Young Love Dies Hard: The Young Brothers, Book 1 Page 2

  I crept downstairs, and they stopped when they noticed me.

  “What’s going on?” I asked.

  They both froze, their mouths open. They looked to each other, probably hoping the other had a better explanation.

  “Nothing, dear,” Aunt Meg said.

  “Come on, guys. You still think I can’t hear you arguing when I’m not in the room.”

  “We’re not arguing,” Uncle Jim said. His face had grown a shade redder than before. “We’re just having a discussion.”

  They were still talking low, and I knew it was because they didn’t want Kasey to overhear the conversation. I glanced out the window over the kitchen sink and saw her arranging the flowers in a vase at one of the tables outside.

  “Is the farm in trouble?” I asked.

  Uncle Jim and Aunt Meg glanced at each other.

  Uncle Jim cleared his throat. “Things have been tough around here. Seems like every year gets a little harder.”

  “We didn’t want to bring this up today,” Aunt Meg said. “But we’re thinking of putting the farm up for sale. The bank is threatening foreclosure if we can’t make up the missed payments.”

  My stomach flopped. “You want to sell the farm?”

  They couldn’t do that. The farm was my home. Kasey’s home. The only sense of stability we had left in this world.

  “What about the money I’ve been sending?” I asked. It was every last dollar I could spare—sometimes even more. Those were the months I’d live off instant noodles and tap water. But it took care of whatever Kasey needed.

  “Of course,” Aunt Meg said. “You know we appreciate all the help, really.”

  “We are proud of you, Maeve,” Uncle Jim said. “You’re a good girl.” He kissed the top of my forehead. “We’ll talk about it some more later.”

  The kitchen door swung open and slammed shut.

  “Oh great,” Kasey said. “I guess they told you, too.”

  My heart skipped a little. It didn’t seem like Aunt Meg and Uncle Jim to share this news with Kasey. They shared my mission of protecting her against as much conflict as possible. She’d already been through enough.

  “What is she talking about?” I said.

  “Well…” Aunt Meg looked to Uncle Jim for some help.

  “Your mother called,” he said.

  I rolled my eyes in disgust. The good news just kept coming. “Forget I asked.”

  Aunt Meg gave a warm smile. “She wanted to know if it would be all right if she—”

  “No,” I said.

  “I vote yes,” Kasey said.

  I squinted my eyes at her. “Traitor.”

  I didn’t share her same affection for our mother. Then again, Kasey did see her a lot more often. It was easier for her. She was so young when I’d started running away from home. And she definitely didn’t remember the one time I’d brought her with me. She had been just a few months old. I carried her wrapped in blankets all the way to Aunt Meg and Uncle Jim’s from my house.

  Aunt Meg opened her mouth to say more. Probably to try and convince me to change my mind. It was her sister—I got it. But it still didn’t change the fact that I couldn’t stand the sight of my own mother.

  Uncle Jim took a few steps closer to me. “We already told her no.”

  * * * *

  The relatives started to trickle in, bringing pies and potato salads. Jack darted around the tent, his nose following the smell of food. I tried to fade into the background and keep myself busy with helping with the food or getting more ice from the freezer. Living near campus had made me soft. I was quickly reminded of the hardship of farm life every time I came here for a visit.

  “Maeve,” Aunt Meg called as I refilled the cooler with ice.

  I shook the bag to empty out every cube before tossing it in the nearby trashcan.

  “Look who’s here.” She reached out for me with one hand as she gestured to the tall guy beside her.

  He towered over the crowd. His dark, messy hair flopped over his hazel eyes. The scruff on his face definitely added to his I-just-rolled-out-of-bed look. I knew this face. Those eyes behind the glasses.

  “Hi, Maeve.” He gave me a timid wave of his hand.

  “Hey, Jacob.”

  My heart drummed in my ears. Sweat pooled in the creases of my palms. I almost couldn’t believe he was standing in front of me. The last time I saw Jacob Young I was flat as a board. His mother and Aunt Meg were best friends, so he spent a lot of time with me here.

  “Jacob’s just moved back to start veterinary school,” Aunt Meg explained to the few others who were standing nearby. “He’s going to be staying here and helping us with the animals until the semester starts.”

  “Really?” someone asked.

  He pushed his black-framed glasses higher on his nose. “Yeah, just got here from the airport, actually.”

  “Maeve, why don’t you get Jacob something to drink? I know you two have a lot to catch up on.” She gave me a smile that told me she was up to no good before scurrying away.

  I wiped my hands on my shorts. “So, what do you like to drink?” Looking him in the eyes was proving difficult.

  “Um, I’ll take water if you have it.”

  God, his voice was deep.

  I rummaged through the cooler and picked out a cold bottle from the bottom. I twisted the top off and handed it to him. “Here you go.”

  He thanked me before taking a sip, his gaze scoping out the plethora of geriatric company.

  “So, graduate school, huh?” I popped open a beer for myself.

  “Yeah, I took a bunch of summer classes to finish my B.S. early.”

  That was no surprise.

  He took a sip of water. “What are you studying?”

  I smiled. “Undecided.”

  We stood feet apart. The conversation dead. It’d been so long since we talked; I didn’t know what to say. I swatted a fly away from my face and crossed my arms. This was beyond awkward.

  “Do you live in the dorms?” he asked.

  “No. I rent an apartment close to campus.” Another incident I’d never told Aunt Meg—getting kicked out of my dorm last year for “sexiling” my roommate too much. I couldn’t help it if I needed so much privacy with my guests. She had it out for me, anyway—convinced I was after her boyfriend.

  He nodded and took another swig from his water.

  “What about you?” I asked.

  “I was supposed to stay with a buddy of mine. But that’s not happening anymore.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Something about his girlfriend moving in. It’s too late for me to get room and board from the school, so I guess I’ll be staying here until I can get it figured out.”

  I wiped the sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand. “I can show you around campus one day if you want.”

  “Yeah, maybe.”

  That answer wasn’t exactly brimming with enthusiasm.

  Kasey weaved through the tables and chairs and stood beside me.

  “Hello,” she said.

  “Hi,” Jacob replied.

  “You’re Jacob, right?”

  “Yep.” Jacob looked at me for a quick second.

  “I’m Kasey.” She held out her hand and Jacob shook it. “Do you know who I am?”

  “Maeve’s little sister, right?”

  “Is that a tattoo?” she said, reaching for his bicep. She pushed back the sleeve of his t-shirt and revealed the rest of his toned arm.

  He didn’t have to answer since she was already examining the ink. My eyes glazed over his broad shoulders.

  “Kasey,” I said. “Don’t be rude.”

  “What?” she asked, a little annoyed. She focused back on Jacob’s arm. “How many do you have?”

  “A few.” His body stiffened.

  I tugged on Kasey’s shirt, and she backed off.

  “I want to get a tattoo. Maeve won’t let me.”

  “Because you’re too young,” I said.

/>   She rolled her eyes. “Excuses, excuses.”

  “When you’re eighteen, you can do whatever you want.”

  She smiled and cocked her head. “How about Maeve?”

  “Excuse me?” Jacob asked.

  “How does she look?” Kasey said.

  I elbowed her just a little. “I think I hear Aunt Meg calling you.”

  She looked behind her shoulder. “I didn’t hear anything.”

  I widened my eyes at her.

  “Right…I’m out of here.” She scurried off and sat next to Uncle Jim.

  “Sorry,” I said. “She likes to ignore people’s personal space.”

  A shrill laugh broke the conversation as another aunt I hadn’t seen in years barreled toward me. She wrapped me in a hug and pulled back to examine how much I’d grown.

  “Look at you,” she said, her cheeks rosy from the heat. “You’ve got your mother’s great figure and brown eyes.” I did an internal cringe at the comparison. She looked at Jacob. “Is this your boyfriend?”

  I almost laughed. Boyfriend.

  “No,” I said. “This is Jacob Young.”

  She gasped. “Carol’s boy?”

  Jacob gave a tight-line smile and slight nod of his head.

  “Is your brother here?” she asked.

  “No.” He readjusted his glasses again. “He’s still back home in Florida.”

  Jacob got caught in conversation with the aunt, whose name I couldn’t remember, and I slinked away. For weeks, I’d obsessed over the moment I’d see Jacob again It all seemed so anticlimactic now.

  I walked back to the house to see if Aunt Meg needed any more help.

  “Why don’t you just relax and enjoy yourself,” she said to me.

  I twirled the sunflower I’d picked out of the vase.

  “It’s nice having Jacob home, isn’t it?” She kept her focus on the fruit she was rinsing.

  “He’s different,” I said.

  “That’s what happens when you grow up. It’s not a bad thing.”

  I laid the sunflower on the counter. “I forgot to mention that I can’t stay long. I could only get a few days off from work. I need to get back soon.”

  “How’s work at the drugstore, anyhow? I hope you’re leaving yourself enough time for school.”

  “Fine. Boring, but fine.”

  I still hadn’t gotten around to telling her I’d been fired from the drug store months ago. I’d slept with the floor manager, and he blabbed to one of our coworkers..

  I took a vow when I turned eighteen that I wouldn’t call home to ask for help. Not that it was even an option. And asking Aunt Meg or Uncle Jim was out of the question. They’d already given me so much, and now they were on the brink of losing everything.

  “All right,” she said, handing me a piece of cut fruit. “But make sure you exchange numbers with Jacob before you go.

  Chapter Two

  The heat and humidity settled after the sun set. Jacob helped remove the table and chairs from the lawn after everyone left. Kasey had become his shadow. She dragged chairs from across the lawn and set them in a group for him. Jacob didn’t seem to mind her endless presence. He picked up a large stack of chairs and carried it across the lawn with minimal effort.

  Dark gray clouds puffed up high in the sky, and thunder rolled through the open space of the farm. I trotted to the clothesline with an empty wicker basket to collect the dried clothes before the rain fell.

  “Storm’s coming,” Kasey said as she trotted toward me.

  “Looks like it.” I unclipped a clothespin and felt the first few droplets of rain.

  She held her mouth open, head back, her bubblegum pink tongue sticking out.

  “What are you doing?” I laughed.

  “Tasting the rain.”

  “You’re so weird.”

  She ignored me and continued to twirl around.

  “Do you think you’re going to kiss him?”

  “What?” I said, looking back at her. “Kiss who?”

  “Jacob, duh.”

  I unclipped another clothespin.

  “You’ve been giving him googly eyes all day.”

  “I have not,” I said throwing a shirt at her face.

  She giggled and threw it into the basket before running off again.

  The wind picked up, whipping my crimped loose hair in my face, and wafted the smell of fresh laundry through my nose. It sent the clothes basket tumbling, and I haphazardly chased after it while still clinging to a queen size sheet. I got a hold of it and clutched it tight, feeling a heavy presence behind me.

  I turned to see Jacob staring at me as he piled plastic chairs into a tower. When our eyes met, he looked away and reached for another chair. I smirked and continued to unclip the clothes from the line. We hadn’t talked much more during the party. He seemed to be keeping a safe difference from me.

  I held the basket to one hip and walked toward Jacob, openly staring at him as he pretended to ignore me. I used to imagine losing my virginity to Jacob when we were old enough. A smile creeped across my face at the thought.

  “Hey,” I said. My gaze gleaned over his arms as he lifted a stack of chairs onto another.

  He pushed his glasses a little higher on his nose. “Hey.”

  “Want to grab a drink later? There’s the tavern around the corner. It’s kind of a dive but—”

  “I don’t really drink.” He brushed the hair out of his eyes and flipped a folding table on its side.

  I bit my bottom lip. “Okay, well, how about a movie? I haven’t been to a movie in ages.”

  “I’m pretty beat,” he said.

  “Okay, sure.” I nodded. “Totally. I’m pretty tired myself. Maybe some other time.”

  He gave me a small smile, and I took a few steps back before turning completely around. I wish I could have disappeared. Snapped my fingers and ended up in my room where it would be easier to hide my disappointment. Not that I thought he noticed…he had barely looked at me.

  More heavy drops of rain fell on my head as I opened the back door to get to the kitchen. The faucet was running, but there was no one at the sink. My stomach sunk to my knees when I saw Aunt Meg crouched down on the floor over a withering Uncle Jim, one hand clutching his chest.

  Her flushed face turned to me. The wisps of frizzy hair clung to her damp forehead. “I think he’s having a heart attack,” she cried.

  I dropped the basket and ran upstairs to grab my cell. I was on the phone with 911 when I came back downstairs.

  “What’s happening?” Kasey shrieked.

  I recognized that wheeze in her breathing. That rapid rise and fall in her chest.

  “Help’s coming, honey…Jim?” Aunt Meg yelled. She shook him hard. “Don’t close your eyes, please.”

  “Male, seventy years old, diabetic. He’s unconscious,” I said into the phone. “Please, hurry!”

  “Is he dying?” Kasey said. Her eyes were wide with panic and her small shoulders rose and fell with each shallow breath she took.

  “Kasey!” I said. “Go get your inhaler!”

  She shook her head. “I’m not leaving.”

  “Go!” We didn’t need Uncle Jim and Kasey leaving in an ambulance.

  She ran into the room and came back with her rescue inhaler at her lips.

  Jacob stood in the threshold of the backdoor, his eyes wide. He ran to Aunt Meg’s side and laid his head on Uncle Jim’s chest. “He’s not breathing.”

  Aunt Meg let out a cry as she held Uncle Jim’s hand and clutched it close to her.

  My heart was like a battering ram. “Shit,” I yelled, feeling my own chest tighten. I forgot for a second that I was still on the phone with the 911 operator. “He’s not breathing,” I said into the phone. “Where the hell is the ambulance?”

  The operator mentioned something about CPR, but Jacob already started chest compressions. He pushed for about twenty seconds, tilted back Uncle Jim’s head, pinched his nose, and blew a breath to fill his lungs. He re
peated the cycle over and over. I heard the faint sound of sirens outside.

  I ran out of the house and sprinted down the dirt driveway, my feet slipping in the fresh mud. Jack ran beside me. When I reached the end of the driveway, I waved my arms in the pouring rain as the dog barked. The headlights of the ambulance caught sight of me, and it zoomed past me toward the house. I summoned the energy to sprint down the driveway again. I slipped on my knees as the rain fell harder.

  Back at the house, Uncle Jim was on a stretcher. His bare chest was exposed and wires and medical equipment were attached to his skin. I bit my dirty nails as the EMTs wheeled him out the door.

  “Stay inside,” I said to Kasey.

  She nodded and went upstairs.

  Jacob was still kneeling on the floor, his chest heaving up and down. Aunt Meg grasped my hands; the creases around her eyes were wet.

  Outside, Uncle Jim was already in the ambulance. One of EMTs muttered something about feeling a pulse.

  She opened her mouth to talk but didn’t speak.

  “Go,” I said. “It’s okay. I’ll take care of things here.”

  She nodded, and one of the EMT’s helped her into the back of the ambulance.

  Jacob and I didn’t move, even after they drove off. The rain had eased up. Thunder rumbled and lightening shimmered in the sky.

  “What just happened?” I muttered. I could feel the mud caking on my kneecaps and in the creases of my palms. It felt like those first few moments after waking up in the middle of the night from a nightmare. The terrifying feeling still clinging to your body.

  “That was intense.” Jacob stood up, his face and hair sweaty. He took a steadying breath. “I think he’ll be all right.”

  “I hope so. I don’t know what Aunt Meg would do without him.” She couldn’t lose Uncle Jim. The thought made my stomach churn.

  He nodded. “He’ll be all right.”

  The house seemed so empty. It was still early. Even though I hadn’t slept in well over twenty-four hours, there was no way I was ready to go to sleep.

  “I guess I should check on the animals before the night is over,” Jacob said.

  “I’m going to make sure Kasey’s okay,” I replied. “And then I’ll come help you.”