Page 70 of The Embers That Remain

“I said it’s handled.” The words came out sharper than I intended, but I wasn’t going to budge.

He nodded once. “Okay.”

There it was again—that damn refusal to fight. Some irrational part of me wanted him to argue, to push, to give me something to push against, but instead he simply sat there waiting like a well-adjusted adult. Giving me room, giving me space. The way you did when someone was scared. Somehow, that irritated me even more.

“I don’t need rescuing.” The harsh tone of my words scraped against my skin.

His eyes widened slightly. Something almost amused crossed his face.

“Cali.”

“What?” I clipped.

“I wasn’t trying to rescue you.”

The embarrassment arrived instantly and most likely was crawling from my chest to my neck to my face. The curse of being a redhead. Of course he wasn’t. I’d started an argument all by myself. He blew out a slow breath.

“I was going to offer to help you find resources if something was going on.” My face was surely scarlet at this point.

“Oh.” I looked away because the wall had suddenly become fascinating. Wonderful. Fantastic. Just perfect. What was worse than him trying to offer money to make all my problems go away? Was it him offering resources to fix said problems? I wanted the floor to swallow me whole. Just take me now.

A low chuckle escaped him, and my head snapped back to him.

“Are you laughing at me?” I asked, squinting my eyes.

“No.” Clearly lying.

“You are.”

“I’m really trying not to.” He rolled his lips together to try and hold back a smile.

“Lane.” That only made it worse. His shoulders hitched.

I pointed at him again. “You are the worst!”

His laugh slipped free. For one reckless second I was seventeen again, sitting in the cab of his truck after a football game, sharing a milkshake and promises whispered into the dark. I looked away first. How were you supposed to turn someone who’d once been your whole world into an acquaintance?

My phone screen lit up.

Helen calling

Relief flooded through me because at this point I’d accept any interruption I could to take my mind away from its current thoughts.

“Sorry. I need to get this.”

Lane’s expression changed instantly, and the teasing disappeared, replaced with concern. I answered before the second ring.

“Helen?” She usually sent a text if it was just to let me know about something or keep me in the loop. There was noise on the other end—voices and movement. My pulse kicked up.

“Cali.” Helen sounded breathless. “Don’t panic,” she said. Which was an excellent way to ensure immediate panic. I shot to my feet as Lane mirrored my movement. “What happened?”

“Your grandfather wandered off when I was in the bathroom. One minute he was watching reruns of The Price is Right, and the next I couldn’t find him.”

Every muscle in my body locked. “What? How long has it been?”

“We found him,” Helen said quickly. “He’s okay. It just scared me a little, and he has a small cut on his foot because he was barefoot. But I cleaned it up, and he should be good. I just wanted to let you know what happened.”

I worked to catch my breath as Helen filled the silence.