6
Wade stood out of view hovering to the side of the kitchen doorway. His parents were in a deep discussion with Sam and Emma. Why was his dad talking to Emma about her job experience? They didn’t need to replace Francine while she recovered from surgery. He could manage the office work by himself. If he wasn’t taking calls and scheduling service, what would he do all day? Didn’t his family realize how far he had come to even be walking and using his arm? He’d done the company’s yearly planning while he recuperated in bed. No one seemed to care about his hardships at the moment. His chest cinched tight as he remembered the injustice of his injuries.
Until the doctor released him to drive, there was no way he could make service calls. Hiring an extra employee would hit their bottom line. Salary costs circulated in his head as he leaned against the counter and hung his cane from the granite edge. Dad should at least consult his opinion. They were a two-man team, or at least they had been before the accident.
“It’s not polite to eavesdrop.” Cole handed him a bowl of tin roof. “Since Mom is talking to the girls, you get canned chocolate sauce instead of her homemade fudge.”
The coolness of the ice cream scoops couldn’t dampen the brush fire coursing through Wade’s body. How could Cole act like nothing was wrong when he was to blame? Cole brought Emma to Nashville right before Francine’s medical leave. Coincidence or calculated? With another person in the office, Wade would be relieved of most of his duties. He didn’t need rescuing, especially by his brother.
“This is all your fault.” Wade took a bite of dessert and flailed his spoon at his brother. “If you hadn’t brought Emma here, Dad wouldn’t be talking about hiring her. Why couldn’t you come, do your job, and then go back to Whispering Creek? We don’t need you and your friends meddling in our business.”
Cole scowled and jabbed a finger his direction. “Keep it down. You’re too loud. As always.”
Little brother better be careful, or this kitchen would become a mixed martial arts arena. Wade still had a couple inches and thirty pounds on his brother.
“The construction is in Sperry’s Crossing, and those friends,” Cole mimicked Wade’s accusatory tone, “are my girlfriend and her childhood friend. Sam drove me here after your accident. She even comforted Mom and Dad. Don’t you dare say anything bad about her. You seemed pretty cozy with Emma when we walked in.” Cole flapped a hand at the ice cream bowl. “You’re even holding a dish with your left hand.”
Wade glanced down. The claw acted normal after Emma’s massage. Relief flickered through his body. Was full health finally within reach? He could still feel the sensation of her circles. But acupressure skills did not mean she was a good office manager.
“Let’s be clear.” Wade rolled his shoulders and broadened his chest. “She hopped on the couch and grabbed my hand before I could stop her. I didn’t ask for physical therapy during the game.” His little brother didn’t realize how close he was to wearing tin roof.
“Well, apparently you need more therapy, not less.” Cole buried the scoop deep into the ice cream container and left it. “Have you thought about what would happen if the doctor releases you to drive? Do you want Dad to pick up Fran’s duties? He’s been going on service calls and helping Fran with the filing and invoicing since your crash. Maybe he would like a break. He’s not getting any younger.” Cole scrubbed a hand over his jaw. “Open your eyes to what Mom and Dad have been through.”
“That’s ripe coming from you.” Tiny runt. How dare he lecture Wade on anything after he left the family business to dabble in music with a gold digger. Cole knew nothing about the sacrifices Wade had made to keep up with service calls and staffing in his absence. He was on his way to a customer’s house on a Sunday when the accident happened. His vision blurred as he glared at his brother.
“At least I woke up. I’m here in Nashville helping you and Dad out.” Cole crossed his arms with an unimpressive swagger. “I’m out in Sperry’s Crossing executing your bid while you’re stuck being a —”
“Watch your language, bro.” Wade stretched to his full height.
“Stink hole,” Cole spat.
“I think you mean sink hole.” Wade smirked at his brother’s gaff.
“Oh, I know what I mean.”
Cole removed the ice cream scoop. “You owe Emma an apology. All she did was try to be nice, and you sucked her into that sink hole of yours.”
“I thought it was a stink hole.” Who did his brother think he was demanding an apology? Tonight was game night, not entertain-a-stranger night.
“Whatever. If the hole fits.” Cole’s smirk irritated every nerve in Wade’s body.
Dad rushed through the kitchen doorway.
“Lower your voices.” With hands on his hips, he was in reprimand mode. “What is going on in here? Can’t you serve dessert without getting into an argument? You’re ruining a nice evening.”
“A nice evening for whom?” Wade shoved ice cream into his mouth and bit down on the chocolate-coated peanuts. His molars almost turned the nuts into peanut butter. “You’re not seriously thinking about hiring that girl to replace Fran, are you?”
“No one is replacing Francine.” Dad whispered his answer with enough force to halt a challenge.
Wade ate another mouthful of dessert while Cole pulled more bowls out of the cupboard.
“But you do need help, son.” His dad scrubbed a hand over his face. One that looked overly haggard. “And at this late date, this might be a way to help Emma and the company. I offered her a job.”
If Wade had lived in California, he would have sworn an earthquake shook the floor. How could his father and business partner believe Wade couldn’t handle office work? So, he had one fall. He was thirty-two and more than capable. He’d been running the company for eight years. A doctor’s release would be coming soon. Hopefully, in a week or so. They had time to assess the office situation and hire someone else. His dad hadn’t bothered to consult him about the matter.
He glanced between his dad and Cole. Both stared at him. Then, realization dawned like a kick to the gut.
“You planned this didn’t you, bro?” He set his bowl on the counter. His hands trembled and not from a spasm. Darn if he didn’t smell the faint hint of pizza grease. “You brought Emma here knowing Dad would grow soft and hire her. Nashville is my territory. Stick to Sperry’s Crossing and the expansion west. We don’t need you here.”
Cole flinched. Good.
His brother fisted a handful of spoons.
“Get back in a driver’s seat, and I won’t have to step foot in Nashville.” Cole turned to dish ice cream.
Wade grabbed hold of his cane and thrust it at Cole. He knew he was stoking embers, but he couldn’t stop. He wasn’t going to hog all of the hurt. “It’s like you to run away again.”
The clattering of spoons sounded on the granite. That jab struck a nerve. Wade grinned as Cole advanced closer.
“Boys!” Dad held out his arms. “Enough of this nonsense. I am co-owner of the company, and I will hire whomever I please. Do you hear me?”
Mom stormed through the doorway. Her flamethrower stare torched half of the kitchen.
“I am going to make three ice cream cones, and the girls and I are going for a quick walk around the block. When we return, whatever is going on in here will be over.” Mom always had a way of making him feel like a school kid.
“I’ve got it under control, dear.” Dad grabbed a box of cones out of the pantry, and scooped tin roof, handing Mom the domed ice cream cones.
Mom’s foot tapped a rhythm as she wrapped napkins around the cones and fled with the girls’ dessert. The front door opened and closed, leaving the house silent.
Cole glared at Wade. A tic pulsed in his brother’s cheek. Cole needed to learn his place. He could help out in a pinch, but he didn’t make company decisions.
Wade sat at the kitchen table. His dad joined him. Cole leaned against the refrigerator devouring his bowl of tin roof.
Once his dad ate some of his ice cream, Wade decided to ask about the mysterious Emma. He had a right to know who was working at the company.
“So, why is Emma unemployed? Why doesn’t she have work in Wisconsin where she’s from?” As far away from Nashville as possible.
Cole indicated for Dad to answer.
“Apparently,” Dad swallowed some ice cream, “her former boss was a con artist. The investment operation was a scam. Her boss vanished in the middle of the night with everyone’s money and left her holding the empty sack.”
Really? Was his dad buying this story? Who was being scammed now?
Grabbing his cane, Wade rose and paced between the table and the doorway. “You want to hire someone who was dense enough to work for a shell corp?” He laughed instead of slamming his claw into the wall. “I can’t watch her twenty-four seven. And where is she going to live? Sam’s in Whispering Creek. That’s over an hour and a half away. You can’t commute from there.”
Dad rested his elbows on the table and rubbed his hands together as if he had questions too. “Your mother thought she could live here with us.”
Time warp. He had stumbled into a century where his parents had lost their minds.
“I am not working with that woman at the office and coming home with her at night.” His body temperature had to be higher than when he had spiked a fever at the hospital.
“Maybe it’s time you moved back to your own home.” His dad looked at him with eyes deader than a popped football. “It’s about time things got back to normal.”
Except he wasn’t normal. Not yet anyway. Had his dad forgotten about all the pain and suffering he had gone through? He had been driving a company van, working on a Sunday because Cole ditched his responsibilities. He’d show everyone that the co-CEO was back. Emma would be twiddling her thumbs at work. Lord, don’t give me any more setbacks. His throat grew tight. “How long have you and Mom been planning to kick me out?”
“Come on, Wade.” His dad’s voice caught. “Have you ever thought that maybe God saw we had a need and sent us an angel?”
Angel? Hah! Opportunist? Pest? Scammer? “I have a lot of words floating through my brain to describe that girl, but angel isn’t one of them.”
Cole stopped Wade’s shuffle and laid a hand on his shoulder. “Will you pray about it?”
Wade shrugged off his brother’s touch and kept his balance. “I don’t need church lessons from you.” Wade had been praying a lot since the wreck, and God hadn’t fully healed him. The last thing he needed was more aggravation. He’d been living a medical nightmare. Apparently, his family had short memories. “I’ll give her a week. If she’s a bust, she’s gone.” His brother wouldn’t be able to blame him for not giving Emma a chance if she was incompetent.
“Emma will grow on you, bro.”
Wade snorted. “Yeah, like gangrene on an amputation.”
~*~
Emma rolled over in the queen-sized bed she shared with Sam. The Donovens had a house full. Wade and Cole were sleeping in their childhood rooms while she and Sam shared the guest room. Good thing the brothers weren’t relegated to bunk beds or there might have been a brawl. What had she done to upset Wade? He had been somewhat polite while they ate pizza.
The red glow of the digital clock read 11:32 PM. An evening infused with adrenaline rushes had her wide awake and staring at her silver chain coiled on the nightstand.
“Can’t sleep?” Sam whispered.
“It’s hard to sleep when you’ve caused a family feud.” She flipped to face her friend. “I don’t know what I did to make Wade so upset.”
“Wade’s been a grump since the accident. Don’t blame yourself.” Sam scrunched her pillow. “What he went through is awful, but his family has been there for him every step of the way.”
She had tried to help Wade, too, by using acupressure on his hand and not talking much during the game. He was quiet, but in a shy, mysterious sort of way. And he could probably bench press her whole body. She didn’t even complain when he ate the biggest slice of plain cheese pizza. Causing Wade stress wasn’t part of her plans. She didn’t foresee an emotional eruption in the kitchen.
“Do you think I should work for the Donovens?” Emma tucked her long bangs behind her ear. “You know them better after dating Cole.”
“That’s a loaded baked potato question.” Sam sat higher against the headboard. Her shoulder length hair splayed against the dark wood. “You will do a fantastic job. You’ve been around retail almost all of your life. Everyone I met at the Runyard Group sang your praises. It wasn’t your fault that Ron ran off with everyone’s money.”
Emma placed a hand under her pillow and propped her head. “I know, but—”
“No buts. I’m right. You know it.”
Grabbing her pillow, Emma lounged against the headboard next to Sam and snuggled the pillow like a plush bear.
“I know you’re right.” She blew out a breath. “Life feels so fuzzy lately. I liked my job, and I can’t believe the senior community was a fairytale. I worked on software to keep up with the residents. Should I have seen something? Was I stupid? My future was all planned out and now it’s upside down.” Guess she had one thing in common with Wade.
“Ron was a professional crook.” Sam unfurled Emma’s fist and grasped her hand. “Don’t beat yourself up.”
“But I do.” Pressure built behind her eyes.
Sam pulled her into a pillow-thick hug. “You can always come back to Whispering Creek with me. Free room and board. I’ll even buy groceries. You know when Mr. Ted left me his house, he knew you’d be there too, eventually.”
Mentioning their deceased elderly friend had Emma’s tears flowing. Mr. Ted filled her head with wisdom from the Bible. He would tell her that God loved her. She knew that, but right now, she didn’t understand His plan for her life.
Swiping tears from her cheeks, Emma dried her hands on the bed sheet. “I loved Mr. Ted, and I love spending time with you.” Here came reality. “With an empty bank account, how can I turn down a job where all I have to do is give Linda an invoice, and she’ll pay me in cash. Weekly. I don’t have to give my social security number or fill out forms.” She’d work out taxes later when she discovered if Ron’s pay stubs were falsified. “The Donovens being flexible is like a God thing.”
“With Wade in the mix?” Sam laughed. “All things are possible with God.”
God had been Emma’s rock for as long as she could remember. God’s Word, Mr. Ted, and her pastor had guided her since her parents didn’t know much about Jesus. Sam is the one who made sure she got to church every Sunday. With God’s help, she could get through a week at Donoven and Sons Electric. Their office lady would return eventually. Temporary income was better than no income.
“You’ve talked me into it.” Emma lay down with a bounce that jolted the mattress. I’ll give it a week, and then I can reevaluate.”
Sam slipped under the sheet and tugged on the comforter. “Reevaluate after tomorrow. You can ride back to Whispering Creek with Cole and me if it doesn’t work out. And remember, I’m only a text away.”
Oh yeah, her phone bill was coming due. She needed cash flow.
“Pray for me extra hard.”
“I always pray for you.” Sam’s voice sounded like it was fading away. “Your parents too.”
Thank You, God, for friends like Sam.
Emma stared at the ceiling, debt mountains and office scenarios clouding her brain.
“Next time you visit, can you bring me Herbie and some candles from the trunk of my car.”
“You mean my shed smells like Christmas,” Sam mumbled.
“Better than Christmas.”
Bunching her pillow, Emma prayed. Sorry for being an ingrate, God. You provided a job for me. A place to work without Mayor Van Wenkle barging in and accusing me of a crime. You helped me survive one night in Nashville. Please help me survive seven more.