Page 54 of Heartbeats & Highways

“Okay, if you insist,” I said, opening the box with the chicken pesto sandwich.

“So, how do you like working here?” Jazz asked as she stole one of Virgil’s fries. He lightly smacked her hand, but then offered her the chipotle sauce.

“I love it,” I said as I took a bite of the chicken pesto.

“You don’t have to lie just because Virgil is here,” Brielle teased.

I grinned as I swallowed. “Oh, wow, this sandwich is so good. And I’m not lying—I am enjoying it. The hours are great, and only one of my bosses is annoying.”

“Which boss would that be?” Roman asked as he appeared. “I knew I smelled hot food.”

Jazz handed him the box with the BLT.

“Virgil,” I teased.

“Hey, I’m not annoying,” Virgil said as he literally flicked my ear.

Brielle snorted. “You guys gave me so much shit when I filled in as your receptionist.”

“Yeah, because you’re our sister,” Roman said. “We actuallylikeEvie.”

Brielle threw a fry at her brother which pegged him in the chest and then fell onto the counter.

“No food fights,” Jazz stated.

I took another bite of my sandwich as the four of them teased and joked with each other. It was clear that Jazz was considered a part of the family and Roman and Virgil treated her as such.

Each day, I grew more and more comfortable here. I hadn’t even thought of picking up and moving on. Not now.

“I guess you’re still taking the bus?” Brielle inquired.

“She takes the bus?” Jazz asked.

“Yeah, she can’t drive,” Brielle explained.

“Savage has been giving me rides on his bike,” I explained. “He’s not a fan of me taking the bus.”

The chicken suddenly turned sour in my mouth which filled with saliva. I set my sandwich down.

“Evie?” Roman asked. “You don’t look so good.”

“Her face is pale,” Virgil announced.

“I think I ate too fast.” I hastily placed a hand in front of my mouth and scrambled off the stool. In my desire to get to the bathroom, I slammed into Roman who hadn’t moved out of the way quickly enough.

“Easy there, linebacker,” Roman muttered as he rubbed his chest.

I pushed the door open and made it to the toilet just in the nick of time. My body shook and the back of my neck broke out in sweat. Once I was sure the contents of my stomach were empty, I flushed the toilet and then washed my hands. I cupped my palms underneath the water and drank a mouthful, swishing to rid my mouth of the acrid taste of bile.

I wet a paper towel and bathed my brow and then lifted my hair to cool down the back of my neck. My stomach no longer felt jittery.

As I opened the door to the bathroom, the only noise I heard was the faint sound of Homer’s tattoo gun. There was no conversation coming from the front room.

Four pairs of eyes watched me retake the stool.

“You okay?” Roman asked gently.

“I think I’m getting sick.”

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