Now or Never (4 page)

Chapter Seven

Jay

Jay’s head pounded, his back ached, and his feet were protesting the cheap shoes he’d just spent the past ten hours standing in. All of that disappeared at the sight of Em sleeping soundly on the couch when he
stepped inside the house. Despite how exhausted she looked when she’d left the restaurant, she’d waited up for him. Or at least she’d tried.

Watching her sleep was probably a creepy thing to do, but he couldn’t help himself. The reality of her there, in his home—in
their
home—was still so incredible to him. As he stood in the dark, she shifted restlessly, releasing a groan as she rolled to bury her face in the cushion.

Jay’s heart squeezed. Another nightmare. She could barely close her eyes without having one. He wondered
, morbidly, if she’d ever know peace. If either of them would.

“Wake up, Em. It’s just a dream.” Keeping his touch light as not to agitate her further, Jay attempted to shake her awake, but her skin was on fire. She was burning up. It wasn’t just another nightmare. She was sick. “Em? Baby, wake up.”

Her hair was plastered to sweat dampened cheeks while her entire body shivered almost violently. Pulling the throw blanket from the back of the couch, he tucked it around her before forcing himself to leave her long enough to wet a washcloth and pour a glass of water. He was no doctor, but he’d had his fair share of experiences with fevers.

Em roused sluggishly as he pressed the cool compress to her face, blinking up at him before groaning and squeezing her eyes shut again.

“I’m . . . so c-cold, Jay.”

“I know, baby. It’s okay.” Her complaint got to him. More than the heat pouring off her skin. More than the shivers coursing through her small body. More than anything. Em never complained. Not ever. “It’s gonna be okay. You’re going to be okay.”

Jay’s focus ping-ponged between Em shaking on the couch and the thermostat hanging on the wall. Fuck it, he’d deal with the consequences next month when the bill came due. The urge to throw all caution to the wind and crank it as high as it would go pricked his mind and itched his fingers, but he couldn’t be that reckless. Carefully turning the dial up another ten degrees, he listened as the old radiators clanked to life around the house.

“Come on. Up you go.” Em wasn’t thrilled with the idea of sitting up and Jay had to do most of the work to get her that way, but he didn’t mind as he slid onto the couch beside her and she slumped against his chest. “You need to drink something.
Stay hydrated.”

He pressed the glass into her hand and watched her take several long, greedy swallows.

“That a girl. Now let’s get you to bed, okay?” Em didn’t complain as he scooped her up in his arms and carried her down the hall. Jay couldn’t believe how light she still felt. It was a sucker punch to the gut. He worked his ass off to try to make ends meet—they both did—and still he couldn’t afford to really feed her right.

Em didn’t release her hold around his neck as he laid her on the bed, pulling him down beside her. Before he could even tuck the blankets around the two of them, she’d borrowed into his side and fallen back to sleep.

Jay lay awake for hours, listening helplessly to the quiet sounds of discomfort he was certain Em was unaware that she was making, feeling her body tremble in his arms. This was it. This was the best he could do for her.
Pathetic.

A low pitched whine slipped from Em’s lips. Her eyelids fluttered, and he couldn’t be sure if it was the fever or another nightmare that was causing her distress.
Powerless
.

“Shh. Baby, it’s okay. I’ve got you. You’re okay.” Pressing a kiss to her sweaty brow, Jay closed his eyes and held her tighter. All he had to offer her was himself and it wasn’t enough. Not by a long shot. He’d never felt so
worthless.

“You’re going to be okay, Em. Everything’s going to be okay. Shh. Just rest, baby.” He stroked her hair and trailed his fingers over her heated skin.

They didn’t have a thermometer, but he trusted himself to know if things got dangerous. That required a constant vigil, though. It was a long night with little rest for either of them. Em shivered and sweated for hours. Jay held her close, waking her every so often to get her to drink more water. Finally, around four in the morning, the fever broke and they both drifted into an exhausted unconsciousness.

The alarm clock was unsympathetic to their plight, however, wailing away at seven on the dot. Jay was struck with the overwhelming urge to send it flying out the window, but they couldn’t afford to replace it.

“Mmmm.” Em propped herself up on an elbow and blinked down at him sleepily, but all Jay could see were the thick dark circles under her eyes. “Mind if I take the first shower? I’m all sticky and gross.”

“I don’t mind. But then you’re getting back in bed.”

“I can’t. I have to be at work by—”

“You’re sick, Em. You’re not working today.”

“I have to. We need—”

“You to get better. That’s what we need.”

“I am better. Just tired.”

“Besides,” Jay continued as though she hadn’t spoken
, “Bart won’t appreciate it if you go around infecting all of his customers.”

“It’
s a cold, Jay. Not the plague.” He knew she was annoyed at him, but her glare was just plain cute.

“Em,” he wasn’t going to lose this argument and she damn well knew it, “go get in the shower. I’ll call Bart and let him know you won’t be making it in today.”

She continued to glare, but exhaustion won out and she couldn’t maintain it, dropping back onto her pillow. “Fine.”

Jay placed a call to Bart and agreed to cover her shift. He would have preferred to stay home and take care of her, but it was last minute notice and they’d need the money to pay for the
extra heat they’d used. Regretfully, he turned the thermostat back down before taking his turn in the shower.

When he got out t
he house was already back to its normal state of frigid. Jay wrapped a towel around his waist and rushed into the bedroom to find some warm clothes. Em was already curled back up under the blankets. Times like that, she just looked so damn . . . small. It made him desperate to scoop her up in his arms and hold her close and safe forever. Instead, he pulled on a pair of faded jeans and took a seat beside her, running his fingers through her damp hair.

“You’re beautiful.”

“Mmhmm.”

It was his mission to make her believe that statement. They’d get there. Someday.

“How are you feeling?”

“Like a prisoner.”

Jay chuckled. “You’re in a mood this morning.”

“No sleep and pushy boyfriends put me in a mood.”

“Then I suggest you get some rest because I want my happy girl back when I get home tonight.”

“You’re still being pushy,
” Em grumbled.

He shrugged and leaned over for a kiss. “You like it.”

Em twisted her head at the last possible second and all he caught was her cheek. “Careful. I wouldn’t want to
infect
you.”

Jay scowled down at her. “When it comes to you, I’m already a goner.”

Using both of his hands to capture her face, he pressed his lips firm and steady to hers. She didn’t fight him, her mouth opening in invitation, and he plunged inside. Christ, she tasted so damn sweet.

He was going to be late for work.

***

The mood booster winning his argument with Em had brought on was rapidly diminishing as he parked his
truck in the lot and stared up at the dilapidated building in front of him.
Bart’s
. What a high-class joint. With a sigh, Jay trudged through the puddles of slush just to be slammed with the potent aroma of greasy food and body odor inside the front door. It must have been close to ninety-degrees in there. The heater was busted . . . again. At least this time it was stuck
on
.

Tugging off his hat, Jay ran a quick hand through his hair. If it wasn’t one thing, it was another. And another. Not thirty seconds after he crossed the threshold, Sahara came strutting out of the back room.

“Jay? What are you doing here so early?”

“Em’s sick. I’m covering her shift.”

“You’re waiting tables?”

“It was last minute notice. Bart didn’t have anyone else.” He couldn’t understand her obvious amusement. Most of his time was spent behind the bar, but it wasn’t his first time taking on a wait shift.

“This should be fun.”

Jay was certain it would be anything but,
though he didn’t bother telling her that. She wouldn’t have heard him anyway. The girl had a way of only hearing what she wanted to.

Unfortunately he was right. Six hours later, fun would not be the word Jay chose to describe his day. And it was only half over. In thirty minutes, he had to start his own shift bartending.

“Jay!” He sidestepped an incoming Sahara, who’d found any and every reason to brush up against him throughout their shift. “You look dead on your feet. I’m taking my lunch and I talked Bart into letting you take one, too. Come eat with me.”

He wasn’t sure if that was true, but he hadn’t seen Bart take one step outside his office all day and she was right about one thing . . . he was ready to drop. Sahara lit up like a freaking super nova when he agreed and he immediately regretted his sleep deprived decision making skills. It was too late to take it back, though. She had him seated in a corner booth—trapped between her sweaty, scantily clad body and the wall—with a plate of meatloaf in front of him before he could blink.

“Whew. It’s hot in here today, huh?”

Jay nodded as he chewed his meal and Sahara dramatically fanned herself with a drink menu.

“You can talk to me, you know. I don’t bite.”

“Sorry.” Jay swallowed and forced himself to face her. “Just in a bit of a rush.”

“You’re always rushing. You work too hard. We have half an hour, so relax a little.”

She was right about that, too. He could use a chance to de-stress a bit. Leaning back against the wall, he took another bite and chewed slower, savoring the taste of warm meat and gravy.

“That’s better.” Sahara grinned and he found himself smiling back at her. “Sorry to hear Em’s not feeling well. I hope she’s better soon.”

“Thanks. I’ll tell her you said so.”

Sahara shrugged.

“What?”

“I don’t think she likes me very much.”

“Em? That’s not true. Em doesn’t dislike anyone.”

“If you say so.” Sahara still failed to look convinced. “It’s okay, though. Most people don’t like me much. Guess I’m just too much to handle.”

“I’m sure you’re wrong.”

“I know I come on kind of . . . strong, sometimes. But I just really want you to like me.”

“I do like you, Sahara.”
Sometimes
. “Maybe you shouldn’t try so hard.”

She seemed to think about it and then shrugged again. “Did you see that guy seated in my section earlier? The
big
one? Ohmigod . . . he was sweating so bad I could smell him in the kitchen.” She scrunched her face up in a look that made Jay laugh. He had noticed the guy she was talking about and it hadn’t been a pretty sight. “I was afraid he was going to have a heat stroke or something.”

Sahara went on about her morning, never running out of things to say. Jay laughed and ate, occasionally joining in with a story of his own. The time passed quickly, and next thing he knew
forty-five minutes had gone by and Bart was shooting him nasty looks.

“Crap, I’m late.” Jay had to wait for Sahara to exit the booth before he could slid
e out after her. “Thanks for lunch, but I’d better get behind the bar before Bart fires me.”

“I had fun.”

“Me, too.” Strangely enough, Jay meant it.

“We’ll have to do it again, sometime.”

“Sure.” Jay dropped his plate in a busboy’s bin and ducked behind the already crowded bar.

***

He was so wiped by the end of the night that he nearly crashed into an oncoming truck and came within an inch of sideswiping a parked car on his way home. But it was all worth it when he arrived to find Em curled up in her usual spot on the couch. Only this time, she was still awake.

“Hey. How are you feeling?”

“Much better. How was your day?”

“Long. You didn’t have to wait up for me.”

“I wasn’t. I was watching . . . a movie.”

Mmhmm.
“What movie?”

“Some superhero movie. Um . . . Captain something?”

Now he knew she was lying.

“You hate those movies. You were waiting up for me.” It was meant to be a reprimand, but he secretly loved that she was there waiting for him a
t the end of a long day of work, and he knew it showed.