Finding Her Courage by Christine Raymond

Author:Christine Raymond
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2021-05-13T19:03:48+00:00

* * *

Ty parked his truck in the driveway and helped Camille out. Mini donuts and coffee cake were already laid out on the dining table. A few bites and Evie would be on a morning sugar high; a few more and it would carry her straight through to the afternoon.

“Don’t worry, we’ve got more than sugar,” Ty said, reading her thoughts. “And vegetarian options.” Camille smiled.

About half the group had beaten them back. The other half were still on their way. Dillon and Nikki were among the missing. Chairs were filling up quickly. Ty grabbed three together and pulled one out for her. Camille managed to hang on to her crutches as she sat down.

The kitchen had one of those wooden swing doors. It was a little bit old-fashioned but added a touch of charm to the place. Maricela pushed it open from the other side, almost knocking into the back of Ty’s head. She looked worried. “Ty, we’ve got a problem. It’s Emmitt.”

Camille had never seen the look on a pilot’s face when he was crashing, but she imagined it looked something like Ty’s at this moment. He rushed into the kitchen without a word. Camille hesitated, then went after him. If something was wrong with Emmitt, she wanted to help.

Emmitt was standing next to the island. His back was to them, and he looked okay from what she could see. Nothing was bleeding. Nothing was burning. If he’d had an accident while cooking, wouldn’t there be some sign? Black smoke or singed hair or a dropped knife?

Ty was standing just ahead of her. “Emmitt.” His voice was low and steady.

Slowly Emmitt turned around. For half a second she thought she was looking at a different person. This wasn’t the same man who’d worked on her ankle just yesterday. The one who’d known how to console Evie and given orders with confidence and grace.

Emmitt’s face was pale. A thin film of sweat covered his brow. His right hand clutched a can of unopened beer. It was shaking. It wasn’t a look she’d seen before, but she knew what it meant just the same. It was the face of someone struggling with addiction.

When Ty spoke again, it was without judgment. “Emmitt, let’s talk through this, okay?”

Maricela, Josh and several others were standing just behind her. She caught their ashen faces and knew this was bad. Things started clicking into place. Emmitt’s silence, his moodiness, his intensity.

Emmitt shook his head and his entire face crinkled. “I can’t. It’s just too hard.” His voice cracked, and he popped the lid off the beer.

Maricela was biting her lip. Ty looked ready to tackle Emmitt if the can moved even an inch toward his mouth.

Soft footsteps came forward from the back of the room, and Evie appeared. She walked toward Emmitt. Camille moved to stop her, but something made her pause. Evie was holding the purple elephant Emmitt had given her.

Emmitt did not look up at her approach, so Evie reached out and tugged on his sleeve.

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