Page 86 of Fangirl Down

Josephine slumped back against the damaged wall.

How had Wells spent the last seven days?

He’d texted her only once, with flight information. Just basic itinerary stuff.

Nothing else.

That’s what you asked him for. That’s what you wanted.

Josephine was saved from having to acknowledge the regret creeping in when she heard footsteps approaching from outside. If she needed any further proof that she missed Wells like crazy, it was in the way her heart rate spiked, her breath running short at the prospect of him walking into the shop.

Jim and Evelyn appeared in the doorway instead.

It took a considerable effort for Josephine to swallow the acute disappointment, which only led to a healthy dose of guilt. “Mom. Dad.” She dropped the tube of cleaning wipes in her hand and approached them, their arms wrapping around her shoulders and drawing her into a double embrace. “I’m sorry I haven’t been over to see you. I just wanted to get the shop cleaned up before you saw it in such terrible condition.”

Evelyn rubbed a firm circle into the center of her back, squeezed her tight. “It’s not your job to shield us from uncomfortable things, Joey.”

Uh-oh.

She knew that tone from her mother. Loving, as always, but decidedly wounded.

Josephine exhaled and stepped back, studying the faces of herparents. They weren’t the type to lay the guilt on thick, but they were guarded this afternoon. Hurt. And frankly, she deserved that reaction from them after being back in Palm Beach for a full week and avoiding the Big Conversation. “I’m not only sorry that I haven’t come to the house. I’m so sorry about the rest of it, too.” She wanted to rub at the discomfort in her throat, but her hands were covered in muck. “I don’t know what exactly you’ve heard on TV, because I can’t bring myself to watch. But... you’ve probably realized by now that I’m caddying for Wells because I...weneed the money to repair the shop.”

“You should have told us, Joey,” Jim said quietly. “We have savings. You didn’t have to shoulder all this responsibility on your own.”

“I like the responsibility,” Josephine rushed to say. “Iwantit. And it might seem as if you’ve misplaced your trust in me, but I promise, I’m going to build the shop back better than ever. All right? I won’t make the same mistakes again.”

Evelyn sighed. “You know the shop isn’t the part we worry about most.” She looked up at the ceiling and blinked several times, as if holding back tears. “It’s you. You’re a diabetic. You need health insurance. It’s not some optional luxury—”

“Mom, I know. Can you please just trust me?” Josephine gave up on staying clean and massaged her aching throat. “I’m handling it. All of it. One problem at a time.”

“How can I trust you when you lied?”

“Technically, she didn’t lie,” Jim interjected. “She just omitted the truth.”

Josephine’s shoulders slumped in relief. “Thanks, Dad.”

He grunted, took a turn around the shop. “Do you have supplies? Sensors for your CGM? Insulin?”

“Yes. Enough to get me through until I can get a policy up and running. I’m not...”

“Rationing?” Her mother spat the word like an epithet. “You can’t do that. We’d sell the house before letting you do that.”

“I know! I know. That’s why I didn’t say anything.” Immediately, she regretted her outburst, but her parents were staring at her, stunned, the words lingering in the air. She had no choice but to qualify them. To explain. With a sigh, Josephine turned over the crate she’d been using to transport cleaning supplies and sat down heavily. “What happens with the shop is one thing, my diabetes is another. I’m an adult, guys. I find my own solutions. I’m the one who has to live with this condition. It’s mine. I don’t want caretakers, because it makes me feel like I... Ineedthem. It makes me feel sickly—and I’m not. I’m strong.”

It occurred to Josephine that she’d been avoiding this conversation for years.

Smiling through the well-meaning warnings and advice. Nodding. Agreeing.

One tournament with Wells and she was no longer avoiding the uncomfortable topics. Maybe... she’d learned something from him? Or gotten used to facing problems head-on—bluntly and loudly. Whatever the reason, her short time with Wells had changed her for the better, hadn’t it? Reminded her exactly how capable she was.

And that made her miss him even more.

Romantically, yes. Her gooey heart and sex feelings for the big jerk were undeniable.

But it was more than that. She missed her friend and fighting partner.

“You are strong, Joey,” Evelyn said, voice quivering. “It was never my intention to make you feel otherwise. Sometimes I just can’t shut off the worry.”

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