Fight to the Finish (First to Fight #3)(7)

“Real pen time. Don’t mess with it, it’s got a needle. Hold the orange against the table or the couch, and you can feel what it’s like injecting it.”

Graham did so, marveling at medicine and how far it had come.

“And we have now officially used about four hundred dollars’ worth of medication on fruit,” Kara joked. Graham felt his eyes bug out at the number, but she waved it away. “They’re useless to us now, so there’s nothing better to do with them.”

“Why did you have four?”

“Two for school, two for home. He had two that he carried with him at all times, too, in his backpack or in my purse, but we practiced with those this morning together.”

He hated that Zach had to know all of this information. Hated that this was a vital part of his childhood . . . knowing how to save his own life.

“This is his new one. It talks.” She grinned and passed around the trainer. When Marianne pulled off the cap, it began to speak the instructions.

“Niiiiice,” she murmured, then passed it to Reagan, who passed it to him.

“More expensive, unfortunately, but worth every penny. In an emergency, you don’t have to worry about relying on a shaky hand reading tiny instructions.”

He looked up at Kara, wanting so much to offer help. She was a single mom, and though she hadn’t told him the story, he could guess Zach’s father wasn’t exactly contributing financially to their lives. Or really contributing in any way, period.

Another knock sounded on the door, and Kara jumped. Marianne stood, saying, “I’ve got it.” She let in Greg and Brad, who came in and immediately took residence on the couch with their ladies.

“Oh, oranges.” Greg reached for one, and Reagan slapped the back of his hand.

“Trust me, you don’t want that one.”

Kara and Marianne laughed when Greg wrinkled his nose in confusion and rubbed his hand.

“Now that we’ve got our rides here to take our wine-soaked butts home, we’re going to take off.” Reagan stood, holding a hand out to Greg. When he raised both brows, she shook the hand, insisting.

“We just got here. Don’t we at least get some cheese and crackers?” Brad asked. Marianne reached over, grabbed a cracker and shoved it in his mouth.

“And that’s all, folks. See y’all at practice tomorrow morning, bright and early!” Marianne kissed the top of Kara’s head as they passed. “Don’t get up, we’ll let ourselves out.”

“But you—” The door snapped shut before she could even get out her sentence. “Wow. They’re in a hurry,” she said with a nervous laugh.

“They’ve got someone to keep them company tonight. I can’t blame them.” When Kara glanced at him, he shrugged. Then he stood and started gathering oranges into the basket they’d come from.

“You don’t have to pick those up. I can do it.” She reached for it, but he kept it out of reach. “Really, Graham, you should get going. I’m sure you’ve got plans.”

“I have nothing. It’s a school night,” he added with a smile over his shoulder on his way to the kitchen. He pitched the oranges and set the basket by the sink. “Do you mind if I get a glass of water?”

“Sure thing,” she called from the living room. He heard the jumble of EpiPens and knew she was putting them all away safely. “Glasses are in the cabinet beside the sink.”

He opened the one to the right, and came face to face with a mini pharmacy. It took him a moment to catch his breath after seeing the medications. He hoped some were just for emergencies, and not all for daily use. He couldn’t imagine Zach having to take that much regularly. He was a tough, smart kid, but even tough kids had limits.

Closing the cabinet quietly, he opened the right one and got water from the filter pitcher in the refrigerator. He carried it back to the living room and settled into the armchair. She’d want him to go, and he was fully prepared to miss all her subtle hints. He was about to be rude, on purpose, for the first time in his adult life.

“I’m sure you’ve got things to do.”

Hint number one to get out. “I’m free.”

“Really, I don’t want to keep you.”

Hint number two. “It was no problem. I’m glad I know about it now.” He grinned when her hand clenched around the edge of the coffee table.

“I appreciate you coming by.” Her voice was firm, but her hands shook a little as she started to sweep crumbs onto the platter. She wouldn’t make eye contact. “Zach adores all you guys, and you taking an interest in his medical needs says a lot. Not every adult in his life cares enough to bother.”

“Then they’re *s.” Graham took a calm sip of water as her head snapped up. “He’s got allergies, that’s all. It’s changing a few ingredients to a recipe here or there. Buying a different brand of food, or keeping an eye on the utensils. It’s not the end of the world, far as I can tell from reading your blog.”

She sat back on her heels. “You really did read it.”

Hell yeah, I read it. I want you. I’ve wanted you for weeks. And I’ll use everything at my disposal to get to know you.

All he said was, “Yep. It’s a good blog, lots of easy-to-understand info. You could really make that a full-time gig.”