Page 17 of Fortune's Control
“You needed a replacement.” She borrowed mine to call her friend the day we picked up her car, after explaining the dropped one wouldn’t charge. “It wasn’t a bother.” Speaking to Emma was worth the cost of a new phone.
“You must think I’m a mess.” Her soft voice stirred me. She had put on a false cheer when we first met, declining my help despite needing it. Conversations like this one only convinced me more hid under her surface. “Broken phone. No job. Running out of gas.”
“I don’t know you well enough to reach that conclusion.” That sounded harsher than I meant. A streak of bad luck happened to everyone, and I was no exception. “We all need a break sometimes, even me.” Lilah needed my help, and I was gratified to be proven correct. “Time may pass, but life doesn’t always keep to your planned schedule. Stay here as long as you need.”
Lilah bit her lip, and the vulnerability in her gesture stirred something in me.
“I’ll pay you back. For the phone and rent.”
The apartment sat unused except for the rare times my sister bothered to visit, and that wouldn’t be anytime soon.
“If you enjoy baking, then do that, and we’ll call it even.” Hell, more chocolate chip cookies I won’t eat. Why did I make that offer? “It’s been a long time since another person cared enough to make me some.” My phone buzzed with another notification. I didn’t need to check to know Jack sent another text. “I’ll see you around.”
*****
My bedroom overlooked her apartment, allowing a viewinto the windows. She worked in the kitchen while the television played in the background. I closed the blinds, granting us both privacy, rested my crutches against the nearby wall, and sat down to finish dressing.
The room once belonged to my parents. I stubbornly climbed the stairs every night, even pushing myself when I shouldn’t, but it was more than the physical challenge. It was my parents’ bedroom, and using it felt wrong, like it took part of them away. I ended up painting the walls and replacing the furniture, which helped. A little.
My phone rang, and I considered not answering before deciding against it. Jack would show up if I didn’t respond. “You could have sent a text.”
“You ignored them. What are you doing tonight?”
“The shop and an early bedtime.”
“You were supposed to come over so we could watch the game.”
“Is this your way of telling me you’ll keep calling until I give in?”
“Nope.” My doorbell rang. “I picked up wings from The Gator Tail. Let me in.”
“The door is unlocked. Be there in a minute.”
The back door opened, and Jack shouted a greeting. I threw my phone down and considered changing again but decided against it. My leg needed rest, and there was only Jack waiting for me.
I pulled a fresh compression halfway up my thigh, smoothing it along my calf, and grabbed my crutches to head downstairs.
“On my way. There better be plenty of food, or I’m kicking you out.”
I hopped down the stairs, a quick processafter so much practice, to find Jack waiting.
“Badminton or bowling. You can pick.” He snapped his fingers and flicked a thumb at me.
“Badminton? Damn, let’s go with bowling.” I claimed my favorite chair and grabbed a green bottle off the coffee table.
“How’s married life?”
I arched a brow. “Is that why you came over? It’s fine. We have a cat, and her name is Pirate.”
“Pirate? You named the cat Pirate? I’ve heard worse.” Jack’s head bobbed as he played the name over in his head. “Will you take her out or introduce her to others soon? I’ve been asked at the grocery store and the diner. Also, walking along the street…”
“Yes, I get it. People are curious, and they will stay curious. We don’t have plans.”
Jack’s voice deepened at his next question. “Have you told Sophie yet?” His eyes flashed at my sister’s name.
They once epitomized the idea of high school sweethearts, so much so that the entire town assumed they would marry right after she graduated. I figured she would go to college first, but otherwise, I shared the same beliefs as everyone else. Instead, they broke up before Jack and I joined the Marines. The rare times Sophie came home, she took extra care to avoid him.
For all the distance between them, my relationship with Sophie was equally strained. “I haven’t had the chance yet. I’ll call her soon, maybe later this week.”
