Page 54 of Everlasting Promises

“You don’t have to do that,” she says as she rises.

I look at her over my shoulder. “Yes, I do. You made a delicious meal for Rex and me. I’ve intruded on your sleep. It’s the least I can do.”

She flicks her wrist, waving off my words, then bends down to grab Rex’s empty bowl. We work together to clean up, and I no longer have any reason to stay. She needs to sleep, and I should get home. I wipe my hands on my jeans.

“Thanks for letting me come in, for feeding me, and for listening. I couldn’t face going home to an empty house.”

She smiles sadly as we walk to the front door. “I’m glad I could be here for you. I completely understand about the empty house part.” She waves her hand around, gesturing toward the emptiness of her house. “It’s not much fun.”

I scratch my short nails through my trimmed beard, so I don’t reach for her. I’ve already crossed the line tonight, and I don’t want to do it again. “No. It’s not.”

She opens the door and pushes the screen door open, wrapping her arms across her middle as she holds it open with her body.

Rex steps onto the porch first and looks up at her as if to thank her for dinner, and she rubs the scruff of his neck. “See ya, Rex. You did good tonight, even if it didn’t have a happy ending.” He licks her while his tail wags, making her chuckle. She stands to her full height, bringing the top of her head in line with my chin. “See ya, Ben. Get some sleep.”

“You, too. Thanks again.” I lean in and kiss her cheek lightly, and then head down the porch steps before I wrap my armsaround her lithe body and pull her tight against me so I can taste her properly.

24

HOPE

“Mom! Look, I can make a rainbow!”Evan shouts across the yard as he holds the spray up to the sky.

I chuckle as I push the mower forward. “It looks pretty, Ev.”

Satisfied that I’ve seen his rainbow, he returns to washing the suds off the car, and I turn the mower around and head back in the opposite direction.

The upkeep of the house feels like a never-ending job, and even though Dad, Graeme, and Shane have offered numerous times to help, I refuse. They all helped us so much over the last few years, and I’m determined to become independent this year. I know it’s been hard for them to step back and give us the space to learn to do things for ourselves, but I’m happier knowing I can do things on my own. And Evan’s older now, so he can help and is happy to do so … mostly.

I finish mowing and put the mower away, then grab a bucket so I can dig the weeds out of the garden beds. Evan meets me on the front porch with two glasses of lemonade. “You have amissed call from Uncle Nix,” he tells me as he hands my phone over.

I put it on the step between us. “I’ll call him later.” I take a long drink, the cool liquid soothing my throat. “Thanks for the drink. I was thirsty.”

The phone rings, and when I look at the screen, Nix’s name glows brightly. I grab it and answer with a smile. “Hey, Nix. Long time, no speak.” Conversations between the two of us used to be awkward. As Wyatt’s commanding officer, he held a lot of guilt for Wyatt’s death. He felt responsible for allowing Wyatt and Shane to play soccer with the boy who was carrying the explosive device that ultimately stole Wyatt from us.

“Hey, Hope. Yeah, it’s been a while. Sorry about that, I’ve been busy and time seems to disappear,” he says, but there’s a note of stress in his voice.

“That’s all right. Is everything okay?” I ask as my eyes scan the garden beds for weeds that need to be removed.

There’s a long pause on the other end of the line, and I check the screen to see if our call has been disconnected. “Uh, I don’t know how to tell you this, so I’ll just say it.”

My heart races, and my hands shake. Blood rushes through my ears, and my mouth fills with cotton. It all happens in an instant as panic hits me like a freight train. “What’s wrong?” I stand, no longer able to be seated.

Evan twists his head in my direction, his face pinched tight.

“A rattlesnake bit Shane this afternoon, and Violet rushed him to the emergency room,” he says, his voice full of tension, and I can tell it must be serious by his tone.

My hand flies up to cover my mouth. Panic threatens to drag me under, but I concentrate on my breathing. “Oh, my god!” I pace the walkway, twisting a curl around my finger. “Is he gonna be all right?”

Evan jumps to his feet. “What’s happened?”

“A rattlesnake bit Shane. He’s in the hospital,” I rush to tell him.

Nix’s voice steals my attention back to the call. “They took him straight in for treatment when they arrived, and he’s still there. Violet hasn’t heard anything more. I’m on my way. I’ll keep you updated.”

“No, we’ll head over.” I look at Evan with wide eyes. “Which hospital is he at?”

“Mercy Vale. Go to Emergency. I’ll meet you there.”

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