Come on, Grandma,” Kenzie said as she bolted past Addy in the kitchen. “What’s wrong with you today? This is the first time, like, ever that I’m actually faster than you at work.”

“Sorry,” Addy mumbled as she balanced the plates on her forearm.

The last thing she was going to do was tell Kenzie she could barely walk because of yesterday’s session on the couch with Jack. She didn’t know what had come over her—or him.

What had happened in the tent was one thing. It was fueled by passion, anger, and the sheer strangeness of being in close quarters in the wild. But at home? She still couldn’t unravel that one. Worse, she wanted to do it again.

Addy considered pulling a double shift today a blessing. At least Jack couldn’t distract her.

Or could he? she wondered.

“Addy.” She almost dropped the plates she held as she served them to the customers at table nine.

“Dawn,” she gave a fake smile over her shoulder. “What’s up?”

The customers dug into their meals and ignored the two waitresses completely.

“Can I talk to you a minute?”

Addy rolled her eyes at Dawn’s back as she followed the towering bleached blonde to the kitchen.

God, Dawn acts like she’s the manager.

“What’s so important that you made me almost spill meatloaf on a customer?” she asked.

“The hospital called.”

“Jack?” She was confused. Why wouldn’t he just text her?

“No, I mean, the hospital—I don’t know who it was. Your dad just got admitted—”

“Shit.” Addy immediately started toward the little cage of lockers for her purse. “Is he okay? What happened?”

She could have kicked herself for that last question.

Alcohol, that’s what happened.

“They said he’s stable,” Dawn called after her. “But it sounds like he called 9-1-1. An ambulance took him—”

“Can you cover for me?” she asked. “Shit. And Kenzie?”

“What? I mean, I guess. I’ll have to call in one of the new girls—”

“Thanks,” Addy said, and shot her a smile. She nearly ran right into Kenzie as she ran toward the exit.

“Not that fast!” Kenzie said. “God, Addy, you almost hit me.”

“Come on, Dad’s in the hospital.” Without a word, Kenzie tossed the tray of dirty dishes she had onto the counter.

“Hey!” Dawn called, but neither of them turned back.

Kenzie chewed at her cuticle madly in the passenger seat as Addy raced toward the hospital.

“Do you think he’ll be okay? Addy, do you think he’ll be okay?”

“I don’t know, stop asking,” Addy snapped. Guilty, she stole a look at Kenzie, who had chewed her nail until it bled.

“I’m sure he’ll be fine,” she said softly. “Probably just needs his stomach pumped or something.”

Kenzie looked uncertain, but she grew quiet.

By some miracle, there was a spot directly in front. Kenzie kept pace with her as they flew into the ER.

“Mrs. Stratton!” the receptionist called in greeting. “Are you here for Ja—”

With wild eyes, Addy went straight for her.

“Ted Fuller,” she said, out of breath.

“What?”

“Ted Fuller.”

“Where’s our dad?” Kenzie yelled at the woman.

“Oh! Uh—” the receptionist’s hands flew across the keyboard. “Theodore Fuller has been moved to the ICU. That’s your fath—”

“Thanks,” Addy said. She grabbed Kenzie’s hand and ran toward the ICU wing. She saw Jack as he paced back and forth beside the check-in desk. “Jack! What happened? Where is he—”

“It’s okay,” Jack said. He grabbed her shoulders as she approached him and steadied her. “He’s… he’s alright.”

“He’s okay?” Kenzie asked. Her voice trembled.

“What happened?” Addy demanded. “Where is he?”

“It’s his heart,” Jack said slowly.

“His heart? He… he didn’t get his stomach pumped? He wasn’t drunk?”

“He… well, he was,” Jack said carefully. “Sometimes excessive amounts of alcohol can raise the blood pressure to such a degree that it can lead to a heart attack—”

“Oh, God, he had a heart attack?” Kenzie cried. “It’s my fault. I should have… I should have…”

“There’s nothing either of you could have done. This was caused by years of heavy drinking, coupled with excess weight and maybe even a history of high blood pressure. We’re still waiting on the files from his GP to confirm that.”

“So what… what now?” Addy asked, her eyes filled with tears.

“Now we wait,” Jack said. “There’s nothing to be done except keep him overnight to be monitored.”

“Can we see him?” Kenzie asked.

“No, I’m afraid not. Besides, he’s been sedated and will be asleep until tomorrow anyway,” Jack said. “Try not to worry, that won’t help anything.”

“Easy for you to say,” Kenzie muttered.

Addy elbowed her.

“Dr. Stratton? We need you in here,” a nurse said crisply as she walked by.

“Hold on a minute, I’ll be right back.”

Addy sank into a hard plastic chair beside Kenzie and held her sister’s hand.

“It’ll be okay,” she said.

“It’s all my fault,” Kenzie repeated under her breath.

“No,” Addy said, though she knew there was nothing she could say to make Kenzie believe her.

“Addy? Kenzie?” Jack returned at a fast clip. “I’m totally slammed today, but listen. I’ve read your father’s chart and I’m keeping an eye on him, along with the rest of his team. I promise you, he’ll be fine. There’s nothing to worry about. But you won’t be able to see him until tomorrow at the earliest, so there’s no reason for you to stick around here.”

“I have to stay,” Kenzie said stubbornly.

“No, let’s go back to the house,” Addy said. She glanced at Jack. “Get it nice and cleaned up before he gets home.”

Kenzie looked from Addy to Jack. “But what if he wakes up—”

“There’s no way, not with the sedatives he’s on,” Jack said. “I promise you, nothing will happen. I’m on shift here for another five hours. I give you my word.”

* * *

At the house, Addy wrinkled her nose at the smell. It hit her as soon as she walked through the doors, but Kenzie seemed immune. It was easy enough to find the main source.

Nobody had emptied the garbage or recycling for at least two weeks. Addy wanted to complain, to ask Kenzie how she could live like this. But whenever she looked at her sister with that quivering lip, she stopped herself.

Side by side, they cleaned each room. For once, Kenzie didn’t hesitate or complain. She did exactly as Addy said, happy to take directions.

Just as they finished up, Addy’s phone buzzed while she put away the mop.

He’s OK, Jack texted. Come home.

Addy blinked, surprised.

Had it already been five hours? she thought.

She didn’t want to leave Kenzie, but as soon as Kenzie realized the cleaning was over she turned on the television and seemed to forget Addy existed.

“Are you going to be okay here?” she asked Kenzie.

“Yeah,” Kenzie sank into the couch and flipped on The Great British Bake Off. “I just need to zone out.”

“If you’re sure. Do you want me to stay?”

Kenzie didn’t reply.

“Okay…” Addy said. “I guess I’ll go home then. Call me if you need me?”

Kenzie nodded, transfixed by the cherries jubilee being crafted on the screen.

“I’ll check in with you before I go to bed,” Addy said. “And we’ll go to the hospital first thing in the morning. I’ll text you when I head over.”

“Okay,” Kenzie called behind her.

On the short drive to Jack’s condo, to their condo, Addy tried not to think about worst case scenarios. What if… what if… what if…

She was close to tears by the time she parked next to Jack’s Jeep and trudged inside. What had happened to Kenzie? It was like she turned into a zombie as soon as they’d finished cleaning. Was it just her way of dealing?

“How are you?” Jack asked when she walked in.

He’d just emerged from the bathroom, and his large frame filled the doorway to the hall.

She opened her mouth to reply, but nothing came out. Addy fell into his arms.

“Hey, it’s okay,” he whispered to her. “It’s going to be okay.”

She tilted her head up to see his eyes, to gauge if he was being truthful, but the hunger she saw in them overwhelmed her.

“Take me to bed,” she said, her voice strong and steady.

“Addy, I don’t know—”

“Don’t you want me?” she asked.

The throb had started between her legs. She needed him to make her forget, to make her feel whole again.

Addy took a step back and slowly unbuttoned her white work shirt. She maintained eye contact as she unhooked her bra.

Jack let out a growl and pulled her close. As he explored her mouth with his tongue, he walked backward to the bed. She felt his hardness press against her lower abdomen as his hands hitched up her black skirt.

Addy sat on the bed and pulled down his scrubs. She licked her lips and bent forward for his cock, but he pushed her down on the bed and climbed on top of her, too eager for her to finish undressing either of them.

As Jack plunged into her, she squeezed her eyes shut and gasped. He felt so good, the way he filled her completely. It took her somewhere else entirely.

“Slow,” she whispered. “Fuck me slow. I want to feel it.”

He buried his face in her neck and kissed her gently. His lips roamed across the hickeys he’d peppered on her skin the past few days.

She delighted in every inch he gave her, at the pressure that lingered when he pressed against her clit. Each time he was at his deepest, she clutched at his back and held him closer.

The slowness of it, the intensity, brought her quickly to orgasm.

“You’re making me come,” she choked out.

“Yes, come for me. Come for me, Addy,” he encouraged into her ear.

She trembled against the waves as he came with her and filled her with the heat she so desperately needed.