Page 58 of Always Be an Us

Anger flashes through his eyes, and his lips press together for a split second before he says. "Why are you looking for Emma?"

Instead of answering I ask, "Is she here?"

"How about you answer my question before I answer yours."

His tone immediately sparks my temper. I'm not used to taking orders from anyone, especially in that tone, not even my father.

But I bite back the fighting words, deciding to let the antagonism die. If this man is Emma’s boss, then being rude to him might make it difficult for her. On the other hand, if he’s someone who cares about her and is protective of her, I earn nothing by annoying him.

I’m probably just being an ass anyway.

That was old Declan coming to the surface.

"I need her help," I admit. "I want to get a gift for my daughter, something she would like. Maybe a book about the Pink Pearl or some souvenir or something. Emma seems to know everything about this town, and she's good with Amelia so I figured she would know what to get for her."

The man nods and some of the animosity bleeds from his expression. But he's still stiff when he answers. "There's a gift shop on Fifth Street. Emma is with her grandfather."

"Oh." It would be stupidly selfish of me to bother her now. "How is he doing?" Last night, I called to ask about him, and Emma told me her Grandpa was awake. She was ecstatic about it.

Even though I only just met the man, I was relieved too.

"As well as one can be doing after a heart attack," the man answers.

"Something tells me that won't hold him down for long though."

"No, it won't." A small smile finally breaks his stern demeanor. "I'm Rick by the way."

"Nice to meet you. And thanks," I say. "For the tip about the gift shop." I'm about to leave, then I decide to impart one more thing. "And sorry about the burgers. If it makes you feel any better, the fries weren't half bad."

He snorts and adds another sound that could be a laugh or a cough. "Yule is known for his fries." Then he brushes his chin, a gleam appearing in his gaze. "You know, there’s a better option than the gift shop if you're up to it."

"Which is…"

"Ashton Woods. Close to the Pink Hotel, but you take a right turn a few miles out and keep on going. It's a hill and you gotta be careful when you climb it."

"And what's on top of the hill?"

Rick shakes his head. "It's not what's on top of it, it's what you might find right before you get to the top. There are a lot of little streams there and people have been said to find Rainbow Pearls once in a while."

I resist the urge to roll my eyes. "Rainbow Pearls."

"Yes," he says and raises an eyebrow. "And I know that look means you think I'm blowing smoke up your ass, but I'm not. I didn't believe in the damn things until I saw for myself. Me and a pal of mine used to go hunting and we would stay overnight. Sometimes we make it a three-day trip. On one such trip, when I stopped by the stream to refill my bottle, I saw a glittering little bastard there."

"A Rainbow Pearl?"

"Yup." He shrugs. "Look I'm not guaranteeing anything, but it might be worth a shot if you're looking for a rare gift for your little one."

I think about it, drumming my hands on the table for a few seconds. Then, I conclude, "It's worth a shot."

Chapter Seventeen

Emma

"The procedure will take around four to six hours," Dr. Han, the cardiothoracic surgeon explains as the sun sits high in the sky, outside the window. We're in the prep room, where Grandpa is sitting up on a stretcher, in a hospital gown as Dr. Han describes what's going to happen next.

"We're putting a coronary bypass graft in. Usually, it would only be a stent, but with the severity of his injuries, we would need a lot more support for the arteries. So, we'll take another blood vessel from your leg. And then we will attach it to your heart so that it can properly supply it with enough blood."

"You're cutting into my leg too?" My grandfather squeaks, paling.

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