Page 50 of We Own Tonight
Me: I’mhonored.
Heather: Seriously, though. It depends on if Stephanie is released, can we play it byear?
I will never stand in her way with her sister, which is why I’m here. It’s one thing to say the words and another to actually follow through with action. She should never doubt me, I’m hoping to prove this to hernow.
Me: Of course, I’ll be intouch.
Heather: Thanks, Eli. I really was thinking of you. (Don’t let that go to your head.) *wink*
I have a shit-eating grin on my face as I push off from the wall I was leaning against and start walking. Nerves that I don’t normally feel start to build as I approach Stephanie’s door. What if she doesn’t know that her sister and I are . . . whatever we are? Am I going to seriously piss offHeather?
Instead of getting ahead of myself, I say fuck it and do what I came here to do. I knock on the door and hope for thebest.
“What?” a hostile voice calls from the bed. “I’msleeping.”
“Sorry,” I say, and then she looks over and lets out a high-pitchedscream.
“Holyshit!”
“Hi, Stephanie. Can I come in?” Iask.
“Oh. My. God!” A younger, brunette version of Heather yells. “You’re Eli Walsh! The one who my sister slept with!” I guess that clears up whether she knows about me. “Shit!” Stephanie clasps her hand over her mouth in a very Heather-likegesture.
“I’m one and the same, unless she goes around sleeping with other guys named EliWalsh?”
She shakes her head with her hand still covering herlips.
“I wanted to come by and meet you, I hope that’sokay.”
It’s clear that Heather’s sister is her number one, and I want her to know I get it. Unlike her piece of shit ex-husband.
She tucks her hair behind her ears and sits up a little. “Of course! I mean, yeah. I can’t believe you’re here . . . in my hospital room. And you know myname.”
“Your sister talks about you a lot,” Iexplain.
“She needs alife.”
I ignore the comment because it isn’t my place to say shit. I know how easy it is to immerse yourself in whatever is going on in life. “So, tell me, how areyoufeeling?”
“Umm.” She hesitates and scrunches her face a little. “Me? I’m having a good day. I’m going hometomorrow.”
“That’s good. I know Heather thought you’d be donetoday.”
Stephanie chews on her lip while looking out the window. “They’re keeping me one more day because I had a rough night lastnight.”
Shit. Maybe this won’t work. “I’m sorry to hearthat.”
“It’s fine. My medication was causing my heart rate to spike, but the last twelve hours have been steady. Please don’t tell my sister that last part. If I say anything about having a bad day, it’s a yearlong lecture on all the reasons I should call her when things like that happen. As if my life isn’t a series of freaking medical issues, I guess she just wants to be on the phone all damn day.” Stephanie says the words so fast it almost comes out like one giantsentence.
My lips turn up, and I stifle a laugh. There isn’t a doubt in my mind that Heather would be okay with that. She has a big heart, and her protectiveness of Stephanie is clear. My brother is the same with me. Randy may come off as an asshole, but if I needed him, I know he will bethere.
“Your secret’s safe with me.” I move toward the side of her bed and extend the flowers. “These are foryou.”
“I can’t believe you brought me flowers. You must really like mysister.”
“I do. I like her alot.”
I never understood the saying, “You know when you know.” I always thought that was some line of bullshit an idiot came up with. Yet, the older I get, the more reality I see in it. I’ve always known in some part of my head that the girls I was spending time with weren’t worth it. They weren’t going to be the girl brought to meet mymother.
