Never Say Never Rachael Sommers (story read aloud txt) 📖

and Emily sucked in her breath under her gaze. “No.” Camila shook her head. “No, that’s a ridiculous idea.”

“What is?”

“I thought…” Camila’s voice trailed off again. “I thought perhaps you could come too.”

Emily’s eyes widened.

“I’d pay for everything, and you’d also be paid regular wages, of course, but—”

“Yes.” Emily didn’t even need to think about it: an all-expense paid trip to London with her favorite tiny human—and Camila?

She couldn’t think of anything better.

“Yes? You’re sure? You don’t need time to think about it?”

Emily shook her head. “My answer’s not going to change,” she said. “I’d love to come. If you’d like me to.”

“I would like that very much.” Camila held her gaze for a long moment. Emily held her breath. Then Camila blinked and looked away. “And I think Jaime would too.”

Chapter 11

Wednesday was Halloween, which marked the start of the holiday season, Emily’s favorite time of year.

“Can I put my costume on now?” Jaime asked the second Emily arrived, and she laughed at the look on his face.

“I think it’s a little early yet, buddy,” Emily said. “Let’s give it a few hours, okay?”

“I give it two before you cave,” Camila said, leaning down to kiss the top of Jaime’s head. “I’ll pick him up from your apartment later tonight.”

“Perfect.”

“How about now?” Jaime asked as soon as Camila left. Emily made it until after lunch before letting him change. She sent Camila a text showing a triumphant Jaime in his astronaut costume.

“Are you excited, buddy?” Emily asked as they made their way to her apartment building.

“Yeah!” He looked around at the dozens of kids already out trick-or-treating. He held his own little pumpkin-shaped basket tightly in his hands.

Emily was dressed as a witch. She wore a black floaty dress and a pointy hat, Halloween-themed tights covering her legs.

When they arrived, she let Jaime loose on the first floor. It wasn’t long before his basket was nearly overflowing with candy.

“Do you want some?” Jaime asked, when they returned to Emily’s apartment. He held the basket out to her.

“You sure, buddy?”

“Yeah, wanna share.” He curled up on the couch beside her, and they watched Hocus Pocus, her favorite Halloween movie, ate candy, and waited for Camila.

She arrived just as the movie ended. Emily answered the knock and let Camila in.

“You have Halloween decorations?” Camila took in the props and cutouts scattered around Emily’s apartment. “Do you decorate for every holiday? If I came over for Thanksgiving, would I find turkeys hanging from the ceiling?”

“Would it really surprise you if I said yes?” Emily asked.

“No, I suppose not.”

“And, um, you could come over for Thanksgiving, if you want.” Emily didn’t really think before extending the offer, and Camila blinked in surprise. “It’s at my sister’s, and you don’t have to, but you’d be more than welcome to join us. If…if you wanted.”

If it was inappropriate for her to ask, it was too late—the words were already out there.

“I… Maybe,” Camila said, and she was saved from elaborating by an enthusiastic astronaut thumping into her legs. “Hi, Jaime,” she laughed. “Did you have fun tonight?”

“The best! I got so much candy! Come look!” He took Camila’s hand and pulled her over to see his basket.

“I hope all those wrappers aren’t yours, young man.” Emily sheepishly gathered the pile of empty wrappers and threw them into the trash.

“Most of those are mine,” she admitted, “but you didn’t mind sharing, did you, buddy?”

Jaime shook his head.

“I tried to keep him from eating too much,” she told Camila. “I didn’t want him to be too hyper for you.”

“Thank you.” She turned to Jaime. “Shall we get going, sweetheart? I’m sure Emily has plans.”

“Only watching a stupid scary movie at my sister’s place.” She saw Jaime yawn from the corner of her eye. “He’s probably ready for bed, though.”

They left, but not before Jaime emptied out half of his candy haul onto her coffee table. Emily changed out of her costume and walked over to Cassie and Maia’s place.

The three of them flopped on the couch, Emily holding a cushion in case she needed to hide her eyes. She was forbidden from holding popcorn because the last time she had watched a scary movie with them, she had jumped so violently that popcorn was still littered around the room three weeks later.

Emily was on edge the whole time, and she smacked Cassie with the cushion for laughing at her reactions. When her phone buzzed in her pocket, she nearly jumped out of her skin, much to her sister’s amusement.

When Camila’s name appeared on the screen, she opened the message. There was Jaime, fast asleep in his astronaut costume.

He wouldn’t take it off. I thought it might take your mind off the movie, if only for a little while.

It was a small thing, but it was so, so sweet, more so to know that Camila had thought of her when she wasn’t around. She smiled so wide, her cheeks hurt.

“What are you smiling at?” Cassie asked, eyeing her suspiciously, but Emily simply typed a quick It did, thank you with a heart emoji before putting her phone away.

“None of your business.”

The movie didn’t seem so scary after that.

Much to Cassie’s disappointment.

* * *

When Camila went to get Jaime up the next morning, she was surprised to find him already awake—he was usually difficult to rouse—and she was quick to worry.

And with good reason, because as soon as Camila stepped into his room, he said, “Mama, I don’t feel good.”

“You don’t?” Camila smoothed his sleep-tousled hair away from his face and pressed a hand to his forehead. “What’s wrong?”

“My tummy hurts.”

“Maybe you ate too much candy last night.” It was a logical explanation, but he did feel a little warm. She hurried to get the thermometer out of the bathroom.

His temperature was higher than normal—not enough for a call to the doctor but enough to have her concerned.

“When did it start?”

“I don’t know.” He looked miserable. She hated when he got sick, felt useless that she couldn’t