"Everything..."
"I'll call some movers and have everything packed up and delivered to the farm."
"No. I don't want strange men in my house. You're bad enough."
Seriously? "Who would you like me to call then?"
"You can do it. Not unless you're incapable of driving a moving van?"
"I just think it'll be easier--"
"Go up to the corner store, they always have boxes...If you don't want to help me that's fine. I'll just go to the press and spill my guts. I'll let everyone know how Davis Enterprises got to the top, and I'll unveil their tactics in public."
"You've got to be kidding." Parker's temper was beginning to rear its ugly head. "I'm trying to do the right thing."
"I'm not kidding. Move everything in the apartment. If you meant what you said you did, you'll help me."
"Fine. I'll be right back with boxes." Parker calmly walked to his sedan and shut the door. When he was safely away, he pounded the steering wheel with his fists and damned her to hell, many times.
After pulling up to the store, he realized he didn't have room to be hauling anything. He drove back to the rental place to swap the car out for an SUV. He was able to cram many empty boxes inside, but wasn't looking forward to being her slave. Just stay calm, Parker. When she realizes she isn't getting under your skin, she'll knock it off.
"I reserved the rental van. All you have to do is go pick it up." Emily smiled when he walked through the door.
"Don't you want to pack up these boxes first?"
"Russell, I don't feel very well when I'm on my feet. I'm afraid I'll have to stay off of them. How long do you think this'll take you?"
Years. "Not that long. You rest and I'll start packing." Parker had the strong urge to start whipping everything out the window. But he carefully placed her belongings in the boxes and set them by the door.
"Russell!" Emily contained her laughter.
Parker walked into the living room. "Did you need something, Emily?"
"Could you bring me some water so I can take my medicine? With all of these boxes, I don't want to trip and fall...again."
God. "Sure, no problem at all," replied a sweaty Parker as he fetched the glass of water. There was no air conditioning in the breadbox-sized apartment and the heat was getting to Parker. He took his shirt off and draped it over the back of a chair. When he worked his way to the bathroom to pack the room up, her voice cut through any sense of calm he felt.
"Russell!"
I'm going to kill her. "Yes?"
"The moving van?" Emily laughed at the sweat beading up all over his skin.
"How late are they open?"
"I'm not sure." Emily contained a smile. "But to be safe, you should pick it up now."
"Sure thing." Parker cringed when he had to put his sweaty shirt back on his body. He was happy to be going outside to get at least a little fresh air.
Emily waited until he drove away and then got up to check on his progress. She was impressed at how quickly he worked. She needed to call Mick and check on the clinic.
"Did you get home okay, Em?
"Yes, that Parker guy's brother is here helping me. He seems pretty nice. His name is Russell, and they're identical twins."
"Are you sure?" Mick didn't believe it for a second.
"Yeah, I saw his driver's license and everything. Parker flew back to New York, and his brother came to Colorado to give the land back to me and help me while I'm out of commission. I'm so sorry all the work is being dumped on you. When the pain lessens, I can come in and do some small things." Emily felt nothing but guilt.
"I just want you to relax and take care of yourself. You have no business even driving with your arm like that. Just rest up so you don't injure your arm further."
"I have to go now. Russell is here with the moving van. I'll call you in a few days, okay?"
"I'm going to stop by your grandfather's house in a day or two just to check on things. I can't before then, it's too busy. I'm working until nine at night some days."
"Mick, I feel so bad." Emily's eyes began to tear.
"Don't feel bad, you'd do the same for me. Besides, the techs have been super great with helping out. It's fine."
"I'll talk to you soon, Mick."
Emily hung up the phone just as Parker was walking in the door.
"Okay, the truck's outside. I don't know why you needed such a big one; you don't have that many boxes."
"Well, I need to move the furniture too..." Emily gave him a sweet smile.
"Your grandfather's house has furniture." Parker was fuming so he kept his back to her.
"I'm not moving without all my things." Emily would much rather have thrown out all her furniture that came from secondhand stores. She gave him a sad pouty look.
"Okay, fine. If you'd like, I can hire someone to clean this place out, then I'll buy you new things--" Parker was beginning to feel hopeful.
"No..."
Shit.
Chapter 7
After five hours and more than twenty demands from Emily, the truck was loaded. Parker helped her down to the truck and opened the door.
"I can't climb up in this thing."
Before she could open her mouth again, Parker lifted her up so she could get in the seat.
"There, all better." Parker walked around to the driver's side and climbed up behind the wheel.
"I'll have to stop at the grocery store before we get there. There's nothing to eat in the house."
"Parker told me he bought a few things, so we should be okay for a few days."
"What the hell do you mean by 'we'?"
"Someone has to stay there to help you out. It might as well be me." Parker could feel her angry stare. "Emily, it's just for another few days. You shouldn't have as much pain by then. After that I'll leave and have a caregiver hired."
"I think I need to have a caregiver now, but I'll need more done than what an aide can do. You'll have to stay close by." The last thing Emily was going to do was allow the Davis family to walk away like nothing ever happened. If she was going to be detained from living her life for months, so was Russell. Making him stay around to watch her suffering was her plan.
The end of the damn earth is too close to this woman. "Okay, tomorrow morning I'll make some calls. I wish you would have said something sooner. It'll be impossible to find someone tonight."
"I wish your brother would have let me know sooner he was going to ruin my life."
"Okay, okay. You can stop all the dogging. Let's just focus on your health."
"Don't show your temper to me." Emily was glad she was pissing him off.
Parker let Emily give him directions to the property. He was shocked that she hadn't instructed him on how to drive properly.
He slowly turned up the long driveway to her grandfather's house.
"The asshole got the RV out of here. That was mighty kind of him." Emily could feel herself getting worked up.
"I don't know anything about an RV, but there isn't one here now, so let's not worry about it." Parker wished she'd just shut up.
"Well, you should have seen him. The all high and mighty Mr. Jackass drove over the sharp rocks and flattened the tire on the thing. He didn't even know how to change it!" Emily began to laugh.
I could have changed it. "The RV isn't here. Let's not dwell on the past, shall we?" I should lock you up in the back of the truck.
Parker walked around and lifted her to the ground. He felt sweaty, dirty, hungry, and very irritable. All he wanted was a cool shower and a nice clean change of--Sonofabitch.
"I have to take the truck back and get my clothes. You'll have to come with me."
"No, I'm not going anywhere, I'm tired. Wear something of my grandfather's, the donation pile is in the house. I'll show it to you when we get inside."
When pigs fly..."I'd rather have my own things, Emily."
"That's great. You don't always get what you want."
Parker knew better than to open his mouth. The foul lineup of words he had at the back of his tongue wasn't going to help the situation.
Emily let him reach inside her purse for the key. He couldn't help himself. "You certainly don't carry very many items in your bag. I don't even see one single tube of lipstick..." Parker grabbed the key and turned his back as fast as he could. He was ready to fall out in laughter.
"Just unlock the door, I'm tired."
He held the door open while she walked inside. "Who was messing with the boxes? I bet that bastard went through my things while I was in the hospital!"
"Emily, I'm sure that Parker had better things to do than go through your belongings. Let's just settle in for the night. I'll sleep on the couch if you don't mind. I'd like to take a shower though."
"Don't settle in too quickly. I need my things out of the truck."
"What things?"
"My clothes and toiletries are packed in those boxes. Don't tell me you didn't label them."
"I'm not going back in that truck. Wear your grandfather's things."
"I'm not doing that!"
"Then throw a curtain around yourself. I'm not unloading anything else tonight. I'm exhausted and I just want to shower and get some rest."
Emily had a few changes of clothes upstairs, but he didn't need to know that.
"The towels are in the hallway. Don't be in there too long, I may need you for something."