Page 20 of Trustfall

“Emory. What are you doing here?”

“She came to my rescue.” Luke holds up his arm.

“What happened?” Nate still looks highly skeptical, but he at least pretends to care about Luke’s injury.

“I was working on my bike, and my hand slipped. Thankfully, your awesome nurse of a sister was outside…gardening. Anyway, she helped me stop the bleeding.”

“I told him to go to the hospital, but he refused, so I got suture materials from work and did it here,” I explain, hoping Nate will let something go for once in his godforsaken life.

“You can’t stitch people up, Emory. You’re not a doctor.”

And there it is.

“Oh shit, really? All this time, I thought I had gone to medical school. Is any of this real?” I make a show of looking around in a confused daze.

“Emory, can you not deflect for once in your life?” Nate scolds. “You could get in a lot of trouble for practicing medicine without a license. And stealing from your job? You could get fired. What were you thinking?”

I’m about tonicelyremind my brother that he promised to give me more space when Luke jumps in. “Hey, man. It’s my fault. You know how I am about hospitals. I practically had to beg her. Puppy dog eyes and all. She really did me a solid.”

“So what you’re saying is I should be kicking your ass for putting my sister in a position to lose her job instead of yelling at her?”

“Yes? But could you wait until I’m healed so I can at least defend myself?” He holds up his injured arm again.

Nate looks back and forth between me and Luke. “Okay, fine. But Emory, seriously, no more illicit backroom medical procedures. Come on, we’re going to be late for our reservation. And you…” He turns to Luke. “I’m watching you.”

Luke puts his hands up in the universal symbol of backing off.

“Great. Let's go,” I say, shimmying around Luke to push my brother through the doorway. I'd completely spaced out about our lunch plans until I heard him at Luke's door. Thank God Nate didn't show up a few seconds earlier, or worse, barge in without knocking. If he was mad about me just stitching up Luke's cut, I can only imagine how he'd react if he caught us in the middle of a full-on make-out session.

But my relief is short-lived when I remember how that kiss made me feel the most alive I’ve felt in years. It wasn’t just a kiss. It was waking up with the sun shining on your face after weeks of rain. It was dipping your toes in the warm sand on the first day of summer. It was riding the biggest roller coaster at the fair until you’re so dizzy you can’t see straight. It was everything. Until it wasn’t. Until I felt Luke’s erection and freaked out. Now, I'm sure he thinks I’m a prude, or a tease, or just plain indecisive.

After this lunch with Nate, I’m going to need my best friend.

And wine.

If I thoughtNate was finished with his lecture on responsibility at Luke’s house, I was wholly mistaken. He went on to mansplain the Nursing Code of Ethics to me, including all the legal consequences of stealing from your employer. I love my brother; I really do. But by the time he drops me off at home, I need a stiff drink. Or five.

Luckily, it doesn’t take much convincing to get Allie to agree to go bar hopping with me. It’s Saturday night, she has no deadlines until next week, and I don’t have work until ten tomorrow. We are golden, so why not live it up? In other words, we’re going to go to precisely two bars, have one drink at each bar, and Allie is going to verbally castrate any man who comes within a mile of her. Allie has a healthy sex life, but she is picky as hell. The guys who usually approach her in bars don’t even come close to being good enough.

I’m applying eyeliner when my phone vibrates. I look down at it. My heart skips a beat when I see an unknown number with a New York area code. It’s him. Closing one eye and bracing myself, I open the text.

Unknown: Hey. Just thought you should have my number too. You know, in case you have a construction emergency.

I don’t have to glance in the mirror to know I’m smiling like a complete goofball. I didn’t know he was working in construction. I’ve seen the truck parked outside his house, but I thought he was borrowing it from his dad. I didn’t realize he was working with him. It makes sense. He’s always out all day and home at night. It would be the opposite if he had gotten a bartending job around here. But I know from what Nate has hinted at in the past that Luke has a strained relationship with his dad. Why did he randomly decide to move back home and work for him? I save his contact and type out a response.

I’m sorry, who is this?

Luke: Ouch.

How is the arm?

Luke: Okay. Not as painful as my bruised ego…

Luke: Seriously though thank you for today. I really appreciate it. Sorry it got a little awkward at the end.

Was it awkward because he didn't really want to kiss me? Or was it awkward because I stopped the kiss before it went further? Or maybe it was awkward because my brother almost caught us and then lectured me like a teenager in front of Luke? I don't know how to respond to that last part, so I ignore it. I do want him to know that I was happy to help him out, though. I'm about to tell him that when I get a text from another unknown number. I click out of my conversation with Luke and into the new one.

Unknown: Hi, Princess. I’m back in town. I hate how we left things… Can we meet? I miss you.

---