“Oh, you know, the ones with the little strappy tops and shorty shorts? Your dad bought me a pair for Valentine’s last year. They had the cutest—”
“TMI, Mom. We’ve talked about this, remember?” His parents had a very happy marriage and a very active sex life, and his mother had a tendency to overshare.
She laughed and breezed past him into Em’s bedroom. “Emmy, I brought you a pair of cozy jammies to keep you warm. I’ll just leave them on your bed, sweetheart.”
“Uh, thanks, Patsy. But you didn’t have to do that.”
Josh glanced at the fuzzy orange pajama top and fuzzy black bottoms decorated with pumpkins that his mom pulled out of the bag.
“I know, but I wanted to. I bought them for Amber, and she never wore them.”
When they were kids, their mom bought them holiday-themed pjs every year and continued the tradition into adulthood. A tradition that his ex, Amber, had refused to take part in. She wasn’t a fan of the holidays. His mom didn’t give up though, and it hadn’t exactly endeared her to Amber. He had a feeling his family weren’t disappointed when she left him. Upset for him, of course, but deep down, he imagined they were relieved.
“Oh, okay. Thanks, Patsy.”
“No problem, sweetheart. You and Josh have a good night.”
“He’s still here?”
He was about to roll his eyes when he realized it was actually a good sign she sounded ticked he was there. “I’m on babysitting duty until Cal and Bri relieve me, remember?” He figured the babysitting jab would remind her why she wasn’t interested in dating him.
“Don’t you listen to her if she tries to make you leave,” his mom whispered, closing Em’s bedroom door behind them. “That girl puts on a good show but she has a soft heart. She’s been through a traumatic experience, and so have you. You need each other.” She patted his cheek with a look in her eyes that made him nervous. “You know, your dad and I always thought you and Emmy would end up together. Maybe now that you’re both single—”
“Mom, you promised. No more matchmaking.” He pulled his phone from his pocket and tapped the screen. “It’s six thirty. You don’t want to be late.” He kissed her cheek and walked to the door, holding it open for her. “Have fun, and thanks again for helping out today. I know Em appreciated it.”
“You tell her I’ll stop by tomorrow around two. We should be finished painting the kindness rocks by then.” Her eyes lit up. “I’ll have the kids paint rocks for Em, and we can put them in her front garden. It could use a little sprucing up.”
His mom had taught kindergarten for thirty-five years. She’d retired two years ago but couldn’t seem to stay away and volunteered three times a week.
Josh glanced at the flower bed. It needed more than a little sprucing up. The plants were dead. “You might want to give Em a call before you drop by. She’s got an appointment at the hospital tomorrow.”
“I’ll do…” She trailed off as a car pulled into the driveway. “I wonder who that is? I posted visiting hours on the community Facebook page.”
Josh recognized the man and woman getting out of the rental car and lowered his voice. “It’s the family Em rescued.” He smiled, raising his hand in greeting.
“Hi, Josh. I hope you don’t mind us dropping by,” Steve said as his wife got their five-year-old out of the car seat.
Josh had checked in on them a couple times last night and again early this morning before he’d left the hospital. They were pale and looked a little shaky. He imagined it had been traumatizing making the drive along the river so soon after the accident.
“Not at all. I’m sure Em will be happy to see you,” Josh said. Happy was probably a stretch but he knew she wouldn’t turn them away.
Steve took the little girl from Jenny and placed her on his hip and then reached for his wife’s hand.
“Oh my, you poor things,” his mom said, meeting them halfway up the walkway. “I’m Josh’s mom, Patsy.”
The couple smiled and introduced themselves. “This is our daughter, Charlotte.” The little girl, her dark hair in pigtails, buried her face in her father’s shoulder, a stuffed unicorn clutched in her hand.
“That’s a beautiful unicorn you have there. Does it have a name?” Patsy asked, meeting Josh’s eyes and nudging her head at the door.
He was glad his mom thought of it. A heads-up was probably in order. “I’ll let Em know you’re here.” He left the door half open and then headed for Em’s bedroom. He knocked on the closed door, surprised when it opened right away.
Em, her auburn hair in a messy topknot and a scowl on her face, was wearing the pumpkin pajamas. “You’re not taking my blood pressure or my temperature,” she said, brushing past him. Gus jumped off the bed and followed her to the kitchen.
Cal had left a blood pressure monitor, digital forehead thermometer, and a stethoscope on the kitchen counter before heading to the hospital. He’d asked Josh to send him updates every three hours, which would be now. He thought about asking his mom to take care of it but instead said, “No problem. You can do the readings yourself.”
“You’re right, I can.” She looked up something on her phone.
“Let me guess. You’re looking up normal readings for all three and then you’ll text them to Cal.”
“Nope, you will.”
He shook his head. “No way. This isn’t something to fool around with, Em. Besides, your readings probably shouldn’t be normal yet, and Cal will know.”
Her eyes went wide, and she looked at him. “Did you forget to tell me something?” she whispered.
He glanced over his shoulder. “You distracted me,” he whispered back. Then he smiled. “Come on in.”
Jenny hesitated, looking from Josh to Em. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”
“No, it’s fine. How are you guys doing?” Em asked, nudging him with her elbow as she walked past him to greet the family standing in the entryway.
“You’re a pumpkin,” Charlotte said, giving Em a shy smile.
Em looked down at herself. “Huh. I guess I am. Do you like Halloween?”
“Uh-huh. We’re witches. It’s our holiday.”
“Oh, okay. Cool. I’ve never met a witch before. Do you want to come in and sit down?” Em gestured to the living room, ushering the family inside while sending Josh a what the heck? glance.
“Sorry, I should probably explain,” Jenny began as she took a seat on an armchair.
Her daughter cut her off, frowning at Em. “But you’re a witch too.”
Em scratched her temple as she lowered herself onto the coach. “I have been called a witch before, so I guess you’re right.”
Josh worked to contain his amusement. Em didn’t appreciate his sense of humor. “You guys want something to drink or eat?” he asked. “We’ve got a ton of food. There’s a lasagna in the oven and chicken soup on the stove.”
“Here, pumpkin, come sit on my knee,” Steve said as he took a seat in the armchair beside his wife.
Em got a horrified look on her face, and this time Josh couldn’t hold back a laugh.