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“I haven’t accepted it.” Irritation pricked me. “Not yet, anyway.”
“What?” His brow furrowed. “Why not?”
“It’s in New York.”
“Oh.” Flynn grew quiet. “When does she want you to start?”
“Next week.”
His eyelids fluttered. “Whoa, that’s fast.”
“I’ve asked for more time. There are things I need to sort out first.”
“Like what?”
I shrugged.Your sister.“Smudge.”
“I’m sure Daisy can manage the cat.”
“Yeah, I know, but…”
My voice tapered off as whimpering echoed down the hall. Flynn and I surged toward the bunk room to check on Daisy.
“I thought the nightmares had stopped,” Flynn said as we stood in the doorway, watching her toss and turn.
My heart ached. “So did I.”
“Something must’ve triggered them.”
She's scared.
“The breakup with Vance perhaps?” Flynn continued as I fought the urge to jump into the bed and hold her.
I unconsciously moved closer. “Should we wake her?”
Flynn shook his head. “Her brain is trying to sort out all her emotions. She’s been through a lot lately.”
“Yeah, I guess she has a lot going on.” My timing was as shitty as ever.
“We should call it a night,” Flynn said, mid-yawn. “We have a roof to fix tomorrow, and it looks like you’re not going to get much sleep.”
“Joys of the bunk room,” I muttered, not caring in the slightest to be sharing a room with his sister. “I guess this is payback for all the nights we kept her awake.”
Flynn snickered. “Luckily for me, I have my own room now.”
“Yeah, yeah.” I waved him off. “Night, Flynn.”
“Night,” Flynn uttered as he crossed the hallway. “And think about that job, Ethan. Opportunities like this don’t come around often.”
My eyes didn’t budge from Daisy’s tear-streaked face. “Yeah, I know.”
Once Flynn disappeared into his bedroom and closed the door, I tore off my t-shirt and shorts and climbed into the bed opposite Daisy, feeling sixteen again.
As teenagers, Flynn and I took the top bunks, leaving Daisy alone at the bottom. She always hated it, but I loved being able to watch her sleep. It was the only time I could observe her beauty without raising suspicion.
Now, I lay on the bottom bunk, doing the same thing, only her once blissful slumber was now plagued with nightmares. They’d started after her parents passed but had tapered off after years of therapy. Now, they’d been triggered again, and I knew our situation had something to do with it.
We’d done something once forbidden. We were now connected, not as brother and sister, like her parents would’ve wanted, but as lovers. She had every right to be scared, because I was haunted by the same fear.What if we can’t make it work?
