Page 63 of Fever Dream
On one hand, I’m horrified Richard pressured Emmett into this. On the other hand, I’m glad he chose her. This farm means everything to his family, and if playing along means they get the paycheck they desperately need to keep it all afloat, then how could I ever judge him?
I’d do the same for my mom or brother.
Fierce loyalty. We have that in common. And where other people may not understand his dedication to this cause, I do.
It doesn’t mean that standing here watching them sit on a picnic blanket making small talk feels great, though. Evelyn puts on a show for the camera, toasting champagne with a knowing glance, licking her lips as she stares at Emmett’s mouth.
Standing beneath a tree, I watch as she rubs his knee and tells him it seems like he needs some help releasing “all that tension.” As though people carry sexual tension in their knees.
To Emmett’s credit, he doesn’t return her affection. He plays his part, but his eyes have shuttered.
They talk, but it’s all surface level. He explains what his day-to-day life on the farm looks like and how it differs from being on the road, traveling from rodeo to rodeo for months on end to chase points. Hoping and praying you accrue enough to qualify you for the WBRF finals.
I’ve seen my brother do it. It’s a tough life. The injuries are perpetual. The risk is endless. Your family’s worry? Constant.
It’s why I don’t do cowboys.
As it turns out, Evelyn is a life coach. I have to swallow my laugh, because who the hell is taking life advice from this woman? She talks about wanting to be an actress as a child and how hard it’s been to give up that dream. That disappointment, she says, led her into life coaching. When Emmett asks about her qualifications, she skims the question and explains how she can do her job from anywhere—something that would, according to her, make traveling with him or working from the farm easy for her.
Possessiveness flashes hot and bright inside me. It comes in a searing wave that washes over me when she mentions living on the farm. Here. Inmyvalley. Where I’d run into them.
It’s not like I personally want to live on the farm with Emmett. That’s not even on the table. But I sure as shit don’t want Evelyn doing it. Living that life. Having breakfast with the Brandts. All at once, I feel fiercely protective of their family—of what they’ve built here.
“Wow,” Evelyn breathes, pushing up onto her knees to face over the ridge. Her hand stays on Emmett’s knee.
From somewhere a few people down, Richard whispers eagerly, “Yes, perfect. Just like we talked about. Good girl, Evelyn.”
I swallow down my growing disdain for the man and remind myself that I’m just here to do my job.
But it doesn’t help the lurching sensation that’s taken over my gut. I will it away, but it sticks there, consuming me with every passing second. Unease spreads through me as I watch them.
The sinking sensation is making me worry that somewhere along the way, Emmett has started to feel less like a job and more like… something else. Something he shouldn’t.
As the sun drops toward the low-slung mountains, the light atop Prickle Point takes on a golden pinkish hue, casting the entire set in a stunning glow.
And like that’s her signal, Evelyn leans in toward Emmett.
“This has been the perfect date,” she whispers, just loud enough for the cameras to pick up.
I know what’s coming, and I want to look away… but I can’t.
I freeze, staring raptly as Evelyn draws closer to Emmett’s mouth.
Her arms hook over his shoulders, but his hands stay planted behind his body where he’s propped himself up on the checkered blanket.
I suck in a harsh breath when her lips press against his, my throat constricting as I look on in fascinated dismay.
He freezes. His hands stay planted on the ground. His eyes stay open. They land on mine.
She’s kissing him, but he’s looking at me.
This is what we’re here for. This is the job. And still, a trickle of unwelcome nausea roils in my throat as I hold his gaze. He looks…mortified.
When she moves to lift one leg to sit astride his lap, our connection snaps. Emmett shifts, jerking away as though he’s been burned. And it sends Evelyn tumbling off the blanket, toward the downhill slope.
She catches herself with her palms. Right on the clusters of cacti that I am all too familiar with. It elicits a shocked squeal from her as she rears back on her haunches and lifts her hands to inspect.
They arefullof the same spines that I had in mine. She breathes hard, tears welling in her eyes, and if I didn’t irrationally dislike her as much as I do, I might sympathize with her.
