Page 56 of Wild Hearts

Noelle rarely had free time to hang out with us. She owned a few businesses; mainly she was a hustler, and she took care of her younger siblings.

We'd chosen a wine bar in town for the evening.

I hadn't seen Walker or Dakota this week. I'd made a conscious decision to give them some space. They were in a good place and needed this time to themselves.

When I arrived at the wine bar, Amber and Tori were already seated at a high-top table. We hugged. Then I sat across from them.

The waitress took our drink order and left us with the wine menu.

"Is Noelle still coming?" Amber asked, familiar with Noelle's busy schedule.

I checked my phone. "She hasn't cancelled yet."

Amber shook her head. "That girl has too much on her plate."

"Good luck telling her that." Noelle was encased in a hard shell, making it impossible to even gently suggest that she was doing too much. She repelled people's opinions with her energy. She didn't want anyone looking too closely at what she was doing.

She needed money to take care of her family, and that was what she did.

"Isn't her brother getting older now?" Amber asked.

"Christoper's a teenager and working at the Wilde Ski Resort, giving lessons, selling skis in the store, and assisting with the winter festival. But that means Noelle is the one who has to drive him back and forth," Tori added.

Amber grimaced. "Yikes. That's tough."

"And her sister is only twelve. It will be a while before those two are independent," Tori said.

"Her mother can't take care of them on her own?"

"From what I gathered, she has debilitating back pain, and she can't work anymore. Noelle steps in as much as possible."

The door opened, and Noelle scanned the room before spotting us and rushing over. "Sorry I'm late. Winnie wasn't feeling great. She had a fever, so I ran to the store and got moremedicine, then ran her a bath. She's sleeping for now." Noelle glanced at the time on her phone. "But I'll probably duck out early to check on her."

"You're a good big sister," I said to her, because I wasn't sure what else to say.Who takes care of you when you're sick? When do you get a moment to yourself?Suddenly, I felt guilty for demanding even more of her time.

"The best," Tori said with a smile.

"Your family is lucky to have you," Amber said.

Noelle shrugged. "It's what anyone would do."

Most kids would have gone to college and never come back. Noelle had taken on her family as if they were her responsibility. I wasn't sure if anyone could make her see that she needed to take care of herself too. What about what she wanted and needed? She'd been denying herself since she graduated from high school.

I wanted to help Noelle, but I didn't even know where to start, especially when she didn't want anyone's assistance.

"You called us together. What's going on?" Amber asked, taking the focus off Noelle.

Just then the waitress stopped by with our drinks, and Noelle said, "Just water for me. Thanks."

When the waitress left, I asked, "Is my life boring?"

Noelle's eyes widened, and Amber asked, "What are you talking about?"

I ticked off the tasks on the tips of my fingers. "I work. I come home, eat dinner by myself. Then I read and watch TV. Admit it. I live a boring life without any purpose."

"Now wait just a minute. We do good work as social workers," Amber said.

Noelle's forehead wrinkled. "Isn't your purpose to help people?"

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