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I exhale slowly. “Right. I guess I’d better go home and get gussied up.”
Gomez claps me on the shoulder. “Good luck, Agent Harper.”
* * *
My stomach grumbles the second I step through my apartment door, the divine scent of a cheesy pepperoni pizza filling the air. Tabitha is in the kitchen, humming along to whatever song she’s listening to on her phone. She doesn’t look up until the door thuds closed, and a massive smile stretches across her lips.
“You’re home early,” she says, wheeling herself out into the living room. “Guess who picked up a stuffed crust from the grocery store!”
I can’t help but reflect her smile. Tabitha reminds me so much of Mom and Dad. She has Mom’s curly black hair and Dad’s bright green eyes. Some days, it’s like they’re still here with us.
Tabitha is only eighteen, but she’s already been through more tragedy than people twice her age.
We don’t like to talk about the car accident. It’s sort of an unspoken rule between us, a promise to never bring it up. It’s still too fresh, too painful. Tabitha is nine years younger than I am, and I’m more than aware of how much she looks up to me. When she turned sixteen, the first thing she asked was if I could take her out driving. I was busy with work, but Mom and Dad said they were happy to take her instead.
Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I’d told her yes. If I blew off my assignment, even for just a couple of hours, I could be in the car with her instead of my parents. Thewhat ifshaunt me to this day, an ever-present specter gnawing at my nerves.
What if I’d been in the car with Tabitha? What if I had spotted the drunk driver careening into her lane? What if Mom and Dad hadn’t died on impact, and Tabitha hadn’t lost the feeling in her legs?
Despite everything, Tabitha is my light in an otherwise bleak world. She’s always so wonderfully positive, her chipper smile and constant jokes brightening my days. Sometimes, when my thoughts get too heavy and dark, I wonder just how much Tabitha’s forcing it. When all is quiet in the apartment and I’m weighed down by my guilt, I wonder if she is more unhappy than she lets on.
That’s why everything I do, I do for her.
I’m working hard for that promotion and pay bump. With enough money, I’ll be able to take care of her and give her a comfortable life. My sweet, brave little sister deserves nothing less.
“I’m actually going out tonight,” I tell her apologetically.
Tabitha raises a brow. “Going out where?”
“I have a… sort of an outing.”
My little sister giggles, her lips curling into a mischievous smile. “Does this outing have to do with a man?”
“Maybe…”
She gasps, her whole face lighting up like the Fourth of July. “You have a date! Dani, that’s awesome! You haven’t been on a date inages.”
“You don’t have to say it like that.”
“Now, remember—always use protection.”
I throw my head back and cackle. “Okay, first of all,ew. This isn’t something I want to be discussing with my little sister. And second of all, it’s just dinner.”
“Uh huh,” Tabitha says skeptically. “You better not put out unless he pays.”
I put my hands on my hips. “And since when do you know whatputting outmeans?”
She rolls her eyes. “I’m eighteen, Dani.”
“Will you be alright if I leave you for a few hours?”
“Of course. Maybe I’ll invite Dolly and Rachel over for a movie night. I mean, if that’s okay with you. I know you’re still pissed at Dolly for the wholescorch-marks-on-the-counterincident.”
“Yeah, we’re definitely not getting our deposit back. But that sounds like fun. I’ll leave my credit card with you in case you want to splurge on snacks. Just keep that damn pyro friend of yours away from any lighters.”
Tabitha grins. “I’ll try my best.”
I try to head straight to my room to get changed, but Tabitha follows me down the hall.
