by Annie Rains
From the corner of Jack’s eye, he saw Sam lower his head. He fidgeted with his hands in his lap. “She’s okay though?”
“Yeah. Better than okay,” Jack said, and he believed that to be true. “And I need you around here so…”
Sam returned to looking out the window. “Do you think Diana is still at the shelter?”
“I don’t know where else she would’ve gone,” Jack said, which he knew didn’t answer Sam’s question at all. “I guess we’ll see.”
A few minutes later, they parked and walked inside the women’s shelter. Jack spotted Trisha, the director, and headed her way.
“How’s Diana?” he asked, shaking Trisha’s hand.
Trisha smiled. “Good. She’s gone to a few job interviews today, as a matter of fact.”
“Yeah?” Jack asked. “That’s awesome.”
“Yeah, I sat down with her and helped her look for a few that might work. She’s just one of those people who had a turn of bad luck, but I’m positive we can help her get back on her feet.”
“Thank you,” Jack said.
“I should be thanking you. You gave her the first helping hand. I just took it from there.”
Relieved to hear about Diana doing so well, Jack turned back to Sam. “Hungry?”
Sam nodded. “Always.”
This made Jack chuckle. “Let’s go eat, then.”
* * *
Emma was checked in and sitting in the waiting room at the Women’s Wellness Center. She could still leave. Feigning a stomach bug would be the perfect excuse to get out of here.
Instead, she forced herself to stay seated. I’m doing this.
The waiting room door opened, and a nurse looked at her chart. “Emma?”
Emma felt wobbly as she stood and headed toward the nurse. “That’s me.”
“Right this way.” The nurse led her down a long hall of closed doors. Emma guessed that each had a woman inside, taking care of her health. In Emma’s book, that made those women smart and courageous. She was feeling short on courage right about now but followed the nurse into the last room on the left anyway.
Panic gripped her as the nurse shut the door.
“Have a seat, Emma. Let’s talk for a moment.”
She asked Emma a series of questions for the medical chart and jotted them on her form. Then the nurse stood and handed Emma a paper gown. “Put this on and Dr. Rivers will be in shortly.”
Emma clutched the paper gown, noticing the trembling of her hands. Hopefully the nurse didn’t see it. “Thank you.” She waited to move until the nurse closed the door behind her and left Emma alone. The room seemed small, closing in around her. She sat down with the paper gown and took several long, deep breaths.
It was just an annual checkup. No big deal.
“Emma?” Someone knocked on the door, and Emma jumped.
Dr. Rivers stepped inside and closed the door behind her, her gaze dropping to the untouched paper gown that Emma had yet to put on.
“Sorry. I haven’t had a chance to change yet,” Emma said. She was sitting with the gown in her lap, which she guessed made it obvious that she hadn’t made any effort toward doing so either.
“Are you okay?” Dr. Rivers asked.
Emma wanted to say yes, but she felt about as flimsy as the gown she was supposed to be wearing. “No.” Her whole body started shaking.
Dr. Rivers sat down in the chair in front of her. “You’ve put this checkup off this year. Sometimes you just have to push through things.”
“Rip off the Band-Aid,” Emma agreed.
“I get it. You’re worried because of your family history. You’re about the same age your mom was when she got sick.”
Emma sucked in a breath. She didn’t correct Dr. Rivers by pointing out it was actually the same age her mom had been when she’d died. “Something like that.”
Dr. Rivers reached for her hand. “Okay. Worst-case scenario. What if you do turn out like your mom?”
Emma’s mouth dropped open. “Then I die, I guess. Worst case.”
Dr. Rivers nodded. “Or fight.”
“My mom fought,” Emma pointed out. Her mom had fought against her illness, and everyone around her had rallied.
“She did, but there are new treatments now. And catching any kind of illness early can be key in a prognosis.”
Emma shrugged. “You said worst-case scenario. That’s death.”
Dr. Rivers smiled softly. “You’re right. That’s death. And if it’s the worst case, it’s going to happen either way, right? But let’s say the next-to-worst case. That would call for a fight, and you can’t fight if you don’t know what you’re up against.” Dr. Rivers shrugged. “But best-case scenario, you’re completely healthy and worried for nothing. Then you can stop worrying.”
Emma sucked in a breath, followed by another. After a moment, she nodded. “Okay. Well, let’s do this and see which it is.”
Dr. Rivers nodded. “Emma, since you’re here, I’d like to order some extra tests if you’re willing. Genetic tests can tell you if you have the genetic mutation linked to breast cancer. I suspect that, even if you get a clean bill of health today, you’ll still worry. This genetic test would give us more information. If you have the mutation, we can discuss measures to improve your odds of preventing a life-threatening cancer.”
“Genetic testing?” Emma repeated. That sounded like a little much. She had never even considered doing something like that.
“With more information comes peace of mind. At least as far as I’m concerned. Genetic testing is something I’ve been able to add to our services here at the clinic. I don’t recommend it for everyone, but with your family history, I think it’s a good idea.”
Emma felt like the world was spinning way too fast. Her world. Dr. Rivers was right. Even with a clean bill of health, Emma would still live with some level of fear. She didn’t want that. “Peace of mind sounds good,” Emma finally said, gathering as much courage as she could muster.
“Is that a yes?” Dr. Rivers asked.
Emma nodded. “Yes.”
Chapter Eighteen
An hour later, Emma walked out of the Women’s Wellness Center and got into her car. She sat there for a long moment and collected her thoughts. She didn’t want to think too much. In fact, she’d prefer not to think about what she had just done at all.
She grabbed her cell phone and dialed the café.
“Sweetwater Café,” Nina answered a couple rings later. If she were busy, there’d have been more rings. This was a good sign.
“It’s Emma. Are you busy over there?”
“Not especially. Jack stopped by, and I told Sam to go with him. It’s just me, and even so, I have time to play Words with Friends on my phone.”
“Not something you should probably confess to your employer,” Emma pointed out.
“I can play while cleaning. Don’t worry.”
Emma laughed, which was good medicine. “Mind if I just go home, then?”
“Of course not. I’m fine here. Jack dropped off a couple slices of pizza for me a few minutes ago, so I have everything a girl could want…except a handsome single cowboy who wants to ride off into the sunset with me.”
“A cowboy, huh?” Emma asked.
“That’s my preference. Although, there aren’t too many in the mountains.”
“You said you saw Jack? How was he?” Emma asked.
“He was bummed that he missed you here. I told him you had an appointment. What kind of appointment did you go to anyway?” Nina asked.
So much for not thinking about it. “I met with Dr. Rivers.”
“Right. This event you’re planning is a lot of work,” Nina said.
Emma didn’t tell her that she and Dr. Rivers hadn’t discussed the event. It was bad enough she had to wait for all the results to come back. She didn’t want someone else waiting anxiously with her or asking for updates. This felt too personal.
Dr. Rivers said the genetic testing could ta
ke one to two weeks. From now until then, Emma intended to distract herself in any way she could. She hoped that she could do that with Jack, but it’d been a full day and she hadn’t heard anything from him. “Thanks for watching the café tonight. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Sure thing. Bye.”
When Emma arrived home, she closed the door behind her, not intending to open it back up until the next morning. She walked into her kitchen with Barnaby at her heels and poured herself a glass of water, her eye catching on the note that Jack had left her at some point during the night. It promised that he’d call her sometime this morning. But he hadn’t.
He had stopped by the café this afternoon though. Was it just for Sam or was he looking for her too?
Her questions were interrupted by the doorbell ringing. Barnaby set off running.
Emma set her glass down and hurried to stand behind the door, taking a moment to catch her breath. Then she peeked out the peephole, seeing Jack’s distorted figure on the other side.
She opened the door and smiled at him, unable to even pretend that she wasn’t happy to see him. She’d thought she wanted to be alone right now, but she suddenly needed him. “Hi.”
“Hey.” He held an extra-large pizza box in his hand. “I come bearing pizza.”
“Well, then you can certainly come in. But I only want you for the food,” she said.
Jack chuckled. “Warning. I dropped off a couple slices to Nina at the café, and Sam took a couple. So this is only half of an extra-large pie, but I think that’ll suffice for the two of us.” He headed toward her kitchen and slid the box onto the counter. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out some silver-foiled chocolates. “I also came with Hershey’s Kisses to sweeten the deal if you were miffed at not hearing from me all day.” He dropped five Kisses beside the pizza box, all tip-side up, waving their white flags in the air just like her heart was doing.
“The only kisses I want are yours,” she said, stepping up to him until he was pressed against the counter. Then she went up on her tiptoes, bringing her lips to linger just a breath away from his. He was here, bearing treats, so he must not regret last night. She met his eyes and searched for anything less than desire.
“About last night,” he said. “I guess we should discuss it.”
Emma swallowed. “If you really want to.”
“I loved every minute of it.”
She grinned. “That makes two of us.”
His gaze dropped from her eyes to her mouth and back. “I’m done talking now. And if it’s okay, I’m going to kiss you.” His hand slid around her waist.
She was done with words too. Instead, she leaned forward and kissed him first. She’d been waiting for this all day. Waiting to melt into his arms and let go of everything but him.
“I’m sorry this isn’t how we woke up this morning,” he said once she’d finally pulled away.
“Me too.”
Emma glanced back at the pizza box on the counter, the aroma wafting under her nose and making her mouth water. “As much as I love kissing, I’m starving.”
“That makes two of us.”
She was about to offer him wine because that would cap things off perfectly but then stopped herself. “I have sweet tea in the fridge.”
“Sounds perfect.”
Even though taking things slow would be the sensible thing, perfect would be having a repeat of last night. And while Hershey’s Kisses were nice, Jack Hershey was what she hoped to have for dessert.
* * *
Jack had been a little worried that Emma would slam the door in his face when he’d come over tonight. Instead, she’d acted like it was no big deal that he hadn’t contacted her during the day. Maybe he hadn’t started the day with Emma, but he was ending it with her. And there was no place he’d rather be.
“So what kind of appointment did you have this afternoon?”
Emma’s smile disappeared, which got his attention and made him think it wasn’t a simple hair appointment. She shrugged a shoulder and looked away.
“What’s wrong?” he asked. “Are you okay?”
She nodded. “Yeah. It was nothing.”
“We’re done with secrets and lies this summer, remember? Everything is out in the open now. My sister knows about you and me. Sam knows that she’s getting help for her addiction. No more keeping things from the ones we care about.”
Emma met his eyes again, and he saw an emotion there that got his attention. “I, um, went to the Women’s Wellness Center.”
Jack didn’t think this had anything to do with the 5K event for her mom. “Oh?”
“Just for a routine checkup.” She swiped a lock of hair away from her face, anchoring it behind her ear. “I canceled my last appointment. I’ve been avoiding it.”
“Why?”
Emma’s chin quivered. “My mom’s illness happened so fast. I guess I’ve been just…terrified of going. One day she was healthy, or so we thought. Then she went to an appointment and suddenly she was preparing me and my dad for her leaving us.”
Jack scooted his chair right up to Emma and took her hand. “Are you…okay?”
He could feel Emma trembling. “Dr. Rivers said everything checked out great. There’s no reason for concern. It was just a matter of me making myself go there. If I’m going to be a part of an event encouraging women to take care of themselves, I need to do the same. And if I want to honor my mom’s memory, this is what she would’ve wanted.”
This was a big deal for Emma, and he’d had no idea she was even struggling with it. “Hey,” he said, gaining her attention, “she’d be really proud of you.”
Emma nodded. “Thanks.”
She said she was okay, but she looked completely drained, so he added, “I’m really proud of you too. For everything you’ve accomplished this summer. You’re kind of like Superwoman.”
She giggled weakly. “Hardly.”
“You could’ve told me, you know? I’d have gone to support you. And stayed in the waiting room, of course.”
Emma laughed softly. “You would have gone and waited for me at the Women’s Wellness Center?”
He felt his face burning. “I mean, yeah. For you I would. I’d pretty much do anything for you, Em.”
She stared at him, and he wondered what was going through her mind. “We just started dating. That’s a pretty strong thing to say to someone you’ve only gone to bed with once.”
He reached up and stroked her cheek. “But I’ve known you most of my life. And I’ve liked you more than just a friend way before this summer. Maybe we just agreed to a label, but my heart has been yours for a long time. Last night only deepened the feelings I already had for you.”
Her lips parted. “Wow. I’m not sure what to say. I want to ask you to stay with me tonight, but I know you can’t.”
“Sam will be home in a couple hours,” Jack agreed. “But I can stay awhile, and I want to hold you.” And never let go. He didn’t tell her that last part. He also didn’t go into detail about the feelings he had for her. They went well beyond like or lust and bordered on something he’d never felt for any woman.
She was the one who’d gotten away. She was the one who’d kept him firmly in his bachelorhood all this time. She was the one, the only one, he wanted.
He pushed back from the table, stood, and reached for her hand. “I’m here for whatever you need from me tonight.” It’d been an emotional afternoon for her. If all she wanted was to be held, that’s all he’d do.
When she stood and met his eyes, however, the desire was obvious, darkening her brown-green eyes. Then, confirming his suspicion, she reached for him. “I want to feel your arms wrapped around me tonight.”
* * *
Two hours later, Jack arrived home. Sam was already there and in bed. Good. Jack was exhausted and didn’t feel like waiting up or searching all over town for his nephew.
He went straight back to his bedroom and changed clothes before plopping onto his bed and clo
sing his eyes. It didn’t even take five seconds before he was dreaming of a younger version of himself, dressed in a tux for the first time.
“You look like money,” his roommate Danny said, walking into the room of their little apartment in college. “You must like this girl.” He shoved a beer into Jack’s hand and popped the top of his own.
Jack looked down at the can. Felt the coolness against his fingers. He was more nervous than he’d been even on his first day of college. Taking Emma to her prom tonight might open a lot of proverbial cans that he maybe wasn’t prepared for. “I’ve known Emma forever,” he told Danny, lifting the beer to his mouth and taking a sip. Something about the taste soothed those nerves.
“I’ve heard you talk about her,” Danny pointed out. “Are you guys going to ditch the prom and do something more afterward?”
Jack felt his whole body tense.
“Hey, just saying. On my junior prom night, my date and I had fun in the back seat of my Corolla. For senior prom, I booked a motel room.”
“So romantic,” Jack said sarcastically. “Emma isn’t like that.”
“Like what?”
“She’s special. I don’t want to mess things up with her.”
“Now you’re sounding romantic,” Danny pointed out.
Jack took another sip, realizing the can was half-empty. How had that happened? He really was nervous about tonight. This was a date, and being away at college had only served to make him miss Emma more.
Suddenly the beer can was empty, and he was drinking another. He couldn’t seem to stop himself. His body and mind were relaxing, drifting off to some distant place.
“You no longer look like money,” Danny said with a laugh that seemed to reverberate in Jack’s head. “You look like sh—”
Jack held up a hand. “Stop right there. You’re just jealous. I’m going to prom with a beautiful woman, and you’re sulking over being dumped by your girlfriend.”