Page 22 of At the Heart of It
“You know you love me.”
“Only because Mom says I have to,” she said. “Also, that’s disgusting. Warm iced tea?”
“If there’s no ice in it, can’t we just call it tea?”
“Not if you’re drinking it from a bottle. There are rules for these things.”
“Remind me to read those never.”
Jossy rolled her eyes and Jonah felt a soft squeeze of fondness for his sister. He’d been feeling it for thirty-three years, since the day his parents brought the tiny pink bundle home from the hospital. His father had knelt before him in dress blues just a few weeks later, moments before shipping out to some country Jonah couldn’t pronounce yet.
“You’re in charge,” said the hulking Marine to his three-year-old son. “It’s your job to take care of your baby sister. Understand?”
Jonah had nodded, resisting the urge to stick his thumb in his mouth or hide behind his mother’s legs. He had a job to do, and he took it seriously.
He kept taking it seriously through high school when he was a senior and Jossy a sophomore with flame-red hair and a bubbly personality that made her a magnet for attention.
But it was her talent on a bike that made her a contender for the US cycling team at only fifteen. With their father gone—killed in the line of duty—Jonah knew it was up to him to keep watch over her. To make sure Jossy was safe and protected and happy and healthy.
And a damn shitty job you did with that, he reminded himself.
“Thanks again for watching the front counter yesterday.”
Jossy’s words startled him back to the present. Jonah took another gulp of tea to rinse away his dark thoughts.
“How did things go with the accountant?” he asked.
Jossy shrugged and glanced away. He watched her carefully, noticing the shift in her demeanor, the way she wasn’t meeting his eyes. “It was fine,” she said. “The nonprofit world kind of sucks right now, but I’m making it work.”
She moved across the lobby, her limp more pronounced than it had been earlier in the week. Jonah was primed to notice. He’d spent more than a decade noticing.
He opened his mouth to ask if the prosthetic was bothering her again, but stopped himself. There was no point. She’d just tell him everything was fine and change the subject.
He watched her open the latch on the largest kennel in the lobby and usher Buster inside. Three spotted puppies scampered over and jumped on the terrier, and the four dogs collapsed into a roly-poly heap of play snarls and dog slobber.
Jossy closed the gate and wiped her palms down the front of her jeans. “Any chance I could persuade you to watch the front counter for an hour next week?”
“I think so,” Jonah said. “I have to check my schedule. How come?”
“The accountant asked to meet again,” she said. “Apparently there’s some stuff we should to deal with on the financial front.”
“You need money?”
“I’m good!” she said with cheer that almost sounded real. “Well, aside from needing help watching the counter for an hour. And the service of your disgusting, shirtless body once a week like always.”
Jonah watched her for a few more beats, trying to get a read on what was bothering her. Money was always tight, and he helped out whenever she let him. Running a nonprofit, no-kill animal shelter wasn’t a ticket to fame and fortune, but his kid sister had always been able to make ends meet. Was she struggling more than he realized?
She sure as hell wasn’t going to tell him, so Jonah gave up watching her and stepped over to the kennel closest to the counter. He peered inside and found himself staring at the oddest feline features he’d ever seen. The cat had a white face with a lone black polka dot on its left cheek. Its eyes were framed by black slashes of fur that looked like eyebrows arched in disdain.
The cat wore a look of permanent judgment, though Jonah couldn’t tell if it was displeased by its surroundings, its life, or Jonah himself.
“When did this guy come in?” he asked Jossy.
“About an hour ago,” she said. “And it’s a her, not a him.”
“That explains the look of perpetual disdain.”
“Be nice!” She smacked him on the shoulder. “I think she’s striking.”
