Chapter 5
EMILY
High-pitched voices drifted over the fence, followed by the distinctive squeak of the trampoline springs. Audrey and Alice were out there, their giggles punctuating the quiet morning.
I smiled despite myself, reaching into the basket for another shirt to peg on the line.
Then the bouncing stopped and there was a long stretch of silence.
“Do you think it’s stuck?” Alice’s voice sounded higher than usual. Worried.
“I don’t know. Maybe it can’t get down?” That was Audrey, using her big sister voice.
I paused, a damp towel in my hands, and glanced toward the fence line. Through the gaps in the slats, I could see flashes of movement. Both girls were standing on the trampoline now, completely still, staring up at something.
“We should tell Daddy,” Alice said.
“He said not to bother him until breakfast is ready, unless someone’s bleeding.”
“But it might fall!”
What might fall?
I dropped the towel back in the basket and crossed to the fence, standing on my toes to peer over.
Sure enough, both girls were craning their necks to look up into one of the giant oaks.
About fifteen feet up, pressed against the trunk on a branch that looked way too thin for comfort, was an orange tabby cat.
“Oh no!”
Both girls jumped at the sound of my voice, whipping around to face me, their eyes wide.
“Hi, girls.”
“Hi, Emily!” They said in unison.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you, but I heard you talking about the cat.”
“It’s stuck in the tree.” Audrey pointed up at it.
“So I see. Poor thing.”
As if on cue, the cat let out a pitiful yowl.
“Maybe you should tell your dad.”
“He’s cooking.” Audrey’s tone was very serious. “He gets grumpy when we interrupt cooking.”
I bit back a smile. “I see. Well, maybe we should interrupt him anyway. This seems important.”
“I’ll get him!” Alice was already scrambling off the trampoline, running for the house at full speed. “DADDY! DADDY, THERE’S A CAT!”
Audrey stayed put, still staring at up with a worried crease between her brows. “How are we gonna get him down?”
I gave it some thought. “It looks to me like someone might need to climb up and get him.”
“Can you climb trees? I can’t. It’s too scary.”
“I used to when I was little.”
The back door banged open and Cam appeared, still holding a spatula, looking exactly as grumpy as advertised. His hair was messy, like he’d been running his hands through it, and he wore a faded t-shirt that had definitely seen better days. The whole package should have been illegal.
Alice was tugging on his hand, pulling him toward the trampoline. “The cat is stuck, Daddy! Way up high!”
His eyes tracked up the tree, then around the yard, landing on me standing at the fence. Something flickered across his face, too quick to read.
“Morning,” I called.
“Morning.” His voice was rough, like he hadn’t used it much yet today. He moved closer to the tree, peering up. “How long has it been up there?”
Audrey shrugged. “Don’t know, but it sounds really scared.”
The cat yowled again, louder this time, and shifted on the branch. The wood creaked ominously.
“Shit,” Cam muttered, then seemed to remember his daughters were right there. “I mean, shoot.”
“What are we gonna do, Daddy?” Alice looked like she was about to start crying.
“Someone will have to climb up and get it.” He studied the tree with a heavy frown. “I’m too heavy for those branches. They won’t hold me.”
“Emily said she used to climb trees,” Audrey offered helpfully.
His eyes cut to me. “Did she now.”
“I mean, it’s been a while,” I said quickly. “But I’m lighter than you, if you think it would help?”
He looked at the tree again, clearly running calculations in his head. The muscle in his jaw ticked. “You don’t have to do that.”
“I know. But I’m already out here, and that cat sounds miserable.” I glanced at the girls, both watching me with identical hopeful expressions. “Plus, I can’t let the girls down.”
Alice’s face lit up. “You’re gonna save it?”
“I’m going to try. No promises.”
Cam’s exhale was long and controlled. “Okay then. Come up to the gate.”
I met him at the gate and when he swung it wide, he gestured to the yard. “After you.”
I slipped past him, hyper-aware of how close we were. He smelled like coffee and something cooking, maple syrup maybe. My heart rate went up a notch.
The girls rushed over immediately, flanking me like tiny bodyguards.
“Be careful,” Audrey’s tone was very serious.
“I will. Promise.”
I studied the tree, plotting my route. The lowest branch was just within reach if I jumped. From there, it was a fairly straightforward climb.
Reaching for the first branch, I said, “Okay, buddy, let’s get you down.”
The bark was rough under my palms. I hauled myself up, refusing to think about how I looked to the people standing below me. And by people, I meant Cam, obviously.
One branch, then another. My arms remembered this, even if my brain had forgotten. The rhythm of it. Test the branch, shift my weight, pull myself higher.
“You’re doing it!” Alice’s voice drifted up to me.
The cat watched me approach with increasing alarm, pressing harder against the trunk.
“Hey there, buddy,” I said softly, inching closer. “I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to help you get down, okay?”
It hissed.
Great.
“Emily.” Cam’s voice, low and tight. “Be careful.”
“I’ve got it.” As long as I ignored the way my name sounded in that deep, rumbly voice.
I reached out slowly, letting the cat sniff my fingers. It hissed again but didn’t swipe. Progress. I moved a little closer, the branch creaking under me.
“Almost there,” I murmured.
Then I made my move, scooping the cat into my arms in one quick motion before it could bolt higher. It yowled, claws digging into my forearm hard enough to sting.
“Got it!” I called down.
“Yay!” Alice was bouncing on her toes.
“Now comes the fun part,” I muttered, looking down at the ground that suddenly seemed much farther away than it had on the climb up.
The cat squirmed, clearly not appreciating being rescued. I held it firmly against my chest with one arm and started making my way carefully down.
My muscles were burning, and my foot slipped slightly on the third branch, sending a shower of bark raining down.
“Careful.” Cam’s voice was closer now. Right below me.
I glanced down to see him standing below me, arms slightly raised like he was ready to catch me if I fell. There was a light in his eyes that made my stomach flip.
“I’m okay,” I said, more to convince myself than him.
Two more branches and I was nearly at the bottom, but the last drop was still a good five feet. Too far to jump safely while holding a pissed off cat.
“Here.” Cam moved closer, hands coming up to bracket my waist. “I’ve got you.”
Oh.
Oh fuck.
His palms were warm through my shirt, solid and sure, fingers pressing against my sides. My breath caught.
“Step down to that branch.” His voice was steady. Professional. Like this was completely normal and not making my heart hammer against my ribs.
I did as he said, his hands sliding up slightly to keep me stable as I lowered myself.
Another step. His touch was a brand through the thin fabric of my shirt.
“Last branch. Then I’ll help you down.”
I stepped onto the final branch and it was just my luck that it was barely thicker than my wrist. It bowed slightly under my weight and I wobbled, the cat yowling its displeasure.
Cam’s grip tightened immediately. “I’ve got you.”
Those three words did something to me that I absolutely did not have time to examine.
“Okay,” I managed. “Okay, I’m ready.”
“On three. One, two...”
On three, I stepped off the branch and he lifted me down, setting me on solid ground with ridiculous ease.
For a second, we just stood there, his hands still on my waist. His face was close enough that I could see the exact shade of green in his eyes, the small scar through his left eyebrow.
Then the cat decided it had had enough and launched itself out of my arms, hitting the ground running and disappearing under the fence in a flash of orange fur.
“Well,” I said, breathless. “That was dramatic.”
Cam’s hands dropped from my waist like I’d burned him. He stepped back, putting a solid two feet between us. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Just some scratches.” I held up my forearm, displaying the angry red scratches.
“You saved it!” Alice crashed into my legs, wrapping her arms around my knees. “That was so cool!”
“You were so brave!” Audrey added, more reserved but clearly impressed. She was staring at me with the kind of awe usually reserved for superheroes.
I laughed, ruffling Alice’s hair. “I don’t know about brave. I was definitely a little scared.”
“Daddy made sure you didn’t fall,” Alice said matter-of-factly, still clinging to my legs.
My eyes flicked to Cam. He was looking anywhere but at me, jaw working like he was chewing on words he refused to say.
“Yeah,” I said softly. “Your dad definitely helped.”
Silence stretched between us, awkward and charged. The girls were still staring at me like I’d just descended from the sky on a golden cloud, while Cam studied a spot somewhere over my left shoulder with intense focus.
“Well,” I said finally. “I should probably go finish my laundry before it mildews in the basket.”
“Right. Yeah.” Cam cleared his throat. “Thanks for... that.”
“Anytime. Though hopefully there won’t be a next time because that cat did not appreciate my efforts.”
That almost got a smile out of him. Almost.
I gave the girls a little wave and headed back toward the gate, feeling three sets of eyes on my back the entire way. Just before I slipped through to my yard, I glanced back.
Audrey and Alice were both talking at once, gesturing animatedly up at the now-empty tree. And Cam was watching me, something unreadable in his expression.
Our eyes met for a heartbeat.
Then I turned and walked back to my yard, my heart doing things that had absolutely nothing to do with tree climbing and everything to do with the ghost of his hands still burning through my shirt.