I yank open the door, sliding in and slamming the door shut in one fluid motion.
Emily: Good. Be careful.
Me: Always.
I want to write to her more, but now isn’t the time. I wasn’t lying when I told Kaleb I’m here to protect the people I care about. I am. And that starts with showing up when there’s an emergency.
Chapter Nineteen
Emily
Later that Week
After helping my mom wash up, I brush her hair. It’s not a job for the weak. Yes, I get it. She took care of me when I was a baby. She did all the things for me, including wiping my butt. But when the roles are reversed, it’s weird.
And my brother is unwilling to take on any of these tasks. Not that I blame him. I should’ve had Bella come over to do her hair. She lives for this stuff.
I stifle a yawn and shake my head. When was the last time I got a full night’s sleep? After my shift yesterday, I drove to the closest town over, worked as a trainer at their football game. The second my head hit the pillow after showering, I got a call to sub for the remainder of the night shift.
As I set the brush down on the kitchen table, she says, “Thank you, dear. I know this is a lot to ask. It’s one thing to fix a sandwich for me and quite another to brush my hair and help me put on clothes.”
“It’s fine, Mom. Sometimes we must do things for the people we love that we might not be over the moon about.”
“You’re right,” she sighs and settles back into her chair. “There are so many times when you or your brother would throw up, and I didn’t want to clean up the mess. I wanted to throw a newspaper over it and walk away.”
I shudder and thank my lucky stars that she isn’t nauseous on top of everything else. “That’s something I’m not looking forward to.” I shove the brush, comb, lotion, and other hygiene items into a bag and close the zipper.
“It’s not all bad. When they’re babies, you won’t mind. It’ll stay that way until they’re about nine or ten. But once a fourteen-year-old boy, who should be able to make it to the bathroom on his own, yacks all over his carpet and wakes you up to tell you about it, you’ll struggle with not tossing your own lunch onto the floor.”
I drop the bag onto the tray with her other necessities and brace my hands on my hips. “Thank you for the amazing visual.”
“You’re welcome.” Her eyes dance with humor before her expression fades to one of relief. “I’m so glad you weren’t home the other night when the fire started.”
“Me, too.” The yawn I previously forced down wins, causing my eyes to water. “I didn’t make it back home until after everyone had left. From what I’ve heard, the building is salvageable.” The owners moved away several months ago, leaving the house unattended. “The fire department thinks it was faulty wiring that started the blaze.”
“That’s what I heard as well.” She quirks an eyebrow. “I heard Jake was there until the fire was out. Have you seen him lately?”
“Yes.” I shrug. “I saw him the other day.”
“I wondered if that wasn’t why Kaleb was muttering under his breath.” She uses her good hand to brush a piece of lint off her pants.
God, my brother is a pain in the ass. “He needs to mind his own business. Not that it matters. There’s no reason for him to get worked up about anything. I don’t see Jake that way, and he’s never seen me in that way.”
I squeeze the muscles in the back of my neck, poking my thumb and index fingers into the stiffest balls of muscles, and fight back a whimper of pain and relief.
Yes, it was nice of him to check on me, but it’s not a newsworthy event. I live next door to a building that was on fire. He’s my brother’s best friend. He’s a police officer. I’m a paramedic. Together, we’re part of the team that keeps the community safe. That’s it.
Except, we keep missing each other when we’re out on calls, which should be a good thing, but I stupidly miss seeing him.
“Why do you think that?”
I frown as I stop massaging. “Why do I think, what?”
“That Jake would never like you.”
“Mom, he barely tolerates me. I’m his best friend’s pesky little sister.”
“So?” She adjusts her position in the chair, straightening and sitting higher.
