Page 8 of Only This Once
“I’ve got to head to work. I’ll make sure I tell her she was all you talked about this morning.”
“Don’t you dare!”
Charles’s laughter was his only answer, but Jesse knew his brother. He might tease, but he wouldn’t go through with it. His brother loved him. He’d let him move in with him after graduation and helped him get his job.
Jesse’s physical therapy job wasn’t working with Charles, but he’d gotten offered a position at the facility where his brother referred all his clients. He liked that. His brother would fix the patients, and Jesse would help ease them back into their lives. It felt connected, something he hadn’t had in his time away.
He’d missed his family, but going away to college had been good for him. It was hard to hide his bad days, and it would have been hard on them not to be able to fix it for him. Nothing but time had eased his anxiety, and not even time would ease it all.
Being held by Julia that night had helped, but he’d been afraid of what that could become. He was younger than her. He wouldn’t have a chance if he was a complete mess, too. Besides, crying in her arms had morphed his helpless crush into something deeper before he’d realized just how damaged he was.
Julia would always be in his heart, but he wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to admit that to her.
She’d told him to call, though. They could be friends again, even if they’d never be more.
She’d said her number hadn’t changed, and he hadn’t been able to admit he’d deleted her number. She’d ask why, and no good would come from telling her it was to avoid the temptation of reaching out to her before he was ready.
Was he ready now?
Jesse texted his sister for the phone number. He didn’t have to use it right away, but he should have it again. Just in case.
He swallowed down the rest of his soggy cereal while he waited.
‘You’re welcome,’ Phoebe texted back.
Jesse frowned and sent off a question mark.
‘For setting up last night.’
His cheeks heated. His siblings knew him way too well, even if he had tried to avoid them for years. Both Phoebe and Charles refused to be cut out and had contacted him as much as possible while he was out of state.
‘Thanks. It was nice to see her.’
His sister sent him the slashed mouth emoji. ‘Just see? You didn’t talk?’
‘She said I could call her.’
A rolling eyes emoji followed. ‘So call her. Her number hasn’t changed.’
Jesse rubbed a hand down his face. ‘That’s what she said. I don’t have it.’ He remembered all the times he’d kicked himself for deleting it over the years.
‘Idiot,’ came the loving sisterly response.
Then Phoebe sent him the number. He thanked her again, moving to the sink to rinse out his bowl and take his daily suppression pill.
He stared at the number, wondering what he would say when he used it.
Chapter 3
Julia didn’t bother knocking but walked right into her sister Rachel’s house. The entryway was a disaster like usual, and she set down the still frozen garlic bread to lean down and rearrange the shoes. When they were paired and sitting straight against the wall, she added hers to them.
“You’re early,” Rachel said from the arched entrance to the kitchen. Her hands worried at a faded holiday dish towel. “You always are.”
“I don’t like to be late,” Julia agreed. She picked up the red package and carried it toward her sister. “Here, this needs to be put in the oven.”
“Of course it does.” Rachel rolled her eyes but turned back toward the kitchen.
Julia glanced into the living room where her niece was curled up on the couch, reading. “Hey, Piper,” she greeted.
