AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I don’t want anyone else to have her.
That was possibly the most selfish thought I’d ever had. Ash deserved a home with more love than she could stand. But the idea I might never see her again didn’t settle well. We had a connection, one that transcended explanation.
“You’re right.” The words sounded like they’d been dragged from me.
“I have to put them first.”Creak. Had she finally sat down? “It has nothing to do with you.”
That made me feel marginally better. I shifted. Why were toilets so hard and uncomfortable?
I stretched out my legs, but that didn’t help my ass.
“Why are you making strange noises?”
I found myself smiling once again. “I’m using the phone in my brother’s bathroom. The only place to sit is the toilet. And it’s like a sheet of concrete.”
She snickered. A little more of my tension eased.
“You could try the floor.”
“It’s marble. Or something even harder,” I grumbled.
A comfortable silence stretched between us for a few moments. I’d temporarily forgotten the pile of crap that constantly weighed me down. Because she’d reminded me of the good.
“Why’d you call?” Only genuine curiosity laced the question.
I swallowed hard as the reason came crashing back.
“Cassano, he was the other firefighter at the blaze where I found Ash. The injured one. He—he died tonight.”
“Teague,” she breathed. “I’m—Are you okay?”
She’d almost said she was sorry. I knew it. And I was so grateful she hadn’t. While I didn’t doubt that she was, sometimes those words felt empty. What did it say about her that she was sensitive to that? That her immediate concern was me.
“I’m holding up.” I picked at a string on the hand towel lying on the counter.
“It’s hard to lose someone.” The sadness in her tone spoke of experience.
“I know.” All too well.
Cassano wasn’t the first brother-in-arms I’d lost and he wouldn’t be the last. I’d lost my mother. And in a way, I’d lost my father too.
But who had Pepper lost?
More silence.
What was there to say about Cassano? He was gone and nothing would bring him back. I hadn’t done enough to save him.
“I’m going to try to get Ash to eat for a few days. I don’t want to teach her bad habits. But if she won’t, is it okay if Miss Adeline contacts you again?” Pepper asked tentatively.
“I’d rather hear from you,” I blurted before I thought better of it.
“I’m not sure that’s the best idea.”
I liked the old woman, but she wasn’t Pepper. And why did she have to be so wise?
“Whatever you need, I’m here.” We’d just have to figure out a way to lay low.
She yawned. “I better go.”
