Best Friend's Little Sister

by Riley Rollins

  “I thought about what you said last night… about taking a chance.” I couldn’t help letting my eyes roam, however briefly, over her bare skin, already glossed by a sheen of fine perspiration. “I’m here to help.”

  “I… you… you want to volunteer?” she asked, looking up at me with wide eyes. “It’s only packing up the trucks right now… but we had a few people call out. I could use all the help we can get.”

  She showed me around, indicating which stacks needed to be moved to which vehicle. Some of the other volunteers would briefly interrupt for directions, and she would answer without hesitation. She had an air of cool authority about her that kept the entire operation running smoothly. And she clearly had the respect of every man and woman there. I’d always known she was incredible and capable of amazing things. But seeing the scope of her vision and all she had accomplished was still impressive as hell.

  By the time we headed back to the empty, waiting trucks, the sun had risen in the sky and yet another day had turned swelteringly hot. Two hours later, and I’d soaked through my shirt.

  “Here,” she said, offering me a cold bottle of water and a dry logo shirt. We’d worked side by side almost the entire time. There had been too much to do to spend energy on conversation. So instead, we’d settled into the rhythm of hard, physical work. It felt natural with her, and for the first time in a long while, we’d been completely comfortable in each other’s presence.

  I took the water and downed it in a single swallow. Then I stripped off my sweaty shirt and tossed it aside. “I’m good as is,” I replied. “Too fucking hot for more clothes than necessary.”

  I went back to work, feeling her eyes on my back as she leaned against a stack of boxes and finished her own water. Tiny as she was, she set a hell of a pace.

  A few minutes later, she was back at my side. We finished the first truck, and while Maggie dealt with phone calls and last minute organizational details, I finished the second. The other volunteers had packed up the last of the few remaining supplies, and I’d tucked them into the back of the van. Dean had left for class hours ago. Clouds were dark on the horizon as the long day started to wind down.

  “We make a good team,” Maggie said, as she closed and locked the warehouse doors. She pulled a cooler out of the front seat of the van and handed me a tall, ice-cold bottle of beer. I took it and twisted the top off and handed it back to her. “We do,” I answered. “And I see the boss always comes prepared…”

  She laughed, as I opened the second bottle and drained it off by half. She sipped at hers, and I felt her eyes again on my skin.

  “I can’t thank you enough,” she said. “We’re leaving in the morning, and I’m not sure we’d have made it without your help.” She took another swallow… a longer one.

  “I know it hasn’t always come across, Maggie, but I respect what you’re doing. It’s a hell of an operation you’ve got here.” I reached over to tuck a long strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m starting to believe that if anyone has the ability to save the whole world, it just might be you.”

  The last volunteer raised a hand in farewell, and we watched as he climbed into an old pickup and drove away, clattering out of view. Maggie turned and took a breath, stopping before she spoke.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Like I said, we leave in the morning… I was just wondering if you had picked out that reporter we’d talked about. You were interested in getting our trip on film…”

  “I did,” I answered back, without looking at her. “He hasn’t been behind a camera in a while. But he’s good and he’s trustworthy.” I felt her eyes on my bare chest, on my arms. I wondered if she was thinking the same thing I was, remembering the same things I was… “He wants this opportunity damned badly.”

  She let out a short breath and her shoulders relaxed. “Can he be ready and here at the warehouse by four a.m.? I’m hoping to get on the road before five.”

  “He can,” I smiled. “And he will. I’ll make sure of it.” I walked her over to her car and opened the door for her. “Thank you for today, Maggie. This was good. Good for us, I mean.” I reached out and touched her cheek. She leaned into it, ever so slightly, and smiled back.

  “Yeah,” she said. “I… I’m going to miss you while we’re gone.” She looked up at me with those big, dark eyes, looking suddenly vulnerable. “The reporter… Four in the morning. You won’t forget to tell him?”

  “I won’t forget, Maggie. You can count on him.”

  She climbed into the car and headed down the road, a haze of dust magnifying the tail lights behind her. I stood for a few minutes longer until she’d disappeared from view.

  “You can count on it, baby,” I said into the thickening night air. “Four a.m. sharp…”

  18

  Maggie

  Friday forecast: Highs near 114 with severe thunderstorms likely. Funnel clouds possible in north Texas and southern portions of Oklahoma.

  I gave Jackie a hug that finally made her struggle to regain her freedom.

  “It hasn’t been that long,” she gasped, laughing. Sunrise was still a long way off. Jackie had, so far, been the first to arrive.

  “How are you, honey?” she asked, as I poured out coffee from a thermos bottle. “I’m seein’ you took my advice about hard work for the lovelorn.”

  I sat down beside her and sipped at the steaming mug. “And you were right, Jackie.” I bumped my shoulder into hers. “We’ve accomplished so much, and in so little time. I know the foundation’s going to be a success…”

  “But you and Joe… not so much?”

  I sighed and caught sight of cars in the distance. The troops were starting to arrive. It wasn’t the time for the real heart-to-heart that I needed.

  “Not so much,” I said, standing up and stuffing my hair under my old hat. “I was starting to think so… maybe… But now we’re leaving. The timing could have been better, but I guess he’ll still be here when I get back.” I shook out the dregs of my coffee. “For a while, I couldn’t wait to leave. And now that we are… I’m not so sure…”

  “Hey, sis,” Dean came up behind us, wrapping a brotherly arm around our shoulders. He gave me a kiss on the cheek and made Jackie blush to her toes by doing the same to her.

  “You rascal,” she scolded, clearly pleased. “I hear you’re joining up with the nursing team, come next spring.”

  “I am that,” he teased back. “Just a friendly warning… I’m going to be following you around like a puppy on this trip. I intend to fully exploit your wealth of experience.”

  Jackie giggled like a girl, and I smiled as the two of them walked toward the van to greet a few new arrivals. People who sign on for this kind of job tend to thrive on adventure, and the hum of excitement filled the air.

  By four-thirty, everyone had arrived and the last minute decisions were being made. Jackie was taking the lead, with Dean riding shotgun. All but two of the volunteers would ride with them. Our one married couple, Margie and Ron Walker, would follow in their own pickup, and Ryan would follow in the largest of the trucks. Our newest full-timer, a tall, gentle medical student named Henry, was riding with him. I’d bring up the rear with the box truck that carried most of our personal gear and supplies.

  I took one last look around and double-checked the locks on the warehouse doors. I flipped on the office radio to listen to the weather forecast one last time, and looked at my watch. Where the hell was the damned journalist Joe had promised me?

  I listened for a few minutes to catch the high temp and the even more dire-sounding storm predictions. We needed to get moving soon. I gathered up the last of my things and locked the office behind me. The hell with it, I thought irritably. If the guy shows up, he can try to catch up, or go back home. But we weren’t waiting any longer. It was time to move out.

  I grabbed the two-way radio off the side of my belt and gave Jackie the go ahead. Once the other vehicles had lined up to form our little caravan, I headed for my truck. Snap
ping my radio back onto my belt, I reached for the door handle and yanked the heavy door open…

  “Keys?”

  Joe was in the driver’s seat with his hand extended and open. He wiggled his fingers impatiently as I stood stock still, staring. And angry.

  “Just what in hell’s name do you think you’re doing?” I shot out.

  “Trying to catch up with the others… before they’re completely out of sight,” he answered casually. “Sorry I was late… but we’re still getting out before five.” He wiggled his fingers again, and I saw his eyes glitter. He was enjoying this. I wasn’t.

  “You’re the photojournalist,” I said, catching sight of his gear. “You intended to come all along… and didn’t tell me…”

  He bent down, bringing his face within inches of mine. I caught my breath… and then felt him gently tug the leather strap with the truck key out of my back pocket.

  “Would you have agreed to it?” he asked, as he turned the key in the ignition and the engine roared to life.

  “Hell no, I wouldn’t have! And get out of the driver’s seat. This is my goddamned truck and my responsibility.”

  He grinned in a way that made me clench my teeth, but he slid over to the passenger’s side. Then he patted the spot where he’d been.

  “Lead-foot it, if you intend to catch up with the pack,” he said, reaching for my thermos and pouring coffee into its lid. “Burnin’ daylight, baby.”

  “I’m not your baby,” I ground out, shifting the gears awkwardly. “And I don’t appreciate you treating me like a damned child.”

  He sipped his coffee. “I wasn’t aware that I was.”

  I hit the gas hard, and the engine roared resentfully. “You’re here to keep an eye on me. Just like always, just like when I was little. You still think it’s your job to pick up where my dad failed.” I took a deep breath and tried to focus on the road. “I stopped being that little girl who begged you for protection a long time ago, Joe. I’m tired of having to fight for the right to grow up.”

  We were both quiet as the miles passed. Eventually we caught up to the others, and I eased back on the pedal.

  “I didn’t come because you needed me to, Maggie,” he finally said, breaking the silence. “I came along because I needed to.”

  “Packing up the trucks yesterday, seeing how hard you’ve worked to make your dream a reality…” He shook his head as he watched the road. “You gave me a taste of what I’ve been missing, Maggie. I’ve made the Star more successful than ever, but something’s always been missing. Life isn’t just about success… it’s about aspirations and purpose and the struggle along the way. I used to know all that, when I first started out with a camera and vision. You told me I didn’t take risks anymore… and you were right.”

  He handed me the coffee, a peace offering of sorts. I took it and smiled, unable not to. His face was bright, his eyes shining with excitement. I was still a little pissed, but he looked so like the boy he’d been at eighteen…

  I lifted the cup and gave him a gentle, understanding nod and drank.

  19

  Joe

  It felt like an enormous weight had been lifted off my chest. For the first time since Maggie had seen me in the truck, the tension between us had shifted. Hell, it was still fucking there, but her exasperation with me had eased, at least. It felt almost like the old us… except now the air fairly crackled between us.

  “We’ve lined up to distribute supplies in four different locations,” she explained. “Jackie’s teaching basic first aid at one of the high schools. I think Dean’s probably going to stick close to her.”

  I snapped a few shots out the window. We’d hit a long stretch of flat prairie and had about an hour to go before we reconnoitered at a roadside diner for breakfast.

  “You can take the van if you want, and move between locations,” she went on. She stretched, and smiled when she caught my eyes on her bare legs. “You can decide where you can get the best shots.”

  I snapped a shot of her, looking beautiful and free, as the wind whipped her hair.

  “I meant the distribution areas,” she said, turning her face away. “Shorts and a t-shirt don’t exactly make me look like a foundation head.”

  I laughed. “No cheesecake, I promise. This one isn’t for the story. You’re beautiful, Maggie. And it’s almost like you don’t even see it.”

  She rested one arm on the window frame and steered with the other. “I was a scared, skinny kid all through high school. Hell, most of the way through college, too. What mattered to me was how I’d grown up… feeling kind of invisible, and mostly alone. I saw kids who had grown up in situations way worse than mine, and they’d turned to alcohol… sometimes drugs. I didn’t have time for pretty. There was too damned much work to do.”

  “Is it why you never took the next step in your relationships?” I knew it was dangerous territory even before I saw her shoulders raise and tighten. “You must have had plenty of chances.”

  She glanced over at me, and for a second I flashed back to little Mags in the swing, begging a promise from me… She’d been so young, I doubted she even remembered. But I did. I’d never forgotten...

  “It’s not like I don’t know how sex works, Joe.” Her temper seemed to rise along with the temperature. “It just wasn’t ever right, that’s all. The timing… the guy… I haven’t found it all that easy to trust the men in my life…”

  She hauled the wheel over as the vehicles ahead of us pulled off into the diner parking lot. “Chow,” she said shortly, as she climbed out.

  “Joe, what the hell…?”

  Dean came up and clapped a heavy hand on my back. “Did your junior reporter flake on the job?”

  “Something like that,” I answered back absently. “Figured it had been too long since I’d been in the field instead of the office.” I watched as Maggie sat down next to Ryan at the far end of the table.

  “You just didn’t trust us, that’s all,” Dean said, pulling a chair back from the table, its legs scraping the tile floor. “I can take care of my own baby sister,” he inclined his head in her direction, “and it looks like those two have picked up right where they left off.”

  I picked up my coffee and took a scalding mouthful. Maggie and Ryan had their heads bent close together and were talking quietly. She looked up and smiled at Henry, the med student who’d been riding with Ryan. I knew it was only business… it had to be… But my gut was burning and it wasn’t just the hot coffee.

  “She and Ryan have always been friends. They’re only a few years apart.”

  Yeah,” Dean said. “But it’s more than that, I think. Even when they were little. Kinda like they had something special between them. They were always off sharing secrets.” He spread his paper napkin over his lap and dug into a plate of scrambled eggs and home fries. “I kinda always hoped they were gonna end up together one day, even though it’d probably give old Bess a stroke. She’d never approve of a relationship between a Decker and a poor kid.” He smacked his lips. “But they seem so comfortable together, so natural. Now that she’s back home… maybe it’s finally their time.”

  I ate my meal, smiling and responding to the conversation around me. But I never lost sight of Maggie. And she never met my eye. It wasn’t like I’d never considered the thought before. I had, several times over the years… This was just the first time it hit me in the gut like a punch.

  Bills were paid, and we all shuffled back outside into the stifling heat.

  “Thanks for coming with us, Joe,” Dean said, before he headed back for the van and Jackie. “It’s like old times, having you here looking after everyone. Take care of the kid for me.” He gave Maggie a peck on the cheek as she came over.

  “Kid, my ass,” she shot him a look. “Right now, I’m your boss. Go.” She gave him a teasing punch in the shoulder, and he grinned as he backed away, holding up his hands in surrender.

  She laughed and turned back to me, holding out the truck key. “Woul
d you mind?” she asked. “My day started at three this the morning. Maybe I do need a little taking care of…”

  20

  Maggie

  I climbed in beside Joe and leaned back heavily in the seat. The strain of being so close, and yet so far apart, was beginning to wear on me. No matter whether we were getting along or arguing, on the verge of giving in to the attraction, or bickering like children… the tension was always there, and I wasn’t sure how much longer I could bear it.

  “You don’t mind if I try to catch a few winks?” I asked, shifting uncomfortably as he started up the engine and took the wheel in his hands. I loved the sight of them, almost as much as the sensations they could give. They were rough and veined… big enough to span my waist, strong enough to pick me up. The last few hours with him had only made me want him more. If only we could get past…

  “Here,” he said, taking my arm and pulling me closer. He wrapped an arm around my shoulder and tipped me over until my head was resting on his lap. “You can’t get any sleep at all sitting up in a damned truck with bad shocks.” He stroked my hair as I started to rise back up. “Just lay down and rest, Maggie. I’m not a goddamned animal…”

  I shifted so that I was resting on my back, at least. Somehow it seemed less intimate. Until I looked up to see his eyes flicker down at me.

  My knees were bent, resting against the back of the seat. I could feel my breasts, curving heavily to the sides. I let my eyes move slowly up the length of his body, and I could see the outline of the hard muscles I’d had right under my hands… against my naked skin. I knew how his flesh felt, and his scent filled my lungs. It seemed to reach right into my core and heat my very center. He smiled down at me, letting his eyes linger before looking back to the road.