Page 88 of Distant Shores
The moment I finished my plate, my phone vibrated with my morning check-in alarm. Tapping the screen, I dismissed it and then stood up with my plate to take it to the sink.
I didn’t think I’d ever gone to my morning visit with Dad feeling so… full. In multiple ways.
Adeline stood up and followed me. “I’ll do these, if youneed to go.” She took my plate without waiting for my response. “What time is class?” She set the plates in the sink and started cleaning.
Huh. So both Jacks siblings were just that naturally considerate.
“At nine,” I said. “You’ve got plenty of time.”
She smiled broadly at me. “Thanks, Ireland. You’ve saved the day.”
I raised an eyebrow at her. “We’ll see if you feel the same after class.”
Adair joined us, setting his plate on the counter beside her and making the small space feel even smaller, but I didn’t move.
“Nope,” Delly said when he tried to take over. “I’ve got it. We’ll switch tomorrow?”
He nodded. “Sounds good.”
I frowned at them, and Adair seemed to catch it, explaining, “I’ll cook Saturday mornings and Delly Sundays. Whoever doesn’t cook, cleans.”
That was very… domestic.
“Which day will be mine?” I asked.
The siblings shared a look, some kind of silent communication passing between them.
I couldn’t make sense of it.
“How about Wednesdays?” Delly asked.
I nodded. “Breakfast or dinner?”
They shared another look.
“Dinner, if you’re up for it,” Adair said. “We can help, of course, since that’s more involved than breakfast.”
“And we can take a few dinner shifts, whenever we don’t eat at Zinnia House or whatever,” Adeline added.
Huh. That was easy.
I left them to it after thanking Adair again and went back to my room to grab my rain jacket and the rest of mystuff. When I came back out of the room, Adair was in the hallway between our doors.
“I was wanting to see Pops this morning,” he said. “So, I thought I could give you a lift?” He phrased it like a question. One that he would only accept one answer to.
I’d been prepared to take the short trek on my board through the rain. It wasn’t quite a downpour anymore, but it still would’ve been uncomfortable.
“Okay,” I agreed. “If you’re going there, anyway.”
He smiled. “I am. Just give me a second to change? I’ll make it quick.”
“Sure.”
He disappeared into his room and, true to his word, met me at the front door not too long later, wearing jeans and a dark rain jacket with that same fire station logo on the breast.
We pulled up our hoods at the same time, our gazes touching, then falling away.
He reached past me and unlocked the knobs, his small smile returning. It never went far.
