Chapter 41

I slump back, mirroring Emma’s casual pose as the small happy laughter and squeals echo gently from outside with Jake’s voice intermingled and drifting our way. Emma leans back for a second to peek out, a warmth hitting her face and lighting up her eyes before she returns to focus on me.

“Well?” Emma reminds me. I was sitting watching her. My head lost somewhere between her ten thousand questions and just sheer fatigue.

“I’ve been better! Life sucked here, yet it still sucked in New York, so go figure. I’ve felt better, and Arrick made me come home, so I guess I didn’t choose it.” I shrug and swipe my mug to take a mouthful of the strong Italian roast or something Jake, ‘the coffee connoisseur,’ has filled it with. I blanch at how strong it is, even with creamer.

“Bristly… Uncharacteristically so.” Emma raises eyebrows my way with only a look of calculation on her face, no doubt her psychology degree working overtime in that quick brain to pinpoint the route to my