Covering the Carolinas (45 page)

“
Rae, I think he didn’t know what to do, but I
know he was tore up when he got here. I’ve never seen him like
that. You are his world, and when you walked out of that room, he
knew he had to fight it for you.”

“
I just don’t want to lose
him. Cole, if he gets sick, and I’m not
home,
what am I gonna do? He doesn’t want us to tell.”

Cole doesn’t say anything for a
moment. When he finally speaks, he asks, “When does he start taking
the m
edicine?”

“
Tomorrow.”

“
I’ll see if Dad will let me
visit tomorrow. I promise
not to lift a finger,
but at least someone will be there. Plus, I’m dying to get out of
this house.”
Dying. Not exactly the word I
wanted to hear.

“
Thanks, Cole, you’re the best,” I say as we
hang up.

Emmett

As I walk to my room from getting a shower, I hear
Cole talking on the phone. It’s obvious he’s talking to Raegan. I’m
glad they are close, but the tone in his voice is filled with
concern. I don’t really know where Raegan went today, but I’m
positive Cole has an idea.

After I know he is off the phone, I wait a few
minutes before I pay him a visit. It’s time to get some
answers.

“
What’s up, Emmett?” he asks.

“
Well, that’s what I was
hoping you could tell me.” His face looks like I’ve caught him
red-handed
.

“
Whatcha mean?” he tries to say without a
falter in his voice, but I can still hear it.

I take a seat in the desk chair in the corner.
“What’s going on with Raegan? Whatever it is, I can handle it, but
I know she lied to me today. I just know she did, and I know she’s
talked to you.”

Cole looks like a deer caught in the headlights. He
tries to shake off the topic, but I’m not letting this go. If she
needs me, I’m going to be there.

“
Look, Emmett. This isn’t my story to
tell.

Rage consumes me. I stand and begin pacing the
floor. I know Cole is a man of his word, and he’s not going to tell
me. So, if he’s not, I’m going to find out somehow.

“
Cole, please, tell me she’s okay. I know if
you made a promise, you’re not gonna tell me, but at least give me
that much.”

“
She
is fine,” he says with
added emphasis on the word ‘she’
.
Wonder what that means?
Then, it hits me. Mr. Lowery.

The look on my face must confirm
to Cole that I understand. He gives me a head nod. “I’m gonna talk
my dad into letting me visit the farm tomorrow while she’s at
school. Someone needs to be there with
him
.”

“
Can you tell me why?” I ask, no longer full
of rage but fear for both Raegan and Mr. Lowery.

“
I can’t. It’s not my place, but you can’t let
her know you know,” he says.

“
I won’t,” I vow. “Thanks, Cole, I’ve been
driving myself crazy.”

As I start to leave, Cole stops
me. “Emmett, she cares about you more than anyone I’ve ever seen,
but get ready, because when
this
storm hits, it’s gonna be a rough
one.”

I acknowledge his comment and make
my way to my room.
How am I going to act
like I don’t know?
I pull out a
notebook
from the side table and write exactly how I
feel about her.

Chapter 24

Raegan

For the next two months, things continue as planned.
I go to school, fall further and further head over heels for
Emmett, and Grandaddy is doing great. Not one person has noticed
anything odd about Grandaddy or me. I’m exhausted and running on
empty. Today, Cole started working at half capacity on the farm.
It’s not a full tank of gas, but I’ll take it!

Last month at Grandaddy’s appointment, Dr. Charles
felt the pills were doing their job maintaining his white blood
count, but not lowering it. I knew within my soul that another plan
of action was going to have to happen, and this one was going to be
harder to hide from the people of Pleasant Hill. He agreed to give
the pills one more month, and then he would start IV
chemotherapy.

“
Sunshine, Cole said he’d go
with me today, so you don’t have to miss school,” Grandaddy says as
we eat breakfast. I give him the
you can’t be serious
look. “Dr.
Charles
knows what
he’s
doing. He explained it to us last month. It’s either we keep this
going, or I try something new.”

I know he’s telling the truth. I
want to go with him, but I also know he wants me to keep living my
life. School is important to both of us, and if he does have to try
the other kind of chemotherapy
, I might need to save
my absences.

“
Tell Cole to text me what y’all
decide as soon as you leave,” I say, not wanting to admit my
defeat.

“
Will do, Sunshine. Now, hurry up. You’re
gonna be late. I love you,” he says as he hugs me
goodbye.

“
I love you, too, Grandaddy,” I reply as Cole
enters the house.

“
Mornin’, Rae,” he says.

“
Hey, Cole.”

“
So, you’re really gonna let us do this
ourselves?” he questions.

“
You know there’s no arguing with him when
he’s made up his mind, and it is made up,” I answer, and Cole
laughs.

“
You do recognize you’re as stubborn as him?”
I tilt my head, place my hands on my hips, and smile. “Yeah,
ya
know. What do I have to do to make you
happy in all of this?” he asks.

“
I
expect a text as
soon as you are leaving. I’m gonna be one bottle of nerves, and I
have to know what is decided.”

“
Got it. Now, go. You’re gonna be late,” he
says.

Emmett

As the warning bell rings, I know
I have to get moving from my truck.
Where
the heck is she?
I pull out my phone and
text her quickly. She doesn’t reply, which makes me worry. Knowing
I have to get to class, I start to make my way inside. I glance
over my shoulder, and there is still no sign of her.

After taking my seat in class, I check my phone
again and text Cole.

Me: Where’s Rae?

Cole: On her way

Me: Thanks

I place my phone back into my
pocket and get ready to take a few notes. There’s no way I can
focus, though. I stare at the clock, and every bad scenario runs
through my mind.
That’s it! I can’t take
it a
nymore!
I raise my hand
and wait for the teacher to acknowledge me before I excuse myself
from the classroom and start to wander the halls.

I start by walking by her
classroom, and I don’t see her.
What the
hell?
I continue to roam the halls, giving
up on the idea that I have any clue where she might be when my
phone buzzes
in my pocket.

Raegan: I’m here. Had 2 handle something

this morning.

Me: K U n class yet?

Raegan: No

Me: Meet me at ur locker

Raegan: K

I really don’t know what I’m thinking or what
she’s going to tell me, but as her locker comes into
view, I see her smiling face making her way
toward me.
All apprehensions disappear when I’m in her
presence.

When I get within arms’ reach, I take her and pull
her close to me. “You had me sweatin’ bullets this mornin’. I
thought something had happened to ya.”

She pulls back and looks into my eyes. “Nah, just
runnin’ behind, and then Cole had to inform me of a few things on
the farm before I left.”

Pushing her hair behind her ear, I look into her
eyes, and I can sense she’s lying to me. Even with the lies, I know
she’s trying to protect me from whatever is going on with her
granddaddy. I just wish she’d tell me. I brush my lips quickly
against hers, and we go our separate ways to class.

Chapter 25

Raegan

While sitting in class, all I can
think about is Grandaddy and how I continue to hide this from
Emmett. Since the day he walked into my life, we’ve grown closer,
but I know we want to see how this plays out. I know I need to
trust him with this, but I don’t want him to feel sorry for
me
.

When the bell rings, I hurry to my
locker and check my phone.
Nothing.
I put it back into my pocket and grab my
textbooks before heading toward second block. As I’m entering the
doorway, I feel a vibration in my pocket. Once I’m seated at my
desk, I check to see if it’s Cole. It is. Unsure of how I will
react, I ask Mrs. Horn if I can run to the restroom. When she
excuses me, I make a beeline for the bathroom, shut the stall door,
and open the text.

Cole: It’s still the same.

Taking a minute to process what I’ve read, my
mind begins to race.
Still the same? That
means they are trying the hard stuff this go round.
Without another thought, I call Cole.

“
Hey, Rae.”

“
Hey, when are they going to start?” I ask,
forcefully holding back the tears.

“
Monday. He’s right here. Do you wanna talk to
him?”

“
Sure.” I hear Cole pass Grandaddy the
phone.

“
Hey, Sunshine,” he says. “Shouldn’t you be in
class?”

“
Yeah, but I needed to be alone a minute,” I
admit quietly.

“
It’s gonna be fine. Cole, Dr. Charles, and I
worked out a schedule. Hopefully, it will only take a few
treatments, and I’ll be good as new.”

“
I hope so,” I say as
someone comes into the bathroom. “I better go. I’ll be home as soon
as I can today. Love you.” I hang up quickly so whoever came in
doesn’t hear me
.

When I open the door, I come face-to-face with
Jordyn. “Hey, girl.”

“
Who were you talkin’ to,
and
why
are you missin’ class?” she probes with a little more
attitude than usual.

“
Grandaddy. He had a question about the
finances at the farm before he went to the bank,” I say as guilt
eats away at me.

“
I’m not buying it, Rae.”

“
Well, it’s the truth.”

“
I’m callin’ bullshit. You’ve been up to
something for weeks now. I don’t know what it is, but just know,
nothing is too bad that you can’t talk to me about it. I’m your
best friend, remember?”

Grief washes over my body. “I know, but that’s it. I
know I can tell you anything. I’ve just been really stressed out
lately with the farm, especially since Cole’s been out.”

“
Look, I don’t know what’s
going on, but come here,” she says as she waves her
arms toward me for a hug.

“
Thanks, J, and thanks for not asking
questions.”

“
You’re welcome. Now, let’s get back before
someone comes lookin’ for us,” she states as she loops my arm
through hers.

I’m thankful to have Jordyn in my life. She knows me
well enough to know what buttons to push and when to run like hell.
I love her for it.

“
So, I heard there’s a party this Saturday. Do
you wanna go?” she asks.

“
J, there’s a party every Saturday night.” I
laugh.

“
Yeah, but you haven’t been to one since
Emmett showed up.”

“
What can I say? He’s where it’s at.” I
smirk.

“
You little hussy!” She grins, and we part
ways back to class.

Emmett

I know I am overstepping my
boundaries when I do it, but I can’t resist. I have to know what’s
going on. As soon as I am out of eyesight from Raegan, I call Cole,
but there isn’t an answer.
What the
hell?
I send him a text and still
nothing.
What is it with no one answering
me today?
Damn.

Brushing it off, I make my way to
class. At lunch, Raegan is her bubbly self, but our conversation
almost seems like it’s on autopilot. I want to get her alone and
find out what is going on, but I know if she finds out I know,
she’s going to hate me… and Cole. I can’t let her push us away,
because she is going to need us at some
point
.

After lunch, I finally get a text from Cole. It
appears his lips are sealed shut, but I’m going to find out what is
going on. This day isn’t going anywhere close to how I’d planned,
and I just want to get out of here as fast as possible. The only
thing stopping me is Raegan. If I walked out right now, no one but
her would really care if I were gone. It might even make a few
people, like Jace, happy, but I can’t leave her without telling
her. She’d freak out, just like I did this morning.

When the afternoon bell rings, I wait on her at her
locker. She smiles, and I want to hold her in my arms and demand
she tell me what she’s hiding. Instead, I hold her close, inhale
her scent, and pray it will all go away.

Chapter 26

Raegan

As my truck makes it way down the
drive, I see Cole, Grandaddy, and Hank sitting on the front porch.
I smile at the three of them as I head their way. Those two men
have been what keeps me hopeful in this world and make life
worth
living.