“Righto. For the next time you want something from her? So you can…what’s the word?” Ethan paused for a moment. “Blackmail your sister.”
He may not have had siblings of his own, but he’d seen how these things played out.
“I take it you don’t care for the cake, then?” Ethan asked.
“It wouldn’t be right to take your cake.” Well, look at that, James could smile. “And blackmail’s not the word I’d use. Just sticking some knowledge away for another day.”
“It’s fine.” Emmaline held up her hands in faux defeat. “I’lloweyou, James.”
“Right.” Yes, that was another genuine wanker smile from the brother.
Ethan couldn’t have that.
“I’m afraid that’s a negative, mate.” Ethan took a slight step forward. Why? He wasn’t entirely sure.
“What do you mean that’s a negative?” James asked, clearly having breathed in too many of the toxic silicone fumes to understand English.
“I can’t let you blackmail my new neighbor when she’s had a helluva rough night.”
“It’s fine,” Emmaline assured. “He can have this one. I still have video documentation that he’s the one who dinged our dad’s car three Christmases ago. I think the whole family would be more interested in that thanthis.”
This was a right mess, wasn’t it? “Is this what brothers and sisters do? Blackmail each other with Wands o’ Wonder and videos of wrongdoing?”
“Yes,” Emmaline and James both said at the same time.
Ethan rocked back on his heels. Time to skedaddle on home where things still made little sense, but they gave it a fair shake. “Another reason to be glad I’m an only child then.”
“You don’t even know,” James said under his breath.
Emmaline took a right hook to his shoulder for that comment.
James draped his arm around her shoulder. “No more fires, Em.”
“I’ll do my best.” She saluted him. “Captain.”
They did the required handshakes and good nights. Then the firefighters packed up.
“Can I walk you home?” Ethan asked. Wasn’t that the decent thing to do?
“You don’t have to, I’m good,” Emmaline said, again with the low chuckle in the back of her throat. “Thanks, though. And thanks for standing up to James. He’s not used to that from anyone but me.”
Families could be a real pain in the bum. “Happy to help.”
“Right,” she said, heading toward her house.
“Righto,” he said, heading toward his house.
This was, in fact, heading in the same direction.
“I live up here, too,” he said to clarify.
He also gestured toward the house he rented while staying in Denver.
“I got that,” she said with a grin.
“I’m over here.” She gestured toward the house nearest them, the one up for sale until that very day.
“If you find yourself in need of a cup of sugar or anything.” He waved toward his house. “Third from the stop sign. That’s me.”
