“Nothing. Just a headache,” I said clutching the railing.
Liam stayed beside me, but Aden stepped forward, craning his neck to meet Emmitt’s eyes.
“I’m hungry,” he said with quiet uncertainty.
Emmitt smiled down at him. “Of course you are. You skipped your supper. Would you like some pancakes?”
Aden nodded enthusiastically and reached up to hold Emmitt’s hand. I looked at their joined hands, and my heart ached for Aden. He obviously wanted a man in his life who could care about him. I empathized.
“Would you like some aspirin or something?” Emmitt asked as Aden tugged him toward Jim’s apartment.
I shook my head—very gently—and followed them, still holding Liam’s hand. Jim stood at the stove, cooking. When he glanced back at us, he caught my eye and winked. Had my head not hurt, I would have smiled. Whatever happened after we left yesterday hadn’t changed Jim’s mood.
The smell of the grilling pancakes turned my stomach, but I sat with the boys at Jim’s kitchen island. Emmitt nudged Jim to the side while talking to the boys.
“If you add a big scoop of batter in the middle,” he turned slightly to show Liam, “and add two smaller scoops to the top on each side, do you see what we can make?” Liam shook his head, and Emmitt’s lips twitched in a smile. “No? Well, we’ll see if you can guess it when we’re done.”
We all watched Emmitt reach into the refrigerator and pull out the can of whipped cream. He set it on the counter in front of Liam then turned to flip the pancake. He let it in the pan for another minute before he put it on a plate.
“Ready, Liam?”
Liam nodded, and Emmitt uncapped the can. Within seconds of applying the cream, Liam began giggling.
“Know what this is, yet?” Emmitt asked tilting his head to look at his creation.
Aden laughed with Liam. For a split second, it’d looked like a famous mouse, but then the heat of the pancake had melted the cream so it looked more like a bear with a grimace.
“Well, that didn’t work so well,” Emmitt said, sliding the plate toward Liam. “Try a bite and let me know if it tastes better than it looks. I’ll start another one for your brother and sister.”
I struggled to swallow down the bile that rose at the thought of eating. Sliding back, I nudged Aden off my lap and onto the stool then quietly excused myself.
I escaped outside into the fresh air. On the porch, I leaned against the column near the stairs and looked out at the yard. A warm, early morning breeze swept away the smell of cooking food, easing my stomach but not my head. My eyes watered with the increasing pain.
Inside, a phone rang. The sound chipped at my skull. Thankfully, Nana answered on the second ring.
Emmitt came out to stand next to me. “Liam said your head really hurts. Are you sure I can’t get you something?”
Liam didn’t understand the cause, only the level of pain I endured.
“No, I’m fine.” I didn’t move.
I could hear Nana’s conversation. “Sam, I don’t know any better than you do. I thought all you did was research the trends, read financial reports, and watch for promising growth opportunities. When I read the paper, I look at the funnies. Now that I can help you with...”
My ears perked up.
Emmitt moved down to the step in front of me, bringing him closer to eye level as he faced me. “If not aspirin maybe Nana has something that could help.”
I shushed him and turned slightly to look at Nana’s window, fully listening. He tilted head, watching me.
Nana rattled off four characters, paused, and said four more. “Just pick?” she questioned the person at the other end.
“Pick the first one,” I said over the pain. Emmitt’s eyes widened slightly at my volume. I could barely hear myself over the thumping in my head. The information spilled from my mouth. “Ride for a one point six increase then drop it.”
The pain abruptly disappeared, and I sighed before I could catch myself. Emmitt still watched me, his expression carefully blank. His striking, dark blue eyes saw too much. My pulse picked up as I noticed details my headache had obscured. His damp hair. How close he stood. The concern still in his eyes.
In the background, I heard Nana repeat my recommendation and wanted to cringe. Instead, I forced my face to relax, keeping it bland. How could I have been so stupid? So obvious?
Emmitt’s calm gaze gave nothing away. “We were still thinking of going to the lake after breakfast. Nana went for groceries this morning. Will you come with?”
I nodded slowly, waiting for what would come next. Questions I couldn’t...wouldn’t...answer. But he didn’t say anything about my headache or spontaneous yelling.
Instead, he nodded at my clothes. “You might want to change.”
I looked down at myself and winced. I still wore lounge pants and a baggy t-shirt. Fuzz coated my teeth. A blushed crept into my cheeks as I looked up at him again. Amusement twinkled in his eyes.