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I roll my neck from one side to the other again. It doesn't do shit to alleviate the knot of tension along the side.
“I don't know yet, Ma,” I tell her, exhaustion making my voice heavy.
“Well figure it out. Josephine Carter was a friend to the family, and we owe her the respect of making sure her granddaughter is safe in her home.”
Something feels off. Ma's tone was normal, but her word choice feels . . . I don't know. Different.
I squint my eyes as I look at her. “Owe her how exactly?”
Ma shakes her head, her lips twisting to the side. “It was a long time ago, Silas. Just look out for her, yeah?”
I toss my free hand in the air, exasperation buzzing around my head like a swarm of mosquitos. “I hired her to nanny Hunter for you. What more do you want from me?”
She reaches over and places her hand on my forearm. “No, honey. I suggested her because I know she'll be good for my boys.”
I sniff and finish the rest of my beer. “Yeah, well, we'll see how she does. She's gonna sink or swim in just a few days now.”
Truthfully, I don't need the reminder. It's all I've been able to think about for days. And that was long before she got hurt.
The memory of her sitting in that hospital room might just haunt me for the rest of my life. She looked so vulnerable and sweet.
She looked like she could be mine.
I shake off the alarming thought as soon as it crosses my brain. It's probably the beginning stages of heat stroke or some shit. There's no other reason I'd ever have such an insane thought like that.
As if the nanny could ever belong to me.
Ma pats my arm a few times before she withdraws it. “She's great with Hunter, and we both know it. You have a few more days to get used to the idea.”
I jerk my chin in acknowledgement and switch topics. “I wish you would let me take you to your surgery.”
“Your brother already said he would, and I don't need everyone fussing over me. I'll be back home that night,” she says.
“Yeah, well, expect us tofussover you then,” I grumble.
She turns her attention to the backyard once more, but not before I see the smile spread across her face.
After a moment, I add, “And I'll look out for the girl.”
This time, Ma looks at me and flashes her signature smile. “I knew you would, honey.”
16
EVE
I sitdown on the chaise next to my cousin with a sigh. “Thanks for helping me with this today.”
She throws her arm around my shoulders and pulls me into an awkward side hug. “Of course, babe. I should've been over here helping you sort and clean already. So that's on me. But I'm here for whatever you need, okay? You're not alone in this.”
I lean my head on her shoulder and look over all the progress we made. Boxes of knickknacks on the table, a mountain of pillow covers in the corner, towering stacks of frames with family photos I thought my aunt and her family should have.
A lifetime of memories reduced to piles scattered around the room.
I gesture weakly to the room. “It's kind of sad, ya know? Like this somehow feels more real than her celebration of life thing last year.”
She rests her cheek against the top of my head. “It's sad as hell, babe. But this is how we can honor her too.”
I nod and pull away, rolling the kinks out of my neck. Spending half the day bent over funny sorting through what's left pulled a muscle in my back.
