Page 74 of High Side
“We’ll bring you two supper in a bit, huh? The food here is okay, but there has to be a better option,” Kim said. “For now I think we’ll let you rest.” She gave her husband a look.
“Right. We’ll go have pizza and bring back something delicious. Are you a Coke or a Pepsi person, Brittany?”
“She likes Dr Pepper, Daddy.” Kylie was almost asleep again, slurring.
“Got it.” Ky’s parents left, and she took Kylie’s hand, scooting the chair closer now that she wasn’t having to have her head between her knees. She could doze too. She really could. The adrenaline rush had left her exhausted.
“Love you, girl. So glad you found me.”
“Me too. Love you, babe.” Her eyelids drooped, and she held onto Kylie, because they were the only solid things in the world right now. And it was quiet and freaking peaceful. Which, really, she never thought she’d be so damn glad for at her age.
That was what she got for dating an older woman…
The thought made her grin, even as she leaned down and put her head next to Kylie on the bed, dozing off in a heartbeat.
Twenty-Five
Kylie crutched into her condo, the feeling of déjà vu super strong. She’d been here once this summer. But then it hadn’t been broken, her ankle.
“Careful, Sadie. Don’t knock her over.” Brit came to ease her down on the couch. “There you go. We have about two hours before your folks get back from food shopping, and we’ll have a damn cookout on our hands.”
She grinned, propping up her foot. “I got two days of sleep in the hospital. I can take it.”
“You can, but I don’t know if I can. I need to clean—” Brittany glanced around, eyes wide. “Apparently nothing. Is your mother a machine?”
“She owns a cleaning company. It’s a thing.” Mom was a force of nature, and Dad had been a firefighter until he retired. Now he was in culinary school. Dork.
They were professionally busy.
“Come sit with me, baby,” Kylie went on as she patted the couch next to her. “I want to lean on you.”
Brittany plopped down next to her, careful of her leg. “Lean away. Do you think we can have a nap before anyone shows?”
“Not a chance.” No way. Joe would show up in about twenty minutes, the prospect of food and gossip too much for him. He hadn’t been allowed to see her in the hospital, really, between girlfriend and family members being in her room.
“Yeah, Joe and Jilly will be here, for sure.”
“You know it. And then Liz and Lupe will come with meat and drinks, and it will be a thing.” They leaned on each other, Brit’s hair on her cheek. It felt so damn good. “Have you heard anything about the jobs?”
“I have a second interview at the hotel tomorrow afternoon. They sounded enthusiastic.”
“Good. I think you’d rock that.”
“Thanks, babe. I hope so. It’s sort of creating a new position, which is really exciting but scary.”
“You got this.” She truly believed Brit could do anything she set her mind to. Hell, she’d taken Josh down single-handedly. She was amazing.
“I hope so. I’m ready for that adult position, for a grown-up job.”
“Are you? I guess I am too, sort of…” she teased.
“Yep. Manager woman.”
“I know. It’s scary.” Kylie couldn’t believe how much had changed in just a summer. But that was how life worked, or so all her people kept telling her. Liz. Joe. Her mom. Mainly she thought they wanted to make her feel better about her ankle.
She knew that she wasn’t ever going to have that ankle be as solid as it had been, but she didn’t need a miracle. Just healed enough to enjoy the river and do her job. The doctor said that was a given. So she would have to do some PT once she was healed.
No big deal.
