Page 68 of Kiss and Make Love

“He’s in serious condition. You’re listed as the emergency contact in his phone. Can you come to the hospital?”

Serious condition. Her heart shattered at the news. She needed to see him.

The call came in late last night. Now she was rushed and unprepared. Typical. June pushed away the thought, frantically throwing clothes into an old duffle bag she found at the top of her closet. She needed to get it together.

A few shirts, a couple pairs of pants, socks, underwear, shoes. What else did she need? Toiletries. She hurried out of her modest bedroom and into the bathroom to grab her makeup bag, hairbrush, and a few other necessities, and added them to her duffle.

June sank to the floor in her studio apartment, leaned her head against the bed, and let out a breath. Clothes piled on the floor, sheets hanging half off the bed, and dishes piled in the sink. How had her life become so disorganized? Between working a waitressing giganda hotel maid job to stay afloat and put herself through university a semester at a time in Vancouver, she’d let herself fall into a state of disarray. You’d think a twenty-seven-year-old woman would have it more together. At least her bosses had been understanding enough to give her a few days off to see her brother.

This was how she wanted it, though. No help from Dad. Not one penny. She’d been so sick and tired of him trying to assert himself into every part of her life, she had to cut him off. He’d been an overbearing, controlling force since her mom died ten years ago, and she was done with it. She was on her own. No help from anyone.

Well, that wasn’t entirely true. There was always Matthew. Her brother was her emotional support, not financial. But it made life easier knowing that if anything gottoo difficult to handle, Matt was there to prop her up.

Tears sprang to her eyes. How the hell was she getting to Winnipeg? Why was Matt so damn impulsive? Going on a solo motorcycle trip across the country was such a stupid idea. But the prospect had thrilled him, and he left the day summer started.

The call had come through late last night. In her gut, she knew something was wrong on the first ring. No one calls that late. Matt had been in an accident on Highway 1 just outside Headingley. They’d rushed him to St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg.

Sleeping after that was impossible. She stayed up all night figuring out how to get to Matt. She didn’t have a spare six hundred dollars lying around to purchase a plane ticket, and she didn’t have a car to make the twenty-six-hour drive. Plus, the hospital had calledher, which meant Matt still wasn’t speaking to Dad either. She couldn’t leave him alone, hurt, and in a city not his home. Someone had to be there for him.

In the early hours of the morning, she’d called Gabriel. Even though the man was nothing but indifferent toward her, she’d called him. She didn’t know what made Matt and Gabriel click, but Matt swore he was the best friend he’d ever had, and that was enough for her.

You’d think they were brothers from the way they acted, although they’d met at work five years ago. But where Matt was warm and well-rounded, Gabriel was quiet and career-minded. Somehow, it worked for them. Initially, she’d tried to worm her way into Gabriel’s life—like Matt had—but he never seemed interested in her. She guessed her two-job, school-here-and-there situation was too untidy to fit into Gabriel’s carefully curated life. Still, June owed it to Matt to tell Gabriel what was going on. He had plenty of money to see him on short notice.

No surprise he was short on the phone, although she would’ve been too after being woken up at four-thirty in the morning, but he was audibly distressed as she relayed the information about the accident. He informed her he’d be on his way to see Matt as soon as possible and asked if she was okay. No simple response to that question, really. And she wasn’t comfortable being vulnerable over the phone. She just said she wasn’t okay, he murmured a platitude, and they hung up.

Typical.

She had few options to see Matt and wasn’t about to hitchhike halfway across the country. A bus ticket looked like the only option, although it wasn’t much cheaper than a plane ticket. She’d have to max out her credit card and live carefully until her next paycheck.

Standing up, she smoothed out her cotton mini dress, wiped the tears from her eyes, and took a deep breath. She needed to finish packing and get down to the bus depot as soon as possible. She did some quick tidying and gave everything a once over. Satisfied that she’d packed everything, June grabbed her bag, house keys, and purse when a sharp knock at the door stopped her in her tracks. Who would be here this early in the morning?

Impatient to get going, she flung open the door. Gabriel leaned against the frame, a tired look in his icy blue eyes. Well…she wasnotexpecting that. Still, he looked good—and stupidly so. His short, effortlessly styled charcoal hair framed his face. He wore a fitted burgundy T-shirt and dark jeans. So weird to see him without a ridiculously expensive suit on. He looked good enough to eat.

Ugh. She hated that her brain went there. He didn’t like her that way, so there was no reason to moon over his stupidly good-looking face.

“Let’s get going,” he demanded, heading down the hallway.

“Going where? What are you even doing here?” she called, standing with her mouth open in the doorway.

Gabriel stalked back and pushed his way into her apartment. “I’m going to see your brother. Isn’t that where you’re going?”

A huff escaped her lips, and she nodded her head, holding up the duffle in her hand. “I was headed to the bus station.”

Her face grew hot, and her chest flushed. Someone like Gabrielcould buy a first-class plane ticket without blinking. She hated him knowing that she was stuck taking the bus across multiple provinces. Not that he wasn’t aware of her financial situation…but still.

He gave a firm shake of his head. “I’m taking you.”

Stunned at his audacity, her mouth gaped. “I don’t want your charity, Gabriel.” Any other time, June would’ve been furious with him, but she was too emotionally spent for anger. “I can’t repay you for the plane ticket, and I don’t want to owe you.”

Gabriel let out an exasperated sigh. “I figured, which is why my car is right outside. It’s a long drive, so the sooner we leave, the better.” Seeing her wide-open mouth and bulging eyes, he clarified, saying, “Matt would be livid if I left you here. If it makes you feel better, you can pitch in for gas. Now, let’s go before I change my mind about driving across the prairies for the next twenty-six hours.”

He walked out the door. Was Gabriel doing something nice for her? Lukewarm Gabriel? Not having to spend her own money on transportation was a relief. It’d certainly help her bank account balance. As she locked her door and followed him to his car, a mix of emotions swirled within her, gratitude mingling with more than a hint of apprehension about what this unexpected journey might bring.

GABRIEL

He sat in his sleek white car, waiting for June to catch up. This was the right thing, taking her to see Matt, but God, if it wasn’t a giant pain in his ass. How much easier would it’ve been to buy two plane tickets? They’d get there in three hours.

June was stubborn, much like her brother. He’d seen firsthand how frustrated Matt had been over the past years with June. She adamantly refused any financial help from him or their dad. Or anyone. Vancouver wasn’t a cheap place to live, and it seemed like she struggled to get by. But Matt would do anything for her. He owed it to him to have her at the hospital, too. What kind of dick would fly out and leave the headstrong little sister behind? Thehot, headstrong little sister.

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