Page 10 of The Love Chase
The thought of telling my brother about this horrendous day made bile swirl in my stomach. I just wanted to be somewhere safe, with people that I loved—even if it meant risking seeing him.
“Jamie, would it be okay if I stayed in your guest room for a few days?” I didn’t want to tell him what happened over the phone. I wanted it to be a face-to-face conversation, that way if I fell apart, my big brother’s hugs would help hold me together like they did growing up.
There was a long beat of silence, and for a split second I was worried he’d say no. He had Elsie now. Though they didn’t live together yet—they were waiting until they got married—she was still constantly there with him. I was sure my brother wouldn’t appreciate his little sister encroaching on his space and his time with his fiancée.
“You’re always welcome, Emma. You know that,” he said. “I’m sure Elsie would love some girl time too since Maya and Oliver are still on their honeymoon. If she can get herself to take a break from her book, that is.”
I held back a sigh at the subtle reminder that my cousin was now happily married, and I was single and alone. It pressed down on my shoulders, glued my feet to the ground—err, the floor mat of my truck. That was the sucky part of growing up. Eventually everyone moved on with their lives and left you to figure life out by yourself.
Spoiler alert: I didn’t like doing life by myself.
Oh, and adulting sucked. Couldn’t forget that one.
“But I thought you were staying away from Meridel,” Jameson added, knowing better than to mention the reason why that was.
“I’ll explain when I get there.”
“Okay,” he said, drawing the word out like he was confused. “When will that be?”
I pulled into his driveway, parking in front of the third garage stall. The sun was just starting to sink beneath the horizon, casting a purplish glow on Jameson’s house.
Without the noise of my truck, I could hear a country song playing on the radio, the voice far too familiar, making nausea swirl in my gut. I flicked the power button, silencing the song I knew like the back of my hand, and the man behind it too.
Opening the door to my truck, I sheepishly said, “Um, now?”
Jameson’s dog, Luna, was sprawled across my lap on the couch, graciously allowing me to run my fingers through her fur, calming each of my tense muscles after such a ridiculously bad day. I had just finished telling my brother everything that happened with my internship and Denise, and he kept blinking at me like I had told him I adopted a pet emu or something.
“So let me get this straight,” he began, ticking things off on his fingers. “You took out a massive loan for a truck and gear to chase terrifying tornadoes, then lost your paid internship, and then Diarrhea—”
“—you mean Denise—”
“Diarrhea kicks you out of your apartment?”
I sighed, trying not to laugh at his nickname for my ex-roommate. “That’s the gist of it.”
Jameson shook his head. “Why did you get the loan so quickly? Why didn’t you wait until your internship was over? Wouldn’t your future employer have supplied you with the equipment you needed anyway?”
I pursed my lips, wincing as I explained, “I wanted to look more appealing on applications. If the Midwest Storm Research Center, or whoever I applied to, saw that I had a reliable storm chasing vehicle and all my own gear, I thought maybe they’d be more willing to take a chance on me. Plus, having my own stuff means I can get more storm chasing experience whenever I want, and not have to wait for someone else.”
At the mention of storm chasing, Jameson curled in on himself. He really hated the thought of me chasing tornadoes. It was understandable to be afraid of storms, but if people took the time to understand how those beautiful forces of nature worked, they’d become a lot less scary.
“It probably would have been wiser to wait until your internship was over before taking out such a loan,” he said.
I shoved a pillow against my face and fell back against the cushions and groaned. “I know.”
Just another example of me making a bad decision with wave after wave of consequences. You’d think I would have learned my lesson about being impulsive by now, but nope.
He rubbed the back of his neck, staring at the ceiling. I could see the thoughts churning away in his brain. Jameson would never tell me how stupid all these decisions were, but I knew he was thinking it. Who wouldn’t be? I’d made a huge mistake, and now, I had to reap the consequences.
Pressing my lips together to keep tears from filling my eyes, I tried to pull myself together. I could cry later when I was alone. I didn’t want my brother to think he had to step in and take care of me or fix this mess. He had done enough for me over the years. It was time for me to be an adult, even if adulting was the worst thing ever.
“Don’t worry, Jam-Jam. I’ll figure it out.” Somehow.
His lips quirked to the side as he arched an eyebrow, clearly skeptical, but he didn’t refute my claim. I knew my brother was likely fighting the urge to jump in and rescue me as it was. He was so used to taking care of other people, it was second nature for him.
“Well, you’re welcome to stay in the guest bedroom as long as you need,” he offered. “Today was a rough day, but tomorrow will be better.” He gave a light punch to my shoulder. “Hang in there, Sis.”
“Thanks, Jamie.” I glanced around the room, noticing how quiet it was now. “Where’s Elsie?”