Page 69 of We Redeemed the Rain

She worked her bottom lip with her teeth for a few moments before responding. “I’m very honest and like to talk. You shouldn’t ask questions unless you truly want answers.”

I almost smiled at that. I didn’t expect anything less. Our hayloft meeting, short as it was, painted a pretty accurate picture of who she turned out to be—uninhibited, heart on her sleeve, blunt, chatty, and nosy as hell.

“I know.” Inwardly, I cringed at the words of familiarity.

“I guess some things don’t change.” She huffed a laugh. “How much time do you have?”

I lifted my few remaining bites. “About sixty seconds.”

“How generous.” Her tone was flat.

In hindsight, I realized a gentleman would’ve saidas much as you needor something equally accommodating.

But she took it in stride. “Do you remember my brother Peter?”

As if I could forget. I’d had plenty of practice masking my real feelings and redirecting gut reactions. So I was able to take another bite even though the food instantly soured in my stomach.

Was he alive? Surely.

I read her words about Peter over and over, wishing somehow I could be there for her. Forcing myself to read her pain felt like the only thing I could do to help carry the burden. Many times, I almost gave her my cell number and invited her to call me. I wanted to do more for her than stare at a page. But I knew talking voice-to-voice was a doorway, and once we walked through, we’d never go back to letters. “I remember.”

“He’s having health complications again.”

He’s alive.The relief I felt surprised me with its strength.

“Not relapse.” I hoped.

“No. Thank God. He’s been there, done that. Peter relapsed when he was nineteen but he’s been in remission ever since. The other night he had a seizure, and honestly? I’m angry for him and his fiancée, Sarah. They’ve been through way more than the average couple, and they aren’t even married yet. Now, on top of every other health problem in his life, he has to navigate seizures. Even if he doesn’t have another one, the fear is enough.”

I nodded.

“I feel like I’m always waiting on bad news with him. He’s this strong outdoorsy guy and has a beautiful life, but we all worry it’s a house of cards. And with his wedding only weeks away…he’s discouraged.”

The last two words pulled the emotions back into her throat. “I think that’s what I hate the most. His dark days. I wish I could take them.”

Finished with my lunch, I sat, quietly listening.

“What’s going on with Peter shouldn’t affect me, but I have a decision to make regarding—” She stopped, waving her hand. “Nevermind that’s a whole other thing.” She eyed my plate. “I think I’m out of seconds.”

“I’ll give you”—I squinted up at the ceiling, thinking—“nine hundred if you’re all good with me layin’ beneath the truck while you talk.”

“Nine hundred seconds?”

“Fifteen minutes.”

A bigger smile pressed in like the sun peeking out from behind a cloud. The unease in my chest loosened a notch. She lifted her brows. “That was fast math.”

I swiped my hands over my jeans, grabbed a socket I needed off the workbench, and scooted back under the jacked-up Ranger again. “I’m makin’ a little noise down here, so talk up.”

“Okay.”

But she didn’t say anything. I glanced to the side to see her toes tapping, restless. Did she change her mind about wanting to talk? Thoroughly invested in her previous story, I jogged her memory about where she left off. “You said you gotta make a decision.”

“Right.” She paused then gave an awkward laugh. “I feel embarrassed to tell you all this for some reason.”

I lifted the socket to the bolt and cranked it in slow motion, not willing to drown out whatever she decided to share.

“I’ve never had an actual job. Isn’t that crazy? My music has been my sole income since I was sixteen. I’ve always had dedicated fans and when I release new albums I get a good return on my investment and make enough to live comfortably. But all of that has changed, and I can’t figure out why. When I sit down to write new songs, nothing works. It’s awful. My songwriting has been a dry well for almost two years now.”

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