Page 34 of Summer Holiday Lifeline

Overhead, beams creaked, like a ripple of tension passing through the house.

Jet’s light snapped on. There was more rustling, and his screen wobbled as he pushed it to one side. He stared at Myles. “Sorry I hit you,” he mumbled.

Myles nodded. “I appreciate that. I understand why you did, but I appreciate you know it wasn’t the best way to express yourself.”

Jet shrugged and shoved hair out of his face.

“I’m sorry I scared you.”

“You scared Shelly.”

Myles quirked his lips up. “Jet, you know being scared is okay, right?”

He glowered.

“I’m scared every time she looks up at me and calls me My-my. I have no idea what I’m doing. That you can take her hand and she just… goes along. I’ll never be that for her the way you are, and I don’t know how you do it. You might have been scared about the sounds of gunfire—which by the way, it was a door slamming.”

“I know that. Now.”

“But you didn’t at the time, and neither did I, and that’s why it freaked you out, and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s a natural thing to be scared of. I’m scared of a six-year-old.”

Jet snickered, scrubbed the expression off his face, then snickered again. “She’s terrifying. I don’t blame you.”

“But you deal with it. That’s not nothing, and I couldn’t do any of this without you.”

When Jet looked over at him this time, there was less anger in his expression. “So we need each other.” His tone was flat, hard, demanding an answer.

“Hundred per cent, we do.”

“So stop running away from us.”

Myles nodded.

“That includes about coming here.”

“What do you mean?”

“You ran away from home because you couldn’t face Mom’s gone. It isn’t about getting us some space, it’s about you feeling better.”

“Can it be a bit about both?”

“Maybe.”

“Ozzy reminded me of something tonight.”

“What?”

“That this is my family. Tonight, I was on the edge of running back to Calgary with you guys, but he reminded me that my family is here. If these are my people, and you’re my people, then maybe this trip is as much about you and Shelly getting to know them as anything else.”

“And if we don’t like them?”

Myles snapped his head up from where he’d been studying the pattern on one of the throw rugs. He peered at Jet, watching him from the halo of light his lamp made around his tousled head. “Don’t you?”

Jet shrugged. “They’re all right, I guess.”

Myles made a concerted effort and managed not to smirk. “You know, tonight also made me realize that I do have to make some kind of arrangement for if something happens to me.”

“You’re not going to run into any more gunfire,” Jet said fiercely.