Page 8 of Wish Me Home

Aunt Sadie:Just get here safely.

I shoved the phone in my pocket. I hadn’t considered the time difference when I gave the okay for the flight. She didn’t need to pick me up. I would have happily taken a cab or called an Uber, but she wouldn’t have allowed that. Aunt Sadie had insisted on picking me up the second I told her I was coming home.

“Get everything squared away?”

I jumped, not sure why he’d surprised me, perhaps I’d been too lost in my own thoughts about traveling. I really shouldn’t have made a big deal about visiting my aunt. She’d done so much for me.

“Yeah. She’s not happy about how early she has to get to the airport. Traffic won’t be pretty.”

Cody nodded in understanding. “Tell me about it. So does she live in SD or one of the nearby towns?”

Cody obviously knew the area, and I wondered where he was located there. “She’s actually out in Kearny Mesa. So technically still San Diego,” I explained.

Chapter Six

Cody

Myheartskippedabeat. Was it wishful thinking we’d get to spend any time together once we landed for this vacation? He was there to visit his aunt after all. I lived further south and the two towns weren’t more than a twenty-minute drive from each other if traffic wasn’t bad. But we’d only just met, so I wasn’t exactly a priority.

“You’re not far then.” I sat back in the seat, rested my hands in my lap, and scanned the surrounding area. I’d already dragged him into the bar but I wondered what else I could get him to do with me to keep us entertained until morning.

“That’s it? That’s all you’ll give me? That I’m not far?” He sat forward with his arm gesturing for me to continue. I laughed at his antics.

“Yeah, I live in Chula Vista.”

He laughed then, falling back against his seat. “Geeze, okay. Rough part of town much?”

I pretended to be offended by the statement. The town used to have a reputation, but it had its nicer parts as well. “At least I don’t live in National City.”

Emmett scoffed. “Nasty City.” We both chuckled at the awful nickname for the town. Every city had its better suburbs, and we both knew what those were.

“Are you hungry?” I realized I should probably let him get some rest. It was getting late, but the terminal was still packed full of passengers and it would be difficult to find a quiet place to rest.

He looked up and down the long halls before shrugging. “We’d better go get something soon. Pretty sure most places are probably closing.” He wasn’t wrong as the lights flicked off in a nearby restaurant and the metal barricade lowered.

Grabbing my bag and the handle of his, I started down the terminal. He scrambled after me. Maybe it was a dick move to drag him along like this, but he didn’t seem to complain too much.

“Well, it looks like most of the fancier places are closed. Are you opposed to fast food?” I turned to see him jogging to keep up. I hadn’t thought I moved that quickly, but I forgot sometimes that I was used to navigating and getting through airports quickly.

Once Emmett was at my side again, he grabbed my arm for support and caught his breath. His face was flushed, and I had to purse my lips in order to fight the grin that threatened. Something told me he wouldn’t be amused if I laughed at his inability to keep up.

“Honestly?” he finally added once his breathing evened out. “I’ll eat anything. I’m really not that picky.”

I nodded, looping my free arm with one of his. He looked at me in shock as I continued to guide him through the airport. We found a McDonald’s that was still open and ordered a couple of burgers and agreed to split a thing of fries. We sat at a table and ate quietly, Emmett looking lost in thought.

“What are you thinking about?” I finally asked when he put down his half eaten burger and stared off out the windows. The snow thankfully hadn’t started again.

“My first Christmas with my aunt after Mom and Dad died.”

That had my attention. I set my burger down and crossed my arms, resting them on the table. “What brought that on?”

He let out an airy laugh. “Aunt Sadie wasn’t prepared to take in a teenager. She did the best she could, you know?” He turned away from the windows and picked up a couple of fries and popped them into his mouth. He chewed and swallowed before continuing with his story.

“She knew my mom always made these elaborate meals for the holidays, so she wanted to try her hand at cooking something nice for me. She burnt the roast that she bought, and almost set the apartment on fire.” Emmett shifted in his seat, idly playing with a fry but not eating it. “After she had a good cry, she went out and bought us McDonald’s”

The corner of my mouth lifted in a smile. It was a sad story, but I could appreciate the humor in it as well. Even Emmett wore a soft smile at the memory.

“So is there some sort of tradition now? Mc D’s for the holidays?”

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