Page 10 of Cross My Heart

“Have you seen Izzy since you’ve been back?” Jameson asked me.

“I haven’t. But I saw Daphne at the party at the inn last night.”

“She’s the only one in the family that went. That’s more of a Monroe event,” Jameson said.

“Even though it’s held at the Matthews Inn?”

Dad scooped coffee beans into the machine. “Marley is dating a Monroe. It’s a Monroe event.”

“I hope to see Izzy later today.”

Dad filled the machine with water, then pushed the button to brew the coffee. “She’ll love that. She talks about you nonstop whenever you video call her.”

“I hadn’t realized that.”

Jameson winked at me. “You’re her favorite aunt.”

I gave him a look. “I’m her only aunt.”

Jameson grinned, touching his hand to his chest. “I’m her favorite uncle, and there’s five of us.”

“Is it because you live the closest?” I asked.

He pouted. “That’s not the reason. It’s my charming personality.”

I didn’t argue with him because he was charming, even if it drove my other brothers crazy. “What’s your schedule like this week?”

“I work one day on, two days off at the firehouse. Then I substitute at the middle school one day and drive a bus one day.”

“You teach and drive buses?” I asked him, surprised by his answer.

“The middle school is hard up for teachers. No one wants to substitute for that age group. I don’t blame them. Those kids can be little—” Jameson broke off, looking apologetically at Dad.

“Thanks for not finishing that sentence,” Dad said dryly.

“They’re okay with me. I can handle them.”

“I didn’t realize you wanted to teach.” I hadn’t been around long enough to know who my siblings were now.

Jameson flashed me a smile. “I’m just filling in.”

“What about the bus driver thing?” I wanted to get to know him now.

He shrugged. “I do it for extra cash. It’s fun. I dress up for the little kids, and they love it. One day I was a ketchup bottle, and the other day, I was Dr. Seuss. It’s fun.”

“Do you need to work all those jobs if you’re a firefighter? Shouldn’t you be resting?” Working twenty-four-hour shifts couldn’t be easy.

“It’s something I enjoy doing, and I like to be busy.”

My impression of Jameson was that he was go go go all the time, but he was so easygoing and happy-go-lucky, we never worried about him. Now I wondered if his personality was a direct result of Mom dying. He felt the need to lift everyone else up. I’d never know for sure because I wasn’t here.

Dad poured coffee for us and passed us the mugs.

I blew on the hot liquid. It felt weird to be home, to get to know all the people I’d abandoned over the years, but at the same time it felt oddly right that I was here. I hoped it wasn’t too late for me to make amends to my family and even to Aiden. Then maybe I could move forward with my life.

Jameson held up his mug. “Cheers to my big sister being home.”

Dad smiled. “Cheers.”

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