Page 28 of My Brother's Enemy
“Does that happen often?” I asked quietly as we emerged into the hallway.
There was a nurse’s desk ahead, but only a few people sat behind it. The hallway was mostly empty.
Tyler shrugged. “People know I’m here.”
That told me nothing.
He took the lead, going to the desk first.
“Tyler.” One of the nurses greeted him with a warm smile. She was slender. Warm brown skin. Almond eyes. Her smile tightened when she saw me step to his side. “Your sister is beside herself. She’ll be happy to see you.”
“Is Zoey—is she…?”
The nurse’s smile widened. “Why don’t you go see for yourself?”
He continued down the hall and paused just before he could be seen through a window. I realized he was nervous. I laid a hand on his arm, and I could feel his pulse racing. He exhaled sharply and turned back to face me. “What if…” He couldn’t finish that statement.
“Want me to scope it out first? I could walk past, peek in, and tell you what I see?”
His gaze clung to mine for a moment before he nodded. “Yeah. Thanks. That’d be nice. Help me know what I should prepare myself for.”
This was a big moment. His niece was awake.
I squeezed his arm once before I did a casual walk by. The door was open, but my shoulders deflated because the curtainwas pulled so no one could see in from the hallway. Then I heard laughter.
Two feminine voices—one older and one younger, more raspy.
I backed up to Tyler. “She’s awake. They’re laughing.”
“Did they see you?” he asked.
I shook my head. “The curtain is pulled, but I heard them.” I nudged him forward. “Go. I’ll…” I looked around. “I’ll get some coffee and come back. You want some?”
He was already looking toward the room and gave me a distracted nod. “Uh, yeah. That’d be great. Thank you.” He stepped forward, but suddenly whirled and caught me, pulling me into a hug. He wound his arms tight around me and dipped his head to my neck. His lips grazed my skin. “Thank you. Thanks for coming. It means a lot.” He took the back of my neck in his hand and gave my forehead a quick kiss.
Then he was gone, and I was left dazed, my skin tingling.
19
RAIN
Ididn’t know what to get, so I came back with a carrier full—two lattes, a matcha, and a regular black coffee with a bunch of sugars and creamer in the middle. I figured Tyler and his sister could pick. I didn’t know if Zoey could have coffee. I wouldn’t think so, but I also didn’t want to assume and offend her.
The door was cracked open as I approached, and I lifted my hand to knock, but then I heard someone crying.
“...I don’t know what to do, Ty. What do I do?”
That sounded personal, way personal. I began to back away but then stopped because I had all the coffee. I didn’t want it to get cold. And Tyler had asked me to come, but again, I didn’t know why.
The curtain moved aside, and Tyler saw me at the door.Crap. I didn’t want him to think I was eavesdropping. I lifted an awkward hand. “Hi.” I raised the coffee carrier. “I got drinks.”
The curtain yanked farther back and Skylar Griffin, Tyler’s sister, poked her head around to see who was talking. She didn’t seem angry, just confused. I steeled myself, ready in case she recognized me. She blinked a few times and stepped around thecurtain. I got a glimpse of the hospital bed behind them and was relieved to see it empty. Meeting the sister was stressful enough. Meeting the niece on top of that would’ve been a whole other level of pressure.
“Who are you?” Skylar asked.
Panic surged. I didn’t want to tell her my whole name or let Tyler tell her, because she would put the pieces together. She’d dated Daniel. She knew he had a sister.
Tyler ran a weary hand over his face, seeming beyond exhausted. “This is, uh…”
