Page 69 of Wasted Memories
“I, uh, just came by to thank you for buying her that car.” He was scratching the back of his head, avoiding eye contact with me.
“Not really something for you to thank me for.” I turned the water off, grabbing a few paper towels to dry my hands. I faced him, leaning my hip against the edge of the sink.
“I know. But it was nice of you, so thank you.”
I nodded once in response, waiting for him to continue the conversation or walk away.
I wasn’t sure how he even knew about the car, but I had a question I wanted answered. Since Jett was standing here, not acting insane, I figured now was a better time to ask than any. “So, your dads in town.”
Jett swallowed audibly. “He is, yeah.”
“He going to cause any problems? Because if he is, I don’t want Emerson a part of any of it.”
His eyes moved to the paper towel in my hand, then back to my face. “No. No problems.”
I nodded, studying Jett. He was shifting his weight from one foot to the other so slowly you could almost miss it if you weren’t looking. I’d come to learn you should always watch people’s body language, even if they seemed like they could cause no harm. The most innocent looking people had the biggest agendas.
“Well, uh, that’s all I wanted to say.”
He went to turn around. “How’d you know about the car?” I asked.
He stopped, keeping his body angled away from mine as his eyes searched me. “What?”
“The car I bought her. How’d you know about it?”
He hesitated, sliding his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. “Small town, I guess.”
I narrowed my eyes. I wasn’t buying that, but I got the feeling if I pressed, his answer wouldn’t change.
He walked away, my gaze following him as he did. I pulled my cell phone out of my jacket pocket, glancing at the screen. Emerson would be off work in ten minutes. She’d probably make it home before me, but this downpour might slow her down if the main street in town was flooding.
Slipping my phone back into my jacket, I got busy picking up the trash from the parts I’d used throughout the day. I couldn’t help but let my mind wander to the way Jett was acting, almost like he was on something and it was grating his nerves.
I shook my head. After the way he’d been acting the past few weeks, it was odd that he was being nice for a change. Did I believe that he came all the way to the shop just to thank me for something that didn’t concern him? Regardless of the reason, I hoped his mood was changing for the better, for Emerson’s sake. I didn’t know how much longer she could take the stress of all of this.
She deserved a mental break from Jett, from work, from her father’s passing and her mother’s secrets. Maybe I could convince her to take some time off, I could bring her to meet my mom back in Fortsworth. God knows I’d need her by my side when the time came for me to see my mom again.
I knew Emerson sympathized with me losing my father, but I felt guilty putting that emotional burden on her with everything she’d been through these past few weeks. It wasn’t her fault that she didn’t have a relationship with her dad, but I couldn’t help feeling sorry when memories with my dad were brought up.
Her expression wouldn’t change when we talked about those moments. If anything, she seemed eager to hear about them. I wished I could give her those same memories, but with her dad, as a family. She didn’t get to choose the life she was given, and as shitty a hand as she was dealt, she seemed content with it now.
As sad as it was that she learned to be okay with it, I knew there wasn’t anything she could do to change it. Especially given the fact that her mother hid so much from her.
Emerson knew a lot about people leaving, but I’d never be added to that list. Truth be told, it takes a hell of a heart to know what a heart really needs, and I know that right now she needs someone solid. Someone to choose her.
My dad taught me to fight when things got hard, to never walk away from someone just because times got dark, so that’s what I’d do for Emerson. I’d be by her side through these dark times, if only to walk out in the light with her after all is said and done and see her smile shine brighter than it ever has before.
Chapter Forty One
Emerson
Ipulledoffmyapron, shoving it in my locker as a wave of nausea coursed through me. I placed my hand against my stomach, hoping the feeling would pass. Grabbing the bottle of water from my locker, I twisted the cap off and took a few big sips. I was probably just dehydrated. Keeping up with water intake was hard when you worked in a restaurant, despite serving water to customers all day.
I turned around to grab my phone off the table behind me, my foot catching on my opposite heel. I tripped forward but caught myself with the chair, causing it to scoot noisily along the tile floor.
A hand grabbed my elbow to steady me. “Let’s get you in a chair.”
Elijah led me to his office, my vision spinning as I followed his lead, his grip on my elbow guiding me. He eased me into the chair facing his desk when another wave of nausea rolled through me. Something was wrong.
