Enduring Emily by Olivia Gaines & Siera London

Author:Olivia Gaines & Siera London [Gaines, Olivia & London, Siera]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Davonshire House Publishing
Published: 2019-06-09T04:00:00+00:00

“Monday,” he said. “Mom passed away on Monday. Grandma went to the nursing home on Wednesday. The Social Worker started driving me here on Thursday.”

She couldn’t help herself. The kid had been through the wringer, and here he stood in a kitchen that belonged to a man he’d only just learned was his father, preparing food for a dinner party where neither of them knew anyone. It felt so ordinary that it caught her off guard.

“Well, if you ask me, you need a hug,” Emily said. “Hell, if you don’t want it, I’m going to give it to you anyway because I need one.”

Joshua didn’t fight the comfort she offered but leaned into it instead. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, he’d been scared. The movie that played out in his head was of a man with no teeth, who spat tobacco and had a house full of children who called him “Pappy.” He imagined dogs running all over the place and a house on the back side of a junkyard filled with roaches and open cans of pork and beans. Never in his wildest imagination did he envision living in a house like this and a kitchen where he could spend his every waking hour.

“Thanks,” he said sheepishly, pulling away. He stayed inside of his own head as he rolled perfectly smooth balls onto a baking sheet and slid them into the oven. “I’m thinking, a barbeque sauce for dipping, but then something more on the sweet versus savory side.”

“You know what, Joshua? I’m going to kidnap you and have you live with me,” she said. “This is way too much fun. You are one cool kid.”

“Aww, stop it,” he said blushing.

He did look a great deal like his father. A bit on the thin side but based on his knowledge of food, he’d eaten well. Emily chalked it up to the strain of watching his mother waste away as her body became riddled with cancer. An energetic kid, but inside, she knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that right now, Joshua was in survival mode. Staying busy was a way to deal with the shock, the pain, and the loss.

Even though no one asked her, she planned to be available to him, should he ever need a person to talk to or just a shoulder to lean on. He may be only 13, but he was her first friend in Endurance. She didn’t plan to let him down.

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