EMP Catastrophe | Book 1 | Erupting Trouble Hamilton, Grace (read book .txt) 📖

“Are you sure your mother won’t come looking for you?”

Jade stuck both hands deep into her jacket pockets. “Probably not. I don’t like talking about her, honestly.”

“Sorry,” Matthew said, knowing his apology sounded insincere.

“It’s no big deal. What else is there to say? She didn’t like me and I don’t really like her, so we don’t talk. That’s all there is to it.”

“Stop prying,” David said to Matthew under his breath. “Don’t make her uncomfortable.”

Matthew sighed in irritation. This whole trip David had been on his case for trusting too easily, and yet here they were with a near-stranger as a traveling companion, and who was going to stay with them, he might add, and David was telling him to stop prying. It was downright ironic.

“I’m not uncomfortable,” Jade said in a false whisper. “Some things are better left in the past is all. Plus, talking about family drama is always so boring. Our time would be much better spent playing a game.”

“Oh really,” David said, sounding amused. “What did you have in mind?”

“I spy with my little eye…” Jade said, “something blue.”

“The sky,” Matthew said, looking up.

“Nope!” Jade sounded entirely pleased with herself.

“That sports car,” David said, pointing to an abandoned bright blue two-seater up ahead.

“Nope! Try again.”

David chose another object. The game continued. Matthew noticed that David hadn’t clutched his chest in a while. Jade’s ability to coax out David’s good humor made Matthew envious. Their easy back-and-forth banter was something he’d carefully cultivated with his father over the years, and yet somehow Jade had managed to accomplish it in seconds.

“Is it Matthew’s baby-blue eyes?” David asked.

“Yes, it is!” Jade said and batted her eyelashes in David’s direction. David laughed out loud.

“How is that fair?” Matthew demanded. “I can’t see my own eyes!”

“Not my fa-ault,” Jade said in a sing-song.

“You’re a cheater,” Matthew said, even though he didn’t really mean it.

As David spied something yellow, Matthew thought that perhaps it was a good thing Jade was able to get David to open up. She joked and teased him, and yet their banter was all fun and games without any bite. If he really considered it, she’d probably be a good addition to the Riley clan. Allison would love her vintage fashion style. She’d be great for Patton. He could already hear the two of them hanging out and watching old movies together. Kathleen might frown on Jade’s influence—he could already hear her asking, how did our children become best friends with a vagrant?—but he knew she’d come around. Ruth would take Jade under her wing immediately, especially when she saw how well the young woman got along with David. Even if Jade had a bad home life in the past, Matthew was positive she could find happiness, or even a new start, at the hotel with them.

“Hello?” Jade asked, waving a hand in front of his face. “Are you even paying attention?”

“Sorry,” Matthew said, shaking himself out of his inner thoughts. “What was the color?”

“Purple,” David said.

“I thought we were on yellow,” Matthew said.

“That was forever ago,” Jade lamented. “The game isn’t that boring.”

Matthew looked around wildly for something that color. Finally he spotted a bumper sticker, and when he pointed they both laughed at him as if in on some inside joke. That was it. He couldn’t let the two of them gang up on him.

Soon enough, Matthew noticed that they’d fallen into an easy-going rhythm. David’s breathing came easier and they had to stop less and less. Matthew couldn’t deny that even if the world seemed to be ending, at least the companionship was good.

Up ahead, they approached another exit with a small town clustered around it. He almost opened his mouth to ask if they wanted to stop and search for more supplies when Jade’s laughter abruptly ended. Matthew glanced at her to see she’d bitten her lower lip in concern. “What is it?” Matthew asked, following her line of sight. A dark shape hunched against the guardrail, looking the worse for wear.

David slowed and squinted at the person. “Are they hurt?” he asked.

“I’d say so,” Matthew said, noticing the way the person seemed to be relying on the rail for support. “We should see if they need any help.”

“He’s got a heart of gold,” David said to Jade. Jade didn’t respond. Instead, she tightened her ponytail and then shoved her hands into her pockets again.

As Matthew got closer, he identified the person as a young man, probably in his early twenties. His face had a pale, sweaty sheen to it as if he’d recently been ill. “Hi,” Matthew called out.

The man lifted his head and gave Matthew a weak smile. “Hi yourself,” he said back.

“Are you all right?” Matthew asked, coming to a stop near the man. “You don’t look well.”

The man lifted his hand to shade his eyes, and he pushed his auburn hair off his forehead. “Not really, but I’ll be okay…” he trailed off. “Well, well, well. Jade, is that you?”

“Hi, Dev,” Jade said quietly. She took a step away from David, as if she wanted to put some distance between them and herself. David raised his eyebrows at Matthew and Matthew gave a little shrug. Jade seemed to have an unhappy past. Perhaps Dev was part of it.

“What kind of suckers decided to let you travel with them?” Dev asked, trying to stand up straight. His right arm was cradled against his chest and he hissed in pain as the slight movement jostled his elbow.

“Very funny,” Jade said.

Matthew noticed her tone had flattened and decided to try to be pleasant at the very least. He cleared his throat. “What did you do to your arm?”

Dev winced. “I think I broke it.”

“Why am I not surprised,” Jade said and crossed her arms.

“Aw, don’t be like that, Jade,” Dev said and tried to give her a winning smile. “I was trying to get into the clinic for, ah, you know. Stuff.”

“And I assume