Rock Me Deeper (Licks of Leather #5) - Jenna Jacob Page 0,43
I nodded at the gauze near her ankle.
“I accidently dropped a pot of coffee at work this morning. It’s just a couple of cuts and burns. I’ll be fine.”
“Do you still have the medicine the doctor in LA gave you?” Caris nodded. “Good. Make sure you pack it, all right?”
“What am I supposed to do with my things?”
“What things?”
“My furniture, my clothes, dishes…my stuff.”
“You’re not leaving for good.” Though I’d give my left nut if you were and moved in with me. “Just pack some of your clothes, toiletries, and whatever you need for a few weeks or months.”
“Syd, this is crazy. I can’t just hop a jet to Texas for god knows how many weeks or months. If I don’t work, I can’t pay rent. If I don’t pay rent, my landlord is going to toss my stuff to the curb and let someone else move in.”
I knew if I offered to pay the rent for her, Caris would shut me down faster than a health inspector visiting a rat-infested restaurant.
“When we get to the ranch, we’ll figure it out.”
“You’re going with me?”
“For a few days, yeah. Then Ozzy, Mia, and I have to fly out and join the others for our next show in—”
“Jackson, Mississippi.”
The fact that Caris cared enough to keep track of the cities we played filled me with elation. Any other time, I’d tease her about it, but her situation was no laughing matter. Or maybe it was the perfect time. I didn’t know anymore. I was walking on fucking eggshells now and hated it. It felt awkward and uncomfortable and made me long for the old days when we shared nearly everything without reservation.
“Yeah, good ol’ Mississippi,” I drawled. “So, you ready to start packing?”
Caris nodded pensively and rolled off the bed. As she plucked a novel off the nightstand, the photo sitting there caught my eye. A bittersweet smile tugged Caris’s lips as she picked up the frame and handed it to me.
The image of Caris and me, laughing hysterically on Emma Halloran’s porch sucked me back in time, like soda through a straw.
“Stop acting like Caris has cooties, Sydney,” Emma scolded. “Put your arm around her. You think I haven’t watched you two swap bubble gum by the barn every chance you get?”
“You watch us kiss?” Caris gasped.
“Damn right I do. And if I think you’re doing more than kissing, I’m gonna take a switch to both your behinds. You two got no business bringing a baby into this world at your age. Now smile for the camera, dammit. Price Is Right is fixin’ to start, and I ain’t missing my show to stand out here playing photographer.”
We’d both burst out laughing as Emma snapped the photo.
The old woman never knew that while she sat watching her game show, Caris and I were busy doing a whole lot more than kissing in that barn.
“Wow,” I murmured, tracing a finger over our young faces. “I remember the day Emma took this.”
“Me, too.” Caris’s eyes filled with sadness. “She gave it to me a couple weeks before she d-died.”
“We had some fun times, didn’t we?” Until I fucked everything up.
“Yeah.” She took the photo from my hands and started to set it back on the nightstand.
“Pack it up and take it with you, angel,” I whispered, moving in close behind her. “To help remember happier times.”
Caris nodded and clutched the photo to her chest, then drew in a deep breath and retrieved a small suitcase from her closet. While she filled it to the brim with clothes, I whipped off a text to Ozzy, informing him that Caris was indeed packing and to sit tight. He replied with a cryptic message to hurry and be careful. Obviously, Cole and Brad were still scanning the trees for trouble.
Caris returned from the bathroom, dressed in a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved sweater. She was carrying a duffle bag bulging with toiletries.
“Anything else you want to grab before we go?”
“I don’t think so. I just hope I packed everything I’m going to need,” she lamented as I carried her luggage down the hall.
“If not, we can order off the internet and have it delivered.”
The uncertainty lining her face was killing me. Setting her suitcase and duffle on the well-worn linoleum by the door, I cupped her chin and forced her gaze. “It’s going to be okay. I’ve got your back this time, angel. I’m never going to turn and run away again.”