Page 11 of The Love Ambush (The Sullivans #1)

“Wow,” I say. “First of all, any boyfriend who’s going to dump you because your sister makes you leave a party you shouldn’t have been at in the first place was never your boyfriend. You’re better off without him. You should thank Gentry.”

“Dawson said she accused him of being a rapist. She purposely tried to break us up.”

Gentry has called me several bad names, most of them way off in my opinion, but she’s got her reasons.

She’s not the type to throw around accusations as severe as rapist without a basis.

“If your sister called him a rapist, you’re lucky as hell he dumped you.

You need to stay far, far away from him.

” And I want to find out the name of the kid and see what I can do about making sure he doesn’t hurt anyone else.

Another thought occurs to me, and my blood goes cold. “Wait. He didn’t assault you, did he?”

She rolls her eyes. “No. Because he’s not a rapist. If Gentry had a life of her own, she’d stay out of mine.”

“You think she’s not going out on dates and partying because she doesn’t have the option? She’s not going on dates or partying because she’s taking care of you, Emily. She’s given up so much to take care of you and your sister because she loves you.”

She snorts. “Right. Because her life would have been so amazing without us. She’d still be here, working and living her boring life.”

“Have you forgotten the amazing paintings Gentry used to make?” I’ll never forget them. Art was Gentry’s whole life and, even as a kid, it was clear to an uncultured lug like me she had talent.

Emily shrugs. “I guess so.”

“She went to art school on a scholarship. She wanted to be an artist, and she had a real shot at it, but she gave it all up to move back to town and start at the local college so she could study for a more practical job. The only reason she’s training to be a nurse is so she can take care of you.”

Uncertainty crosses Emily’s face for the first time. “She wants to be a nurse. She always reminds us she has to study so she can become a nurse quicker.”

I rub my temples. The self-absorbed obtuseness of this child is exhausting. “She wants to get to being a nurse quicker so she can support you. What happened the last time you or Sophie were hurt?”

Emily looks out the window, ignoring my question. Maybe Gentry’s changed, but when she was a kid, she completely freaked out if Brodie or I skinned our knees or got hit in the head.

Emily turns back to me, realization dawning on her face. “When Sophie cut her hand, Gentry shoved a towel at her and made her go to urgent care. Sophie didn’t even need stitches.”

“Gentry hates the sight of blood and is the biggest hypochondriac I’ve ever met. She’s not meant to be a nurse.”

Emily shakes her head. “Why would she study to be a nurse if she hates it so much?”

“Because she needs a job that makes good money, Emily.” At least that’s what Brodie told me. “Your parents didn’t leave a college fund for you and Sophie. Gentry wants to support you two, and she decided nursing is the only way to do it.”

“That’s stupid,” Emily says. “She could be an art teacher or something.”

“In a town that already has an art teacher at the local high school and middle school?” I know because I looked into it once I moved back to town and realized everything Gentry had given up.

“So? She could just keep working for Noah like she does. She doesn’t need to be a nurse.”

“Noah’s clinic didn’t open until after Gentry moved back,” I say. “And she’ll make a lot more as a nurse. Money she needs so you can go to college .” Maybe if I repeat it enough, this kid will finally get it.

Emily chews on her bottom lip, thinking. “Why didn’t she send us to Brodie?”

Because Brodie works eighty hours a week and has a lavish lifestyle he loves to brag about. But I can’t tell her that. “Because she loves you and wants you to be able to stay at your school with your friends.”

“I don’t care if I have to move. I don’t want to live with Gentry anymore. All she cares about is controlling me and my life.”

“Well,” I say, because I’m out of ways to convince her to appreciate everything her sister’s done for her. “If that’s what you want, I’ll talk to Brodie and see what we can do.” I give her one week at Brodie’s before she’s begging to go back to Gentry.

I’m digging in my pockets to give her back her earbuds when the plane jolts hard and we’re swung forward in our seats. The fasten seat-belts sign dings and lights back up. “You still buckled?” I ask Emily as I fasten my seat belt.

She freezes in place. “What’s happening? Are we crashing?”

“It’s just turbulence.” I check and see her seatbelt is still buckled.

The plane bumps and then continues to rock and buck as though it’s a truck going over a series of speed bumps.

“This doesn’t feel like turbulence.” She reaches over and grabs my hand, gripping it so tight it hurts. “It feels like we’re crashing.”

“We’re not crashing,” I say in a soothing voice.

“How do you know?”

“I’ve been on a lot of flights, some with turbulence worse than this. We’re going to be fine.”

“I don’t believe you. That’s what you tell a stupid kid, so she doesn’t know she’s about to die.

” She looks at me, tears in her eyes. “Tell Gentry I’m sorry.

I don’t hate her. I just wanted to live my life, and now I’m going to diiieee.

I miss my mom and my dad. Why did they leave?

” For the first time, she actually sounds like the kid she is, and my heart aches for her.

She drops her head on my shoulder and starts to sob.

“Oh, my God,” Sophie calls back from one row up. “You’re so freaking dramatic, Em. It’s just turbulence, like he said.”

How much of our conversation has she been able to hear?

“She’s right.” I rub Emily’s back as the plane continues to rock.

“I’m too young to die,” Emily says through her tears. “I haven’t even had sex yet. Or driven a car. Or—”

“This is your captain speaking.” The voice comes out tinny through the speakers. “We’ve hit a bit of turbulence, but that should be the worst of it. We’re looking at smooth sailing the rest of the way to Denver.”

Emily sits up, her face damp, her eyes red. The plane is flying evenly now, and everyone around us is calm and chatting or reading or sleeping.

“We really aren’t crashing?” she asks.

“Duh,” Sophie calls back.

Emily’s smile dawns slowly. “I’m going to live?”

“You’re going to live,” I say.

She lets out a sigh of relief so deep I feel it in my bones. I also feel it in my nostrils because the scent burns.

“I’m not going to waste this second chance,” she says. “I just need a plan to get Gentry off my back. She needs to be distracted and have a life of her own. She needs…” Emily stares off into the distance. “She needs…”

“A boyfriend?” Sophie calls back.

“Yes!” Emily grins and bounces in her seat. “She needs a boyfriend.”

“Okay. I’m in,” I say.

Her brow crinkles in confusion. “What?”

“I’ll be her boyfriend.” There’s no way in hell Gentry will date me, but I definitely don’t want Emily trying to fix her up with anyone else.

She frowns. “But I don’t like you. All you’ve done is yell at me and call me names.”

I shrug. “You got any better options?”

She studies me, her smile returning, and I don’t like the calculating look in her eyes. “You love her.”

“I wouldn’t go that far.”

“You love her and you want to marry her,” Emily says. “So, if I set her up with you, I’ll be doing you a huge favor. You’ll owe me.”

“That’s not how this is going to work, kid.”

“So ask her out,” Emily says, far too energetically for someone who’s supposed to be hungover. “If you want her, you shouldn’t need my help.”

“Gah,” Sophie calls back. “Don’t you pay attention to anything? Gentry hates him. She says he’s an egotistical player.”

Emily’s shoulders drop and, for an instant, she looks exactly like Gentry. It makes my chest ache. “I guess we can find someone else,” she says.

Sophie gets up and comes over to us. She kneels next to my seat. “If we get you together with Gentry, you have to promise to get her off our backs.”

“I won’t interfere with her parenting,” I say.

Sophie shrugs. “Okay. We’ll just find someone else.”

“What can you do for me, anyway? You said it yourself, she hates me.”

Sophie grins. “She says she hates you all the time, dude. Clearly, she kind of likes you or she wouldn’t talk about you so much.”

“I’m not sure that’s how it works.”

“Trust me,” Sophie says. “I know my sister. And we can make sure you get enough alone time with her so that you can change that hate to love. All you have to do is agree to keep her distracted so we can get back to living our lives.”

I can distract Gentry a little, right? It’s not like I’ll keep her from doing what she needs to do to keep the kids safe, but I can make it seem like I’m keeping up my end of the bargain. And I really do need help convincing Gentry to give me a chance.

There are a million ways this plan will end in disaster, but I don’t have a better way to stay close to Gentry and the kids.

If I’m really lucky, I can change Gentry’s mind about me.

At a minimum, maybe I can make her life a little easier, at least for this trip.

I shake hands with both Sophie and Emily, making a deal with the devils.