by P. Stormcrow
Emma, on the other hand, appeared to have frozen in her seat. With a start, he realized she was studying the tattoos that curved from his arms over to cover his shoulders. He smirked, and her cheeks turned a lovely shade of red.
She looked away and strolled to the oven. “I’ve set you a place out on the dining table. If you want to get settled there, I’ll bring your breakfast out.”
Elliot frowned. “I’ll eat here.”
“Excuse me?” Emma glanced at him over her shoulder.
“Great idea. Elliot can keep me company.” Anna patted his hand that rested still on the table in front of her.
“Fine,” Emma grumbled and hauled out a plate from the warming drawer to bring to him.
Bacon, scrambled eggs, roasted potatoes and thick slices of French toast… It was his absolute favorite breakfast. Before he could comment, she left and returned with maple syrup and a glass of milk. She made one more trip to retrieve the forks and knives from the dining table and set them before him.
“How are you up so early?” Elliot blurted out.
It was Emma’s turn to give him an odd look. “It’s ten a.m.”
“Yeah, and you were up till almost four this morning.” Elliot stared at his meal, bewildered.
“So were you,” Emma shot back.
“I don’t…sleep much anymore,” Elliot stammered, surprised as he snapped his head up.
Emma hovered over him, her eyes soft with concern as if she could see right through him, right to his rotten core. “What happened?”
He stiffened and dug into his meal while keeping his head down without answering her question. The last thing he needed was more pity from anyone. If he wanted that, he would have stayed home.
The moment where she switched from sympathy to anger was palpable. Emma tilted her chin up as her features hardened and she pulled her shoulders back. “Well, I guess I’m dismissed.”
With that, Emma trudged out of the kitchen.
“Ah, Elliot,” Anna breathed out.
He stopped short of snapping at Anna. Instead, he stood and grabbed his plate and milk. “I have some work to do. I’ll eat the rest of this upstairs.”
“Okay, just don’t forget to actually eat. I’ll come get the plate later.” Anna patted him on the arm “Emma made coffee too. Come down and grab a cup after.”
“Thanks, Anna.” He mustered up a smile for her and made his way upstairs. But as he passed by the front door, he stopped at the grand foyer before he took the stairs up.
Emma stood by the front door and waved with a warm grin. A second later, another woman with light-blonde locks and lilac highlights bounced through. She stopped short and stared at Elliot.
“Hey, Emster, who’s that?”
Emma glanced over her shoulder to meet his gaze. “I’ll tell you later,” she muttered and ushered her in. “Come on. Let’s get to work.”
“He’s hot. I mean…that ink. And his abs,” Holly whispered.
“Holly!” Emma’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped before she covered her face and groaned.
He knew he looked good. Even if it was the hot-mess version of him right now. A smirk tugged on his lips and he wondered if Emma thought the same.
No. Stop. She doesn’t need this right now. I don’t need this right now.
“Nice to meet you.” He grinned at Holly and enjoyed the frustrated expression on Emma’s face.
“We’re going.” Emma all but pushed Holly out of there.
He was still chuckling as he took the rest of his breakfast upstairs.
Chapter Six
“There are two types of people in this world.”
“Those who can read binary and those who can’t?”
“No—well, yes—but anyway… Those who stay calm in situations and those who panic. Then there are some who just freeze.”
“That’s three.”
“Fine. But the point is, which one are you?”
“Okay, spill, Emma. Who is he? Where have you been stashing this guy?” The textbook in front of Holly lay open but untouched. They sat at a large oak table with ornate legs in the study, surrounded by books.
“Holly!” Emma groaned. She had met Holly in high school and since then, they had become inseparable, including going to the same university and picking the same major.
“Well…”
Emma snuck a peek at her best friend and let out a long breath. “I told you that Mom and I take care of this place and don’t own it, right?”
“Right. Is your guy a friend of that fam? I remember your boss being a lot older.”
“Boss’ son…name’s Elliot,” Emma muttered.
“Wait! He has a son? How come you’ve never mentioned him?” Holly leaned over the table with her arms folded on it and lowered her voice.
Emma let her head fall, her cheek landing on the thin pages of her textbook. When Holly peered at her, she turned her face down.
“Emma, what’s wrong?” Holly rubbed her back in slow circles.
With a deep breath, Emma resettled her head to press one cheek against the pages while she looked up at her. “Him! He’s…he’s…infuriating!” She shot up and slammed her hands on the table.
Holly leaned back. “I’ve never seen anyone get under your skin like this. What’s going on?”
Emma chewed her lower lip and raked her hand over her hair as she debated on how much to tell. But this was Holly, her best friend, the one who had been through thick and thin with her. The one who had come or call to check on her mother many times while Emma was at work.
“Elliot and I used to be close.” Emma kept her hands on the table and her gaze straight forward. “He would come visit whenever he could with his parents, when school allowed for it, and in between we kept in touch over text and stuff.” The words did not come easy. She had never had to tell anyone this. Her friends at school had never met Elliot, and when she’d stopped talking about him, they hadn’t noticed. Mom had just understood because she was amazing like that.
Holly remained quiet, giving her the space to find her own way to tell her story.
“But the time between replies got longer and longer. I would play this game after he sent me a message on how long I could go before texting him back. Because I guess as long as it was my turn, the timing was on my terms and I didn’t have to wonder whether I would get a reply at all. But every day turned into every week, which slowed to every month or two, then nothing. Our lives grew apart. He stopped visiting, even over spring break, and eventually, we stopped talking to each other.”
“He ghosted you,” Holly whispered.
Emma gave her a rueful smile. “I’d like to think we ghosted each other…like a mutual thing.”
“If that were the case, Emma, you wouldn’t be still so broken up about it. I can hear it in your voice.” Holly scooted her closer and covered Emma’s hand with hers.
“It was a stupid childhood crush.”
Holly squeezed her hand. “Okay.” Emma read disbelief on her face. “But he’s here now, so what are you going to do about it?”
“Do? Nothing! He’ll leave in a few weeks and life will go back to normal.”
“So, when he’s leaving?”
Emma coughed and looked away to study the floor instead. If she squinted, she could make out little shapes with the irregularity of the wooden floorboards.
“Emma…”
“He…didn’t say. He only said he would stay for Mom’s surgery.”
“Oh?”
Emma wasn’t sure if she liked the speculative glint in Holly’s eye. She shrugged and affected a nonchalant attitude, returning to the exercises in the book.
Thankfully, Holly did not push the issue further. “Okay, okay, back to these damn algorithms.”
They spent thirty minutes going through each exercise, and their solutions before Emma’s phone buzzed. She grabbed it and stared. She had exchanged numbers with Corey after the incident at the bar but hadn’t given it much thought since.
&
nbsp; Hey, what are you up to?
“Holly, do you know a Corey McMaster?” Emma asked while still staring at her phone.
“Corey…McMaster? The Corey McMaster?”
Emma looked up at Holly’s incredulous tone. “Who?”
Holly sighed. “Only the best defenseman on the football team—and the arts representative on the student council.”
Emma blinked.
“Wait! Is that who was texting you?”
Emma nodded.
A sudden crash interrupted their conversation. Emma and Holly stared at each other for a split second before they scrambled out of their chairs and ran toward the sound.
Elliot came running down the stairs just as they reached the grand foyer. Emma’s eyes met his, and Elliot nodded at her before he took the lead.
They skidded to a stop as they entered the kitchen.
“Mom!”
Anna lay on the floor on her side, her face a grimace. She tried to push herself up but cried out in pain.
Emma rushed to her mom’s side and knelt. The nurses had coached her on this. She knew what to do. But her mind blanked as panic made her heart hammer in her chest.
Elliot knelt beside them. “It’s okay. Anna. Are you with us?”
“Yes,” her mom croaked. She remained still, half-propping herself up with one arm.
“Okay. Good. I need you to breathe. In. Out. In.” Elliot turned to Holly. “I need you to call nine-one-one and go get some blankets after. Can you do that for me?”
Holly sucked in a breath. “Yeah,” she replied and fled.
“Emma, check your mom for injuries,” Elliot commanded. Something about his even-keeled demeanor engendered calmness in her.
“Right. Mom, tell me if anything hurts.”
“I’m fine. You guys are making a big fuss out of nothing.” Despite the protest, her mom sounded breathless.
“Anna, please.”
“Fine.”
Oh sure, her mom would listen to Elliot and not her. But she stuffed her resentment into a dark hole and focused on feeling her way along her mother’s legs. “Mom, where does it hurt?”
She tried to move again and winced. “Hip.”
The blood drained out of Emma’s face and she grew cold. The hip could mean anything.
Holly returned with a bundle of blankets and pillows in her arms and her phone cradled between her shoulder and her ear. Elliot retrieved the pile from her. Emma reached over and grabbed the pillows.
Right. Don’t move her. Focus on making her comfortable for now.
“Here, Mom.” Emma arranged the pillows on the floor. Anna lay all the way down and sighed with relief.
Elliot pulled a blanket over her mother and tucked her in as he would a child.
“They’re on the way.” Holly held the phone away from her ear. “They said to not move her.”
Emma nodded and stroked Anna’s hair, unsure if it was more for her comfort or her mother’s. She’ll be okay. She’s tough. Emma had to believe that. It had been only her mom and her for so long that she refused to believe otherwise.
“Emma, go pack some stuff.” Elliot touched her shoulder.
She lingered, still touching her mother’s hair. It had grown not only whiter but much finer and was more sparse from the chemo treatments.
“Emma.”
She snapped her head up. “Right.” Leaning down to kiss Anna on the forehead, she tried a brave smile. “I’ll be back, Mom.”
“And I’ll be here.” Anna winced as she tried to laugh.
Emma hurried to her mother’s room and pulled out the bag. Anna, in all her practicality, had kept one packed for emergencies like this as soon as she’d received her diagnosis. Emma had hoped she’d never have to use it but couldn’t dispute the practicality. With a start, it hit her that Elliot was trying to keep her occupied. A sudden gratefulness suffused her.
By the time she returned, the sound of sirens was growing near, much to Emma’s relief. She glanced at Anna and rose.
“Stay. I’ll get the door.” Holly didn’t wait but left right away.
“Give me your car keys.”
Emma blinked at him, her brain not quite connecting with the reason. But her hand had already moved to her pocket on instinct.
“You should ride in the ambulance with Anna. I’ll take your car and follow.”
Oh. That makes sense.
“Thank you, Elliot.” Anna patted his hand.
The firefighters came first, two large men, one older and one younger, who kneeled by Anna. Elliot placed both hands on Emma’s shoulders and guided her up and back to give them space to work. Several times, Emma wanted to answer for her mother, but Elliot tightened his grip on her shoulders, and she snapped her mouth shut.
Holly hovered before she drew near. “Emma, are you going to be okay? I’m supposed to go visit the baby today, but I can cancel.”
Emma shook her head. “No, you’ve been waiting to see your nephew for weeks. Go see him. We’ll be okay.
Holly hesitated but nodded at last. “Keep me posted. I’ll come by with some food later.”
“Thanks, Holly.” What would I have done if Holly and Elliot hadn’t been here?
“You. You take care of them.” Holly pointed at Elliot, and he raised an eyebrow.
“I’ll be fine.” Emma pulled herself taller and tried to steady her voice.
“I know you will be.” Holly pulled her into a hug.
Emma hugged back, then released her. “Get going, you.”
“Okay, okay.” Holly waved and let herself out, just as the paramedics marched in. One of them kneeled beside Anna while the other spoke with the firefighter. No one approached Emma, and she struggled to keep her temper reined in.
“Let them do their work,” Elliot murmured, so close that his breath tickled her ear.
She shivered and bit her lower lip.
“Miss?” One paramedic walked up to her. “Are you Mrs. Jones’ daughter?”
Emma cleared her throat and took a step closer, away from Elliot’s reach. “Yeah.”
“We are going to take your mother to the hospital now. Given her condition, we want to run a few more tests and take a couple of X-rays.”
“Okay.” Emma swallowed hard.
Something must have shown on her face as the paramedic’s expression softened. “She’ll be okay. Her mind’s still sharp.”
Emma breathed out.
“Would you like to ride with her?”
Emma nodded.
“Go. I’ll follow and bring the bag.” Elliot took hold of the handle and eased it out of her hands.
She didn’t even realize she was still clutching it and had to will her fingers to loosen. “Okay. Thanks.”
Elliot stared at her for a moment before he leaned forward, brushing his lips by her forehead. “Don’t worry about it. Now go.”
Chapter Seven
In space, when you’re out there alone, floating endlessly in your suit with only that cold and quiet to keep you company, you’ll start craving the warm touch of another soul. And if you’re not careful, that yearning will drive you mad.
Emma stared at the book she had read a hundred times in her hand, tracing the embossed title on the jacket. By now, she had passages memorized, but she found comfort in the repetitive motion.
The door opened and closed again with a small click, and soft footsteps approached her.
“Here.”
A paper coffee cup entered her field of vision. Emma sat up and cocked her head back. Elliot didn’t look at her but kept his gaze on Anna’s sleeping form, all the frailer in that hospital bed with multiple blankets and pillows.
“Thanks.” Emma switched hands to hold the book with her left while she took the cup with her right. She took a sip and grimaced. “Tea?”
“Chamomile,” Elliot replied.
“I hate chamomile,” Emma shot back and glared at the offending drink. Never mind that she’d already had two cups of coffee today. Another one woul
dn’t hurt.
“It’s good for you.” Elliot stared down at her. With her sitting and him standing, their height difference became almost comical. “You need to go home and get some sleep.”
“I need to stay here and drink more coffee,” she shot back. But a quick glance out of the small window told her that the day had already gone and night had already deepened enough that streetlights twinkled outside. That’s right. They had brought Mom her dinner earlier. She had managed to eat only a little.
The patronizing sigh that left Elliot’s lips pissed her off, but she didn’t want to get into a shouting match with him and wake her mom. Emma took another sip of the tea, regardless of the taste, while she strove for calm. But the silence made her uneasy, and she spoke again, if only to fill the space.
“Do you know how my mom ended up working for your parents?”
No answer. It didn’t matter. She needed to talk this out. It was more for herself than him. “I was too young to remember, and you probably were too. But my dad was your dad’s driver. One day they got into a terrible accident. The way Mom tells it, Dad swerved so that he took the brunt of the impact from the other car. I guess it must be true, because Mr. Carmichael always said my dad saved his life.”
Emma took a breath. Still no comment.
“Maybe that’s why your dad gave my mom this job, as a way of thanking my dad and making sure we’re taken care of. Mr. Carmichael’s a good man like that.”
“You used to call him Uncle David,” Elliot said at last.
“Yeah, but when mom got sick and I started taking over, it didn’t seem right.” Emma shrugged and tightened her grip on her tea. “You see why I can’t lose her too? It’s been just me and Mom all this time. I just can’t.”
Elliot shuffled around and crouched down before her until they were eye to eye. “Your mom’s strong. She’ll pull through this.”
When Emma nodded in acknowledgment, he stood up again. “Isn’t Anna’s surgery tomorrow? And don’t you have work tomorrow night? Or are you canceling?”
Shit. She did. Monday shifts were often quiet, which meant that it would be only her manning the bar and getting replacements during Spring Break was damn near impossible, plus she needed the money. If surgery went well in the morning, then she could make it to her shift. Still, Emma chewed her lower lip but refused to give him an answer. “How did you know I have work?”
