Danger Close by James Sumner (classic novels for teens txt) 📕

her at a respectable distance, Jericho and Collins stood quietly, their hands clasped behind them. Collins looked around absently, not wanting to stare. Jericho felt uncomfortable, partly because of the suit he was wearing and partly because he didn’t know whether he should be standing with Julie.

Julie exhaled a long breath. “He had a saying, my dad. ‘Time is a great teacher, but it has a habit of killing its students.’ When I was a kid, I thought it was funny. That it was just some silly joke to get a laugh out of me. Never really understood what he meant by it until today.”

Jericho and Collins exchanged a glance before taking their cue to move to her side. For all his uncertainty, when it came down to it, Jericho’s reaction was natural and instinctive. He wrapped a massive arm around her and gently pulled her close. In response, she snaked an arm around his waist and rested her head on his bicep.

Collins watched, smiling to himself. He loved them both like family. Days like today hit them all hard.

He cleared his throat. “Jules, look. I… ah… I never got to meet ya old man. I know Jerry did once or twice. And let me tell ya, when it was just me and him shooting the breeze over a beer, he never had a bad word to say about the guy, y’know. Never a bad word.”

Julie turned to look at him. Her eyes were bloodshot. Her expression did nothing to convey the emotions she was battling inside. She simply looked and listened.

Collins chuckled nervously, worried he wasn’t saying what he wanted to say in the best way, but he carried on regardless.

“I guess what I’m trying to say is… well… I know for a fact that man was proud of his baby girl. I’m a bit of a dick sometimes. I know that.” He glanced down at the coffin. “Sorry for my language there, Mr. Fisher.” When he looked back up at Julie, she was smiling. “But I respect the hell outta ya. And I love ya like a big sister. Y’know, the one where I’d always hit on her friends, then she’d beat the crap outta me for sleeping with ’em and never calling them back. Ah, bollocks, I’m rambling’… sorry. Just… look, you woulda made your daddy proud, okay? Never forget that. He went for the long sleep knowing his baby girl had made something of herself. Trust me, that’s all a parent ever wants, y’know.”

Julie paused, biting her lip. Then a smile escaped across her face. She moved over to him and kissed his cheek.

“Thank you, Ray,” she said. “That was really sweet of you. It meant a lot to me.”

She stepped back over to Jericho and resumed her position in his arms. He kissed the top of her head, then looked over at Collins and nodded his own gratitude.

“I’ll give ya both a few minutes,” said Collins. “I’ll be in the car, okay? No rush or nothing.”

He looked down at the grave and crossed himself before walking away.

“That was really nice,” said Julie.

Jericho smiled. “It was. He’s a good man. He’s an asshole… but he’s a good man.”

She laughed. “Yeah, people can surprise you sometimes.” She turned to address him directly. “Jericho, I’m sorry I’ve been… unbearable these last few days. I was angry and upset, and I took it out on you when you were just trying to be there for me. That wasn’t fair.”

He placed his hands on her shoulders and smiled. “Julie, you have nothing to apologize for. You just lost your father. I’m supposed to be the guy you take things out on when you don’t know how to deal with them. That’s how this works.”

“You’re the best. Do you know that?”

Jericho shrugged. “It’s been said…”

They smiled and embraced.

“You go on ahead,” said Julie. “I’ll just be a minute.”

Jericho nodded. “Take your time, okay?”

They kissed and he walked away, one hand in his pocket, habitually looking around the cemetery for signs of movement he thought didn’t belong.

Julie watched him go.

“He’s a good man. It meant a lot to me that you liked him.” She smiled as she recalled a fond memory. “The look on your face the first time you saw him!”

She laughed to herself. But the laugh soon faded, replaced by tears she could no longer contain. She crouched beside the grave, resting a hand on the cold marble headstone.

“I miss you, Dad. I miss you so much. This isn’t fair. Losing Mom was hell on both of us, but we got each other through it. Who’s going to get me through this? The boys have their own families, their own lives. My life doesn’t exactly allow me to call round for a barbecue every Sunday. Jericho’s great. He has a kind heart and… well… I love him. I haven’t told him that yet. It’s complicated. With work how it is and the fact I’m his superior in the field, I just… oh, I don’t know. I don’t want the lines to blur. I don’t want him to be there for me personally like that when I might have to tell him to run into the line of fire the next day. I just need… I need you.”

Her shoulders fell forward in defeat. The tears began to stream freely. She placed a hand to her face, as if hiding in shame, and sobbed.

Jericho and Collins stood side by side, leaning on the hood of the rental just outside the cemetery gates.

“How was she?” asked Collins.

“As you would expect,” said Jericho. “Hurting like I can’t explain. Doing her best to hide it in front of us.”

“Ah, she should know she ain’t gotta do that. It’s us.”

“Yeah, well… I know that and you know that. But she’s stubborn as a mule when she wants to be.”

Collins smiled. “Ain’t that the truth.”

“She’ll deal with it how she needs to. All we can do is be there for her. Give her the space she