Free Prejudice Meets Pride by Rachael Anderson Page A

the life insurance payout didn’t quite cover the cost of the funeral. My brother never went to college and didn’t exactly have much of a skill set to fall back on, so he had to take the first job that came along, which happened to be on a construction crew that works long hours in the middle of Michigan. He couldn’t take the girls with him, so that’s where I came in.”
    For the first time since Kevin had met Emma, he saw something more than a girl with excess baggage and a messed up life. He saw the firmness in her jaw, the determination on her face. He saw some of the load she carried and how she did it with her shoulders stiff and her back straight. He saw strength.
    It caught him off guard.
    “How long will you have them?”
    “If everything goes according to plan, he’ll be back next summer.”
    “And then what?” asked Kevin, not sure why he cared so much about her answer.
    “And then I don’t know.” She shrugged. “He’ll become their father again, probably live here, and I’ll… figure something out.”
    Emma caught him staring at her and turned away, blushing. She quickly pushed her chair back and started gathering the plates.
    Kevin was quick to follow suit. “I can do that.”
    “No way,” Emma argued. “You cooked. It’s my job to clean up.”
    “That might be the rule at your house, but this is mine, and here the cook cleans up his own mess.”
    Emma twisted to face him. “Is that so?”
    “Yes,” Kevin said.
    She stared at him for a moment, as though debating her options, then started for the house with her hands full. “Good luck trying to stop me.”
    Kevin laughed, picked up the remains of what she couldn’t carry, and followed her inside. She was already at the sink rinsing the dishes when he came in.
    “You’re doing it wrong,” Kevin said as he set the last of the dishes down.
    “How so?”
    He gently pushed her aside and took a plate from her. “You have to rinse it off like this.”
    She leaned in, brushing her shoulder against his. A warm sensation spread up Kevin’s arm and into his chest. “That’s what I was doing.”
    “No, you were doing this.” Kevin shifted the sprayer at a slightly different angle. “See what I mean? Totally different. My way’s much more effective.”
    Emma’s eyes narrowed, then she nodded slowly as though she really did see. “Can I give it another try?”
    He handed her the sprayer, which she immediately pointed at him, spraying him with water. “How’s that?”
    He jumped back, but not before his shirt was pretty wet. “What the—” When the water kept coming his way, he lunged forward, trying to grab it from Emma. She simultaneously squealed and giggled as she grappled with him for a moment before launching for the handle and shutting off the water. “Okay, okay, stop. We’re making a mess,” she said between giggles.
    Kevin returned the sprayer to the sink and took stock of the kitchen. His clothes were drenched, the floor was covered in water, and Emma, for the most part, was still dry. How did she manage that? “I can’t believe you did that—and after I cooked you dinner, too.”
    “I’m so sorry,” Emma said, not sounding the least bit sorry. “I thought that was the angle you meant.”
    “Did you not go to your geometry classes?” Kevin said. “Because that wasn’t even close.”
    “My bad.” She laughed and turned back to the sink. “You’re pretty soaked. I think you should go change while I finish cleaning up.” Her voice was tinged with triumph.
    Kevin shook his head even as he chuckled. All that so she could get her way. “You’re unbelievable.”
    She cocked her head at him and smiled. “That’s what you get for trying to stop me. Now shoo.”
    While Kevin changed into a new shirt, he realized that he hadn’t let himself go or laugh like that in a long time—possibly never. But for Emma it seemed to be the norm. Was she always that way? Did she have this effect on everyone, or just him?