Page 15 of The Love Chase

I didn’t know how to get back to where we were—if it was even possible.

Emma

Jameson came home on his lunch break and found me sprawled across his couch, balancing a half-eaten bag of chips on my stomach, one arm and leg hanging off the edge as Luna licked the Cheetos dust from my fingers.

I heard a sigh before he said, “Now this is just sad, Em.”

I peeked at him from under my other arm. His own were crossed over his chest, head cocked to the side.

“I think you should add Cheetos to Luna’s diet. She seems to really like them,” I replied, holding up my hand to show my orange-tinted fingers. As soon as I plopped it back down, Luna resumed her licking.

“As great a suggestion as that is, if Cheetos aren’t great for human consumption, I don’t think they’ll work for my dog.” He nudged my shoulder with his knee.

I peeked at him again and found his lips twitching, trying not to laugh at me.

“I know yesterday was a difficult day for you, but moping on the couch isn’t like you. You’ve always been a fighter, Em. So why are you laying here feeling sorry for yourself?”

I covered my eyes with my arm again, biting the inside of my cheek. As usual, my brother was right. Both of us had learned to bounce back and pivot when needed. I wasn’t sure what it was about this particular time that was making it so hard to get my butt off the couch and try to fix this mess.

Maybe it was the fact that my dream had been stomped on. Not only did I lose my internship, but I also lost my chance to gain experience with the best chasers in the state. I had planned to use what I learned at the MSRC to help educate people, maybe even start a YouTube channel where I could teach about severe weather.

I wanted people to view storms as beautiful forces of nature and not always as fearsome, destructive things. Plus, with the research I would’ve done through that internship, it could help further what we know about severe weather, and maybe help save more lives by giving people more time to get to safety.

There were so many little dreams encompassed in that internship, and it all fell apart.

And then I became homeless hours later.

And then I was forced to retreat to Meridel with my tail between my legs, jobless, homeless, and facing my ex-best friend for the first time in two years.

Liam.

I couldn’t control my wince. Losing him and having to face him again was just the cherry on top.

All of it combined had wiped the fight right out of me.

“I don’t feel sorry for myself,” I lied.

Jameson snorted. “Come on, at least shower and change your clothes. If you’re going to mope, you can at least be clean.” He grabbed my arm and yanked me to my feet before I could protest, guiding me into the guest room. “You should get out of the house. Even if you’re not ready to look for another job, you can at least get some fresh air and sunshine. Maybe even stop in at your favorite places on Main Street. I’m sure everyone would love to see you.”

I stopped dead in my tracks, causing him to walk right into me.

“I can’t go into Meridel. He might be anywhere, Jam-Jam.”

Was I being ridiculous? Yes. Was I acting like I was twenty-five? Definitely not. But did I care at the moment? Nope.

Jameson sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose before putting his hands on his hips. “Em, why won’t you just tell Liam how you feel? You’ve been harboring these feelings forever, and everyone can see it. I have no idea why that oblivious man hasn’t figured it out yet, but maybe if you were finally honest—”

“I can’t do that, Jam-Jam.” Panic surged through my veins, and the room started to spin. “It would ruin everything.” I backed toward the bed and sat on the edge of it, staring at the floor.

For a moment, my brother was quiet before saying in a gentle voice, “Well, from where I’m standing, it kind of seems like things are already ruined. Are you really going to let them stay that way?”

The words clanged through me. He was right. I hated that he was right.

“Don’t you want to know what would happen if you told him? What if he shares your feelings? Wouldn’t it be better to take the risk and potentially be happy than to stay silent and miserable with Cheetos dust all over you?”

“I like Cheetos dust,” I muttered, and Jameson laughed.

“I’m just saying, Em. You two had the type of friendship that most people only dream of. I would be shocked if he didn’t harbor feelings for you, too.”

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