Page 113 of When the Smoke Clears

This amazing woman and brilliant doctor will end up in therapy because of me—because she fell for the guy who broke her kite and then her heart.

I’m not used to being the villain. I’m the hero—to everyone except Everleigh Reichart.

Blinking my eyes open at the crack of dawn, I slide my hand along the mattress before turning my head to the empty space beside me. She’s never next to me when I wake up. On my way to the bathroom, I hear chatter. She’s on the deck with my mom.

After taking a piss, I pull on a shirt and jeans, then pour a cup of coffee. Before turning the corner to the deck door, I stop and listen—eavesdrop like Lola. The storm door is cracked, so it’s not my fault I can hear them.

“I think Will is going to struggle with Thatcher’s death more than his sister. Maybe even more than me. He has always looked up to his father. They spent many summers lost in the woods, living out of a tent, fishing, identifying every plant species imaginable. And so many nights under the stars. Thatcher loved astronomy. Also, his father was a firefighter, so you can imagine how excited and proud he was when Will decided to follow in Granddad Landry’s footsteps.”

“He never told me that,” Everleigh says. “If death were easy, I might not have a job.”

Mom laughs. “Touché.”

“Steffi, I think you and your children will heal together. Death has a way of giving perspective to life. When I die, I hope my kids will take time to see the beauty in life. The fragility of love. The ephemeral nature of this thing we call time.”

My mom hums softly. “I like how the world looks through your eyes. You’re far too wise to be twenty-nine.”

“Oh, I’m not wise. I’m just the product of overconsuming the writings of famous philosophers and thinkers: Socrates, Kant, Aristotle, Confucius, Buddha, Hippocrates. I’ve had a lot of food for thought for a twenty-nine-year-old.”

“Well, you’re comforting. I’m sure you’re an excellent doctor.”

“Thank you,” she says to my mom with a softer tone, as if she doesn’t feel completely deserving of the compliment.

I lean my shoulder against the wall and sip my coffee. If I step around the corner, their conversation will end.

“What do you love most about my son?” Mom asks.

I cover my mouth to hide my cough as I choke on my coffee.

“You assume I love him?” Everleigh says.

“Dear, it’s not an assumption.”

Maybe I should step around the corner before this goes completely off the rails.

“I love how he’s always made me feel like a woman. Not a doctor. Not a genius. It’s like he sees the real me. The version most everyone else misses. We met at a bar. Everything about our week together in California felt normal. His humor matches mine. We love gaming and hiking. He’s caring even when he tries to act unaffected by me. His friends adore him. And he’s handsome. The kind of handsome that makes me blush every time he looks at me.”

“Oh dear,” my mom says with a little tsk. “That’s a lot. I think it’s too much. These Landry men are heartbreakers. Go to Hopkins. Cure cancer or something like that. Fall in love with a sexy man who’s at least five years younger than you.” Mom’s chair creaks, and I know she’s standing, so I step around the corner.

“Morning,” I say, giving my mom a one-arm hug with my coffee in my other hand.

“Good morning, my handsome boy. I’m going to take a shower. Keep our guest entertained. In fact, you two do something fun today. I’ll deal with your father.”

I sit in her chair on the opposite side of the fire table from Everleigh. “I’m not sure you dealt with Dad that well yesterday. I think you need me there.”

“Nonsense,” Mom says before closing the door behind her.

Everleigh drums her nails on the side of her coffee mug. “Good morning.”

I control my grin, keeping things casual and cool. “Morning. How did you sleep?”

She yawns. I’m not sure if it’s planned or just perfect timing. “It was a restless night with an hour or two of sleep between . . . interruptions.”

My grin wins the battle. I was the interruption. It was a lot harder to sleep with Everleigh naked beside me than I remembered. I think just her body heat gave me an erection. And once I had said erection, I selfishly used her to remedy it.

“When you sleep on your back, you snore,” she says.

“I’m surprised in medical school they didn’t teach you a quick remedy for that.”