Page 70 of Waiting For A Girl Like You
“I made her sleep.” Across from them, doing his own research, Abe let out an exhausted sigh from behind his laptop. “She fought me, but I won, and she got about three hours of rest. Then a shower and some food. I made her a full meal to make sure she had some fuel.”
Jamison lifted her head, ignoring her screen just as Annabeth did. They glanced at each other before turning on Abe.
“You cooked?” Annabeth asked. “Actual food?”
Abe looked up, his eyes darting back and forth between them. “Yes, I cooked her food.”
Tilting her head to the side, Annabeth studied him. “Like a… microwave meal?”
“No.” Unamused over what she was implying, Abe’s face darkened. “I am capable, Annabeth.”
“Oh, I know you’re capable, you just never do it,” his twin shot back. “And don’t you snap at me as if I think you’re not capable of something. You’re the one all up in your head.”
Abe’s hard gaze dropped back to his screen. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, that’s some bullshit.” Folding her hands neatly on the table, Annabeth’s spine shot ramrod straight. She was about to lecture her brother, and Jamison braced herself. Annabeth could be as scary as her mother when in a bad mood. “Get your head out of your ass. You like her.”
Typing furiously, Abe sneered at the keyboard. “So?”
“So, don’t screw this up by pushing Izzy away because you think you’re not good enough.” Annabeth leaned forward. “We watch you do it all the time, and now you have one that could really be something. No, it’s not the ideal time to be romancing a person, but none of us want to see you get in your head—”
“Hold up.” Abe flopped back in his wheelchair. “Youare lecturingmeabout getting in my head. Are you for real right now?”
One of Annabeth’s hands lifted in the air, and with a grand flourish, she gestured in Jamison’s direction. “Tell him.”
Jamison shrank a little in her folding chair. “You’re dragging me into this?”
“I am.” Annabeth spared her a sideways glance. “Now, tell him.”
Closing her laptop, Jamison took a deep inhale. “I love you, Abe. You’re like my brother. In fact, I like you better than my brothers. Samuel is an ass, and Selah can lecture too much.”
Abe nodded in agreement. “All of this is true.”
“But you go through women, Abe. Like, a lot of women. Izzy isn’t that type, and I think you should tread carefully with her.”
“What are you talking about?” Annabeth whispered out the side of her mouth. “This isn’t about Izzy.”
“It isn’t?”
“No. Not really.”
“Then what is this about?”
Annabeth rolled her eyes. “It’s about how he goes through all these women because he doesn’t think he’s good enough. He thinks that chair limits him when we know it doesn’t.” She tapped a finger against her temple. “Those limitations are in here.”
Eyes going wide, Jamison floundered on what to say but could only come up with, “Oh.”
“He’s been scared,” Annabeth continued. “So, he loves them and leaves them.”
“Or maybe I like Izzy and don’t want to mess this up.” Abe grinned at his sister when she huffed. “Okay, fine. Maybe I do want to prove to her that this chair doesn’t limit me. I already know that it doesn’t, but sometimes I feel the need to prove it to people. Just like I’m sure Izzy feels she has to prove herself as a woman while working in the field that’s dominated by men.”
“It’s not the same thing,” Annabeth grumbled. “But whatever.”
“And just like you have to prove to yourself and everyone else how capable you can be in the world,” Abe said, arching forward with a grin. “We’re all fucked up, Annabeth, but thanks for being a brat and calling me out on my bullshit that doesn’t exist.”
“Oh, shut up.”
They continued their search, three little fish in a very big pond. A half-hour went by, and Jamison checked the time, expecting Liam soon.
