Page 41 of All I Need (Hearts of the South)
“I don’t know.” The benefit to talking to Amy was that she could admit that. She folded her arms over her chest. “I brought him over here the other night. I’m taking him to Mama and Daddy’s this weekend.”
“And it bothers you that he’s not giving you the same place in his life.”
“No.” She scowled, still staring at the ceiling. “Yes. Kind of.”
“Maybe it’s not about you and him.” Amy tucked one foot under her. “Maybe it’s about him and them. Not everyone has the same kind of family relationships we have.”
“It irks me that I care about this, Ames.”
“I know.” Amy pulled one of the throw pillows into her arms and fiddled with the embroidery on it. “It’s good that you care, though. You haven’t cared about much of anything for a long time. Maybe it’s time you did.”
* * * * *
Shortly after five, Emmett parked on Moultrie’s courthouse square and scanned the surrounding sidewalks. He spotted his mother quickly, peering into the window display at Lazarus, the popular clothing store on the square, and his gaze lit on the familiar figure with her.
She’d brought Landra.
Warmth shot through him, followed quickly by a buzz of annoyance.
He shoved the door open. Part of him was happy to see his sister after months of silence on her end because, hell, having Landra ignore him when he called or texted hurt. The rest of him didn’t want to deal with the aggravation she always brought with her. Tonight, he decided to let happy-to-see-her win. Damn, but he’d missed her, pestering, hassling, and all. With the truck locked behind him, he glanced both ways and jaywalked across the street.
“Hey, Mama.” He caught her in an embrace and leaned down to kiss her cheek. Once he’d released his mother, he enfolded his sister in a bear hug. “Landra.”
Landra winced and pinched his side before disentangling herself. “You look good.”
“Thanks.” He wasn’t going to say anything about her ignoring him. He draped his arm around his mama’s shoulders. “You didn’t tell me you were bringing her, Mama.”
“She was probably afraid you’d say no if she did.” Landra laughed aloud and patted his cheek. “Thought you were going to get all the limelight to yourself, didn’t you?”
“Nope. Thought maybe I’d get a peaceful dinner.” Easy teasing, that was the name of the game tonight. He loved his sister, but she had a way of getting under his skin that was unbelievable. The hell of it was, he wasn’t even sure why. And she didn’t look good—circles under her eyes, a tightness to the skin around her mouth.
Something was not right here.
“All Mama had to do was say we were hitting Market on the Square, and I was in.” Landra curved a hand around her belly, gently rounded in her fourth month of pregnancy, news of which he’d gotten secondhand from his mama. “Besides, getting to watch you get fitted for a suit? Uh, priceless.”
“Speaking of, we should get to Feldman’s.” Their mother steered him toward the menswear store down the street.
“Who is this friend anyway, that you have to have a suit?” Landra frowned, her wheels obviously turning. “What’s wrong with slacks and a dress shirt?”
“Nothing.” Heat touched his cheekbones. “My chief deputy suggested I might need one for court in the future, so it seemed like a good time to kill two birds—”
“You’re blushing.” Landra narrowed her eyes at him. “You’re dating someone. Like dating for real, not the browsing you usually do.”
“I’m not—”
“Are you really?” His mother stopped dead. A smile bloomed on her face. “That’s wonderful. Who is she?”
“Mama, we’re not…I mean, I’m not…”
“And you’re stuttering. Oh, my God, Mama, there’s a woman he’s serious about.” His sister’s wide grin could only be described as biscuit-eating. He swallowed a groan. Now he was really in for it. Landra smacked his chest. “Spill it, Emmy.”
“Don’t call me that.”
“Is it her baby being baptized?” Landra’s eyes widened. “It’s notyourbaby, is it?”
“No.” Oh, yeah,thiswas why she got under his skin. “It’s our investigator’s baby.”
“She had a baby with your investigator?”
