When We Are Enough (Valiant Hearts #1)

13. Emmy

Chapter 13

Emmy

L ight spills through the kitchen windows as I help Granny Sloane with her breakfast the next day. The seemingly tranquil morning is charged with an undercurrent of tension, especially with Patrick sitting at the table, the broad athletic hulk of him impossible to ignore.

“How did you sleep?” he asks Granny Sloane, his deep voice gentle but felt right in my sternum.

Every movement he makes draws my attention—the way his fingers curl around his coffee mug, the way his eyes flicker with concern when Granny Sloane describes an ache in her back. His presence is an utter torment.

Handing Granny Sloane the butter, my fingers brush against his as he reaches for it at the same time. I pull my hand back quickly. God, did he notice the way my breath hitched?

As we start to eat, he shifts in his seat, his legs bracketing mine under the table. We’re not touching, but the heat from his body radiates toward me, and my skin is on fire. The scent of his aftershave, the warmth of his thigh just inches from mine, it all makes it hard to concentrate.

Patrick’s gaze catches mine across the table, and for a second, it’s like everything else fades away. Gravity splits between us and spills over the table and onto the floor, like something molten eating away at the solid ground beneath me.

The fever in his eyes is unmistakable. He feels it too.

I stand abruptly, focusing on getting Granny Sloane her meds, trying not to think about him but finding it completely impossible. There’s a long list of reasons this can’t happen: after what happened with Travis and Maddy, I’m swearing off relationships for life; I’m trying to be more independent; and I absolutely, one hundred percent, cannot be caught up in another scandal, especially one that could cost me this job.

Returning to Philadelphia is not an option.

And it would be a scandal. I was hired as his grandmother’s nurse! Just imagining the look on Ruby’s face if she found out something had happened between the two of us makes me feel a little sick inside. With Patrick so close, so magnetic and real, I need to keep reminding myself why nothing can happen.

When he leaves for work a few minutes later, it’s a relief, and I settle back into my chair beside Granny Sloane, placing a mug of tea in front of her, finally able to relax a little.

She looks up at me with a keen eye. “Patrick is a good man. We’re lucky to have him. He’s done so much for this family. I’m very proud of him.”

Worried that anything I say about him will give me away, I nod.

“So, dear, will your family come to visit you here at Harbor’s Edge?” She stirs her tea methodically. “You haven’t said much about them.”

All thoughts of Patrick leave in a rush and I hesitate, thinking of my parents. I can’t picture them here in Harbor’s Edge. It’s not their scene , as my mother would say.

“I don’t think they’ll make it here. They’re pretty busy with work.” The words taste bitter. Distance has grown between us over the years, and it’s gotten considerably larger since everything that happened with Maddy and Travis.

“What do they do?” Granny Sloane has the newspaper beside her, but she hasn’t opened it.

“Well, my dad’s a surgeon and my mom runs a PR firm.”

“Is that why you became a nurse? So you could follow your father into the medical profession?”

A lump forms unexpectedly in my throat. That’s exactly why I became a nurse, hoping just once they might be proud of me instead of always seeing me as a troublemaker or a problem to be fixed.

Unfortunately, nursing wasn’t considered particularly prestigious by either of them, and my father certainly never considered me a fellow medical professional. I manage a nod and Granny Sloane stares at me for a long moment, giving the distinct impression that she can read all the subtext in my non-answer.

“And what about brothers or sisters? Do you have any?”

“Yes, a twin sister.” Just saying it aloud is awful. Maddy and I were inseparable once, the way it should be, but now the thought of her brings up only memories of deception and hurt. “She’s a lawyer, very pretty, and always the best at what she does.” Somehow, I keep my voice neutral.

“Are you two close?”

The question is simple, but it’s loaded with the weight of all the things I can’t say. Silence stretches a little too long.

“We... grew apart.” The words are heavy on my tongue. It’s not the whole truth, not even close, but it’s all I can manage without revealing the raw, jagged edges of what happened.

Granny Sloane nods, seeming to sense the undercurrent of emotion behind my words, and pats my hand softly. I’m grateful. Being professional, being the best nurse I can be, is important to me, and even talking about what happened with Granny Sloane would be a mistake .

The quiet is suddenly interrupted by the lively chatter of Patrick’s sisters, Nora and Riley, as they enter the house with a small bundle of letters. Nora’s curly blond hair bounces in a long plait down her back, her steps buoyant—she seems to always be in perpetual motion.

Riley, in contrast, is neatly dressed in a chic, professional outfit, her manner composed and thoughtful as she hands over the mail to Granny Sloane. She has Patrick’s dark hair and intense stare.

“That’s Patrick’s mail.” Nora kisses her grandmother on the cheek.

Granny Sloane sets the mail on the table and finally opens her newspaper. “Thank you, girls. Why don’t you girls take Emmy into town with you?” She glances at me. “I want some peace and quiet. Maybe you can see if there’s any news about the hurricane. And please bring me another of those strawberry tarts.”

Nora claps her hands together. “We’d love to. We’ll find out if the mayor has said anything more about the hurricane. Riley is about to head back to college, so I’m going to drop her at Mom’s gallery. You should definitely come with us, Emmy. I can tell you all about the pageant. Time is running out to sign you up.”

The cold is back, rushing through me, as intense and unsettling as being thrust into a river choked with icy rapids. Nora’s pageant is dredging up memories I’ve worked hard to bury. I haven’t stepped foot on a pageant stage for years, and the thought of returning to that world leaves my throat dry, heart racing.

It’s a part of my past left behind deliberately, a chapter closed with no intention of reopening. But with Nora’s bright gaze on me, I’m a deer in headlights. She sees it as a fun opportunity, a community event for charity, a way for me to get to know more people around town.

She doesn’t see me standing on the edge of a cliff, being asked to jump back into something I struggled so hard to climb out of. Rejecting the idea outright feels too harsh, too dismissive. I don’t want to hurt her. So instead of saying no like I want to, a smile gets pushed into place.

“Thanks, Nora. I’m happy to talk more about it, but I can’t promise anything.”

She looks at me curiously for a few seconds before nodding, and I’m glad she didn’t see the churn of emotion working its way through me.