“Maybe I’ll try making something for you, but don’t have high hopes. It’ll be something easy.”
“Like what? Cereal?”
I scoff, shaking my head at him. “Nothing with that attitude.”
He laughs, shoving two pieces of bacon into his mouth.
“I have been craving grilled cheese and soup. Is that weird?”
“That sounds fucking amazing actually.” He pats his bare stomach. “Think you can do that for lunch?” Eli pops a brow.
“No!” I chuckle. “Don’t expect anything from me today.”
“Okay, fair enough.” He snaps his fingers with a wicked grin. “Tomorrow then.”
I groan as he stands and takes his plate to the sink. “I’m gonna see if I can find a ladder and some batteries for that detector.”
“Okay, good luck. I have no idea where either would be.”
Eli smiles. “That’s why I didn’t ask.”
He takes off as I continue eating. Bruno stares at me from the floor, giving me puppy eyes. “What?”
Bruno sits up and edges closer.
“I’m not giving you anything.”
He blinks, licks his chops, then nudges his nose against my hand. Groaning, I pet his adorable head. “Fine, but don’t tell your daddy. He’d probably yell at me. It’ll be our little secret.”
I take a piece of bacon and give it to him. He gobbles it up in one bite, then begs for more.
“No more!” I stand with my plate and bring it into the kitchen. Looking around at the mess, I decide to help the best I can and rinse off all the dirty dishes. I even manage to load everything into the dishwasher and find the detergent under the sink. There are a dozen buttons, so I press a couple and hope it’s right.
At least ten minutes have passed, and I’m growing concerned that Eli hasn’t returned yet. I decide to look for him, and Bruno accompanies me. There’s probably a ladder in the garage, so I head there first. I open the door and glance around, then see Eli on his knees with his hands to his chest. He’s wheezing like he can’t breathe, and his lips are blue.
“Oh my God, Eli.” I panic and rush to him. “What’s happening?”
He pats his chest, then bows down, sucking in air. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he’s having an anxiety attack, but then he leans back, and mouths, “Inhaler.”
“Inhaler?”
He nods, and my eyes widen in shock. “You have asthma?”
He nods again, and I can’t believe I didn’t know this about him.
“Okay, inhaler. In your room?”
He confirms, and I quickly run out of the garage, then jump up the stairs. Rushing into his room, I realize I have no idea where to look. I start in the bathroom, rummaging through the drawers and cabinets. When I come up empty, I go to his nightstand. Scattering his shit everywhere, I frantically look for it.
Spinning around, I panic as I try to figure out where he keeps it. I go to his desk and finally find it next to his laptop.
“Thank God,” I mutter, then rush back to the garage.
He’s in the same spot I left him, and he’s bent over, taking in shallow breaths. Bruno’s lying next to him as if he knows how to comfort Elijah during his attacks.
“Sorry, it took me forever to find it.” I hand it over, and he quickly presses the top and sucks in the medicine. I watch eagerly for him to recover. He takes a few more puffs, and after a moment, he starts breathing regularly.
“Are you okay?”
He nods, blowing out a breath. “That was a bad one.”
“How did I not realize you had asthma?”
“It’s not something I’ve broadcasted.” He gets to his feet. “Don’t feel bad.”
“What triggers them?”
He winces, and I step back. “What is it?”
“It’s a little painful. My chest and lungs feel sore afterward, but I’ll be okay. It’ll pass.”
I fidget with my shirt, feeling helpless and wishing I could do something to make him better.
“I think it was the dust,” he states after a moment. “I found the batteries and came in here to get the ladder.”
“Well, let me change them out. I’m sure I can figure it out.”
He flashes me a wary look.
“What? I can. Just talk me through what to do.”
“Okay, well. You gotta carry that ladder inside the house. Think you can do that?”
I look up at the wall where it’s hanging. It’s at least eight feet, and there’s no way I’m gonna be able to lift it on my own. “Oh, definitely.”
Eli chuckles and backs away. “I’ll put on a mask and get it. Don’t worry.”
“Hey.” I grab his arm and move him toward the door. “I can totally do it.”
His eyes lower to my hand, and he smirks. “Alright, be my guest.”
Chapter Ten
ELIJAH
Watching Cami struggle to carry the ladder is comical. She’s about to take out the dining room chandelier, and no matter how many times I offer to help, she insists she’s got it.
I direct her to a spot in the living room where we should check first, but honestly, it could be any one of the smoke detectors. It’s too high to actually know until you’re closer to it.
“Alright, here is good.” I grab one side of the ladder and set it on the floor. “You climbing up or am I?”
“Nope, you stay right there. I’m doing this.”
Digging into my pocket, I grab a battery and hand it to her. “Okay, here you go.”
Once the ladder is secure, I hold the other side and watch as she carefully climbs it. Her face pales the higher she goes. “You’re not afraid of heights, are you?” I ask.
“No. Well, maybe a little.”
I snort, chuckling. “Don’t worry. I won’t let you fall.”
“That’s very reassuring when I can hear you laughing.” She makes it to the second to the top step and reaches the smoke detector. I instruct her on how to remove the old battery.
“Now make sure the positive and negative are lined up correctly.”
“Okay, I’m not that stupid,” she retorts.
“I’m just trying to be helpful,”
