my chest at Danielle baking me a cake to make me feel better. “I finally found out my sister’s secret.”
She nodded and rested her elbows on the table. “I spotted you guys outside the other day, and things looked a little tense. I didn’t want to ask you unless you brought it up. You don’t have to tell me what it is.”
I laid the fork down and massaged my temple. “I’ll tell you. Be nice to tell someone,” I muttered. “Dylan is my sister’s secret. They’ve been … seeing each other all summer.” I lifted my head to Danielle’s widened gaze.
“He’s your age, and your sister is—”
“A teenager. A legal one, but still. My dad is going to go through the roof. They still don’t know, and she begged me not to say anything. I’m kind of glad I’m here and not there. I sure as hell don’t want to be around that day.”
“Your dad was always a nice guy, from what I remember. I never thought of him as rigid like that. He’d really be that upset?”
I snickered and gave her a slow nod. “Oh yeah. It’s not that he’s not a great guy. He’s very protective when it comes to my sister. And Dylan … well, I didn’t see that coming, and Dad won’t either. Dylan’s been my best friend since we were in first grade, and they think of him and his mother as extended family. PJ had a crush on him, but I never thought it was … mutual.” I grimaced, hoping for the day I could think of them together and not want to lose my fucking lunch.
“Sounds like your dad isn’t the only one who’s overprotective.” She smirked around her fork.
“Maybe. But I also know Dylan is a good guy, although I’m not exactly thrilled with him right now. He knew exactly how we’d all react, and for him to take that chance, it has to be serious.”
“And you said PJ is pretty headstrong, right? So, she can take care of herself?” Danielle’s tongue darting out to lick a smear of frosting off of her bottom lip made me forget my troubles for a second.
“That she is, but I hate lying to them when they’re already worried.”
“It’s nice that you’re so close to your stepdad. I like mine well enough, but I never had the inclination to call him Dad.”
“I don’t think of him as my stepdad. My biological father died when I was a baby. All I know are pictures and stories, although my family says I’m a lot like him. He was a bit of a smart-ass, I hear.”
She let out a laugh and nodded. “I’d say that’s pretty accurate.”
I nudged her under the table with my good knee before I continued.
“Dylan and I joined scouts when we were six, and Nick, my dad, was the scout leader. And he was just so …” I trailed off. “So awesome. He knew everything, and when he was around, life was ten times better. My mom did a great job on her own, don’t get me wrong. But he made us feel more like a family. I can’t explain it.” I peered over at Danielle and shrugged. “He’d take us to his firehouse and bring us on the truck. I’d be in awe, asking a thousand questions that he always took the time to answer.”
“You’re doing fine explaining it. Is that when you decided to be a firefighter?”
I shook my head. “Not right then. When I was in high school, he was promoted to chief. We all went to a dinner the fire department had in his honor and I …” I swallowed the lump swelling in my throat before I continued. “I never realized how much of a hero he really was. I had a feeling, but hearing about all the people he helped over the years, how many lives he’d saved. The world is a better place because Nick Garcia is in it. I wanted to carry it on, I suppose.” I caught Danielle’s glossy gaze as she hung on my every word. “I started training like a maniac, and once I was done with the college credits I needed, I joined the Fire Academy.” My eyes dropped to my leg. It at least felt like it was attached to my body again, but I had a hard time believing I could ever get back to the way I was.
