by Annie Rains
Emma took a breath. “Jack and I may have…um…”
Nina clapped both hands over her mouth and looked around the café. There was only one customer at the moment. “You two slept together?”
Emma laughed despite the awkwardness. “This stays between us. But yes.” She squealed softly.
“Of course,” Nina said, lowering her hands down by her side. “This is huge. Since the time I’ve known you, you have never slept with a guy.”
Emma had known Nina for three years now. “Maybe I have and just haven’t shared it with you.”
Nina gave her a look. “Have you?”
“No,” Emma admitted. “It’s been a long time since a guy has even gotten to second base.”
“And you’re not the kind of woman to sleep with someone unless there are real feelings involved…unless it was because you were drunk. Oh no. Did you sleep together because you were drunk?” She suddenly looking horrified.
Emma shook her head. “No, I knew exactly what I was doing.”
“And?” Nina asked, drinking more of her coffee. “How was it?”
Emma felt her cheeks burning hot. She looked around to make sure that Sam wasn’t within earshot. He didn’t need to know the details of her and Jack’s relationship. “Amazing. And that’s all I’m saying on the matter.”
Nina ignored Emma’s attempt to cut the topic off. “And when is it happening again?”
Emma shook her head. “I don’t know.”
She pulled her cell phone out and checked the screen. No messages from Jack yet at almost ten a.m. She knew he was an early riser. Maybe he’d awoken with regrets. Maybe she and Jack weren’t happening again.
* * *
Jack stepped out of his truck. After driving for two hours to see his sister, his legs were stiff. He stretched and then twisted at his waist a couple times before sliding his sunglasses over his eyes and heading toward the Whispering Pines Addiction Management Facility. He’d spoken to Amanda on the phone, but he hadn’t seen her since he’d come to get Sam.
She was doing well, but what he had come to tell her might send her on a backslide. She didn’t want Sam to know about her struggles, and even though Jack had promised to keep her secrets safe, he’d told them anyway. Some at least.
Jack didn’t really feel like he had much of a choice. Sam knew something was up, and it was also the right thing to do. Knowing your family history helped you make better choices in life. Jack had made better choices than his father. Amanda was making better choices too. Jack was proud of her for knowing when to ask for help. Hopefully she wouldn’t be disappointed in him right now.
He stepped inside the air-conditioned building and spoke to the receptionist. “I’m here to see Amanda Hershey. I’m Jack Hershey, her brother.”
The receptionist nodded with a smile and then picked up the phone, speaking to someone on the other end of the line. After hanging up, she pointed at the double doors down the hall. “They’ll buzz you in, sir. Have a nice visit.”
“Thanks.”
As he stood in front of the doors, his heart sped up and irrational fears of getting locked inside swirled through his mind. Maybe someone would decide he was a ticking time bomb and lock him in a room and throw away the key.
The door opened, and Jack forced his feet forward. He found Amanda sitting at a table in a small community room inside the facility. She glanced up at him with a bright smile that touched her eyes. She looked so much better than when he’d last seen her.
“Hey, Jack,” she said. “I didn’t know you were coming to see me today.”
Jack sat down across from her. “I’m sorry. I should’ve brought you something, huh? A candy bar or a magazine.”
Amanda laughed. “This isn’t prison. I have access to those things if I want them. And just seeing you is treat enough. How’s Sam?” she asked, cutting to the chase. She was a mother, and that was her top priority.
“Good. He’s working with Emma at the café today.”
Amanda’s smile grew even bigger. “That’s great. He’s getting a lot of job experience this summer. That’s good for him.”
Jack nodded in agreement. “I think so too. And he’s a really hard worker once you pry him from his phone.”
“Oh, I know all about competing with the screen.”
“He’s made friends, and I think he’s happy…” Jack hesitated, wondering if it was best to just jump in on what he came here to say.
“You look happy too,” Amanda said before he could say anything more. “Things must be going pretty well between you and Emma.”
Jack nodded. “Amanda, Emma and I have always been friends. She was only with me that night in the truck as a friend, and I let you believe we were dating because it seemed to offer you some kind of hope for yourself.”
Amanda’s smile fell. “What?”
“Then we pretended for Sam so he wouldn’t tell you.” Jack ran a hand through his hair, knocking the sunglasses off the top of his head. He bent to pick them up, realizing that his hands were shaking. He took a deep breath as he straightened and looked at Amanda. “But while we were pretending, this thing between us became real. So I guess I should thank you because Emma and I are actually dating now.”
“You lied to me?” Amanda asked, her expression unreadable.
“Kind of. Yeah, I’m sorry.”
She exhaled softly. “You lied to me because you wanted to protect me just like you’ve always done. My overprotective brother.”
“You’re not mad?” he asked, relief flooding through him.
“No. I think it’s funny actually. You didn’t have to fake a relationship for my sake. That’s kind of…”
“Silly?” Jack asked before nodding. “Yeah, I know. It seemed like a good idea at the time.”
“You mean, an excuse to be close to Emma seemed like a good idea,” Amanda corrected. “And now you’re dating her for real. Wow. That’s great, Jack.”
He sucked in another deep breath. One confession down, one more to go. “Amanda, there’s something else.”
She met his gaze and seemed to wait.
“Sam has been asking a lot of questions. He’s quite the investigator.”
“What kind of questions?” she asked.
“About you. He searched your boyfriend’s social media and saw that you weren’t with him.” Jack left out the detail about the other woman in case Amanda didn’t know. “He knows you two aren’t on a vacation together.”
Amanda’s expression pinched. “What?”
“He’s acted out just a little bit, and he’s demanded answers from me a couple times.”
“What did you say?” Amanda asked, looking increasingly worried.
Jack massaged a hand over his face. “I didn’t have much of a choice, Amanda.”
“What do you mean?” she snapped. “You told him where I was? You promised, Jack.”
Jack held up a hand. “Slow down. I only told him you were at an addiction facility working on some things that would help you.”
“Jack.” Amanda shot up from her seat. “I trusted you. I didn’t want Sam to know that his mom was here. I didn’t want him to worry about me—”
“He was already worrying about you, Amanda. He was already angry that he’d been lied to. He needed the truth.”
“Then you should have told me first so I could tell him.” Amanda put her hands on her hips.
Jack paused, giving the conversation some breathing room. They both needed to take a moment. “I told him as little as I could. I told Sam that the rest will have to come from you, when you’re ready. I’m sorry, Amanda. I really am.” But he also didn’t think he’d do things any differently if given a chance. Sam needed answers last night. He couldn’t wait.
Tears brimmed in Amanda’s eyes as she stood there in front of Jack. “I just…I never wanted my son to see me this way.”
Jack stood and walked over to her. “To see you which way? Strong? Determined? Completely kickass? Because that’s the
way I see you.”
Amanda shook her head and covered her face with her hands. Jack reached out and pulled her into a hug, willing to take the risk that she might use the right hook he’d taught her and completely take him out. She didn’t.
After several minutes, she stepped back and swiped at her tears. “Well, I guess I better tell him everything.”
“When you’re ready,” Jack said. “He knows enough right now. And he’s happy, Amanda. He just wants you to be happy too.”
Amanda looked up at Jack. “Working on it.”
“Take your time,” Jack reiterated. “He can stay with me as long as you need him to.”
“I do feel better knowing you have Emma by your side. Two is better than one, and you’ve always been a better version of yourself when she is around. More patient. More relaxed. She’s good for you, Jack.”
Jack thought so too. He probably should’ve contacted Emma by now. He’d wanted to first thing this morning and then again as he drove up to see Amanda. But fear had stopped him every time his finger hovered over Emma’s contact. They’d crossed a line last night that couldn’t be uncrossed. He wouldn’t change a thing even if he could, but how was Emma feeling today?
At the end of his visit, Jack walked out of the facility. His fears about being locked inside were ridiculous. Hopefully the same was true about his fear of Emma having second thoughts about last night. And about him.
Chapter Seventeen
The morning-after was officially over. It was now noon, and Emma hadn’t heard a word from Jack.
She tried not to dwell on that as she pulled up the website for Jenny’s Wellness Walk for Women. It was up to two hundred fifteen participants today. That was far more than she’d ever thought possible for its first year.
Her cell phone rang, and she grabbed it quickly, hoping it was Jack. Instead, Paris Montgomery’s name popped on her screen. “Hi, Paris,” she answered.
“Hey, Emma. I have the graphic ready. I just shot you an email with the design to see what you think.”
“Thank you so much. I know it was kind of last-minute. I really can’t believe how easily this event has come together.”
“That’s how you know it’s meant to be,” he said with a small chuckle.
“I guess so.” She and Jack had come together so easily too. At least, that’s how it had felt from her vantage point. But now he was MIA on her.
Emma pulled up her email and clicked on the message from Paris, waiting anxiously for the graphic to load. Then a picture of two sneakers showed up, the laces undone. An apple lay beside them, and they were encircled by the words 1ST ANNUAL JENNY’S WELLNESS WALK FOR WOMEN. It was simple, but Emma loved it. “It’s perfect,” she told Paris.
“Yeah? You think so?”
“Yes. One hundred percent. Can you send this to the Print Shop so they can get started on T-shirt production?”
“Sure thing,” Paris said. “Lacy and I plan to walk, you know? We signed up last night.”
“That’s awesome. Thank you so much for all your hard work and support on this,” Emma said. It would be so nice to see friends and family joining this event, as well as all the strangers who’d registered to help the cause and support women’s health.
After saying goodbye, Emma went back to work with Nina and Sam. Sam was unusually quiet today, but he was a teen and they were prone to brooding moods that swung with the wind, right?
“Want a coffee?” Emma asked him. “I can make you one.”
He looked up from cleaning one of the café tables. “Sure. Thanks.”
“You okay, Sam?” she asked.
He nodded. “Uncle Jack went to see my mom today,” he told her. “I’m guessing you know where she’s really at.” He looked around the café where customers were seated.
Jack hadn’t told her he was planning to visit Amanda today. She wondered if this was planned or if something had happened. And, last she knew, Sam didn’t know that his mom was staying in an addiction facility. This wasn’t the time or place to discuss these things, so Emma just nodded.
“I guess I just wish I could have gone with him.” Sam finished cleaning off the table and walked back behind the counter with Emma while she started preparing him a coffee.
“A mom just wants her child to be happy and healthy, you know?” Emma said.
“You’re not a mom,” Sam pointed out.
“No, but I had a mom, and I know that’s what she always wanted.”
And if her mom were alive, she’d be going nuts to know that Emma was ignoring her health because of her. She was celebrating women’s health but being a hypocrite by neglecting to stay current with her own routine checkups and screenings.
“Well, moms should know that’s all their kids want for them too. It goes both ways.”
Emma smiled at Sam. “You are wise beyond your years, you know that?” She poured some creamer into his coffee and slid it down the counter toward him. “Here you go. Loaded with sugar. The solution to all that ails you.”
If only that were true.
“Thanks.” Sam took it and looked around the café. “It’s slow. Do you care if I go sit outside at one of those tables with this?”
“Of course not. Nina and I can handle things. Take your time.” Emma exhaled as she watched Sam head out. So Jack was visiting Amanda today. Was that why she hadn’t yet heard from him? Emma was missing some important facts about what happened after Jack left her home last night. Hopefully when Jack returned, he’d fill in the holes.
Emma took the washcloth that Sam had left on the front counter and carried it to the back where dirty washcloths were kept for cleaning. As she did, her mind went back to her conversation with Sam. A mother wanted her child to be happy and healthy. If she really wanted to honor her mom’s memory, that’s what she needed to work on. Without giving herself time to think, she pulled out her cell phone, took a breath, and tapped the contact for the Women’s Wellness Center. When the receptionist connected the call, Emma asked to make an appointment.
“I just had a cancellation for this Friday if you want to come in then.”
If Emma gave herself time to think, she might end up with another excuse. “Do you have anything today by chance?”
“Let me see.”
There was a long silence on the other end of the line as the receptionist checked. “You’re in luck. If you can be here this afternoon, Dr. Rivers can fit you in. Does that work for you?”
Emma would make it work. For her mom.
* * *
After driving two hours each way and visiting his sister, Jack was more exhausted on his day off than when he’d worked a full day. He pulled into the downtown parking lot and got out of his truck, then walked toward the Sweetwater Café. He’d thought about texting Emma several times today, but one didn’t follow up one of the most amazing nights of his life with a text.
Jack needed to look Emma in the eye and see for himself how she felt about what had happened between them.
Was she happy? Did she have regrets? Was it one of the most amazing nights of her life too?
Jack breathed in deeply, pulling the fresh mountain air into his lungs and hoping for its calming effect. That’s one of the reasons he’d fallen in love with hiking in the foothills and down the trails of Evergreen Park. The exercise and increased elevation forced him to take deep breaths, and the physical effect on his body was the best medicine on earth. Nature’s prescription for stress.
Jack walked into the café and noticed Sam and Nina working behind the counter.
Sam looked slightly worried when he saw him. “Hey, Uncle Jack. How’s Mom?” he asked when Jack approached the counter.
“She’s doing amazing. I’ll fill you in when you get off shift,” he promised. “Maybe we can go to Joe’s Pizzeria. What do you say?”
Sam nodded. “Yeah. Sounds good.”
“Hey, Jack,” Nina said brightly. “Emma isn’t here, if you’re looking for her.”
“Oh?” he asked. �
�Do you know where I can find her?”
“She left about fifteen minutes ago. She said she had an appointment, but I don’t know with who or where or why.” Nina shrugged.
Jack didn’t remember Emma discussing any appointments with him, but it could be for anything. It might even be related to the event she was planning. He looked over at Nina, noticing the look she was giving him—like she knew all his secrets. Had Emma told her about last night?
He shifted uncomfortably and took a step backward. “When do you get off shift?” he asked Sam.
“He can leave now,” Nina said. “The café isn’t that busy, and I’m used to covering it on my own. Go ahead,” she told Sam. “When pizza calls, you have to answer. What can I say? Pizza makes me cheesy,” she added with a wink.
Sam grinned.
“Want us to bring you a slice back?” Jack asked.
Nina folded her arms across her chest. “So you have an excuse to stop back in and see Emma if she returns? Sure. That’d be great.”
Jack shook his head. “I was offering for you,” he clarified, but the added benefit was that he’d have a reason to see Emma. “It might be a couple of hours. We have a stop to make first.”
“Where?” Sam asked, coming around the counter to join him.
“I thought we’d go check on our illegal camper at the shelter. Maybe she needs a slice of pizza too.” And honestly, Jack wanted to make sure Diana was still there. She hadn’t seemed keen on staying at the shelter, but she couldn’t keep camping out at the park. “See you later, Nina.”
“I’ll let Emma know you stopped in,” she called back.
“Thanks.” Jack and Sam stepped onto the sidewalk and silently weaved between people. They didn’t talk until they were in his truck and driving toward the women’s shelter across town.
“So?” Sam prompted. “You told Mom I know where she really is. Does that mean I can go see her now?”
Jack needed a good gulp of that fresh mountain air in his lungs right about now. “She’s in a rehab facility because she needs to get clean. She needs space from her daily life, to give her a chance to regroup and figure out some things. She loves you, buddy, but I think we need to give her some time. I know you wouldn’t intentionally set her back, but the more she can focus while she’s there, the faster she’ll be ready to leave.”