“Morning.”
She smiled at him over the rim. “Good morning. Want some?”
Em tipped the cup toward him and he nodded. Before he could tell her he’d get it himself, she was up and pouring him a mug of his own. He settled into the seat beside her as she slid the coffee in front of him. It was going to be a long day. Em was working the morning shift and he had the dinner rush. That meant he’d only see her in passing until sometime tonight.
He hated being apart from her. Their circumstances had changed, but his overwhelming instinct to keep an eye on her at all times had not. He knew he needed to get a handle on it before he stifled her, but that didn’t stop him from being a cranky, anxiety riddled mess every time they were apart.
“What time do you have to be at work?”
Em glanced at the clock on the stove and her face dropped. She didn’t like days like these any better than he did. “I need to leave in five minutes.”
“Do you need a lift?”
“No. I wasn’t sure you’d be awake this early, so I asked Ashlyn to pick me up.” No sooner had she finished speaking than a car horn sounded outside.
Em threw back the last of her coffee. Jay reclined with his and watched with an amused grin on his face as she hopped around the entry way trying to tug on her boots and coat at the same time. Christ, he loved that girl.
“Okay, I’ll see you tonight. Love you.” She raced back into the kitchen to plant a quick kiss on him and then she was gone, disappearing out the front door in a burst of icy wind.
Jay sat at the table listening to Ashlyn’s car pull out of the driveway before getting up and taking his coffee into the living room. Eight hours. He had eight hours to kill before work.
Setting his mug on the aptly named coffee table, he trudged back into the kitchen and pulled out the drawer under the microwave. He had shit to take care of while Em was away.
The stack of bills was getting so high they barely fit in the drawer anymore. Everyday more came in the mail and everyday he’d snatch them up and shove them in the drawer before Em could see them. They were his to worry about. And he did. Silently, all day, every day.
They pooled their paychecks, so technically Em helped pay for everything, but she didn’t need to know how tight things were. Jay scooped up the pile and took them back to the couch with him. He was going to need that caffeine.
First things first, they needed to keep what little heat they could afford. Jay tore open the bill and grumbled. It was higher this month than last, even with the temperature set at a steady fifty-seven degrees. Why the hell hadn’t he bought a house in Florida?
Sitting it on the table beside his mug, he moved on to the rest. Thank Christ the house and truck were paid off. If nothing else, they had a place to live and a way to get to and from work. It could be worse. It had been worse. For a long time. They could handle this.
That still left the gas, electric, insurance, and fuel. There wasn’t going to be a whole lot leftover for food again this month.
Several envelopes stuffed with hard earned cash later, Jay was wiped. Even the three cups of coffee he’d consumed weren’t helping. Stress was exhausting. He still had six hours before he had to start getting ready for work.
Tossing the envelopes in the mailbox for the mailman to take, he collapsed on the couch. It wasn’t quite long enough to accommodate his height, but if he curled his knees, it was comfortable enough. The TV droned on quietly in the corner but he couldn’t focus on it. His eyes were already slipping shut. These sleepless nights were killer.
***
“Em?” It was dark, but he knew she was close. He could feel her. Hear her. She was frightened. “Em? Baby, where are you?”
“Jay!” She was terrified.
“Em! Em, what’s wrong? Where are you?” He searched the darkness frantically, but he couldn’t see a thing. “Em?”
“Help me!”
Heart pounding, Jay tried desperately to follow the sound of her voice, but it seemed to echo off of some unseen walls and bounce all around him. “Em, I’m coming!”
Where was she?
A pale glow pierced the distant darkness. As it grew closer, two lights shone brightly against the pitch backdrop. Headlights. The squeal of tires cut through the thick silence. He couldn’t hear Em anymore.
“Em?”
“Jay!” As the car bore down on him, two figures suddenly appeared in its beam.
Em struggled against a large man. He pulled her closer, wrapping his meaty arms around her torso and pinning her arms to her sides.
“Em!”
When he lowered his mouth to hers, Jay took off in a furious sprint.
“Get off her, you son of a bitch!” Jay angled his approach to slam right into the bastard, but at the last possible moment he shifted, shoving Em away from him and right into the path of the speeding car.