by Annie Rains
Emma stepped up in front of the crowd, and everyone quieted at the sound of her voice through a megaphone.
Just seeing her made Jack’s world right. He had to get Edward to change his mind about him. And he would. Before this day was over.
* * *
Emma looked out on the crowd. She saw Jack standing next to her father, the tension thick between them. Jack was trying so hard to win her dad’s approval. It was sweet, really. The actions of a man in love. With her.
Her knees had buckled a little when he’d said those three little words. He hadn’t even given her time to respond before he’d turned and left. She wasn’t sure how she would’ve responded. She was falling for him too. The L-word was appropriate even if it seemed so soon in their relationship, half the time of which they’d spent supposedly pretending.
She continued looking around and saw Jack’s sister Amanda standing with a few other women in town, presumably ones she’d known from growing up here. Emma watched Jack’s sister for a moment. Amanda looked pale under the summer sun, but she’d spent more time indoors this past month than working on her tan. Emma suddenly worried that perhaps Amanda wasn’t up for a run today. Maybe she should be at Jack’s place resting. He was the overprotective one though. If he wasn’t worried, Emma shouldn’t be concerned either.
She continued looking out on the crowd. The LDO group was here in full effect, which didn’t surprise Emma in the least. They were a great group of women who loved a good cause. Her stepmom, Angel, stood alone. She planned on walking instead of running, which Emma guessed was why she wasn’t with Emma’s dad.
Guilt curled its way into Emma’s belly. She and her father were Angel’s family. But Emma hadn’t made a huge effort to be close to Angel. She’d thought a lot about her chat with Angel. They’d made amends, and it was time for them to start acting like a family.
“Thank you all for being here today,” she said. “It really means the world to me to have your support for this event that I put together to honor my mom, Jenny St. James. A lot of you knew her. You were her friends and family. If you didn’t know her, it’s because her cancer took her away from this world too soon.” Emma took a moment, willing her racing heart to slow down. “I promise you that you would’ve loved her though. No one met Jenny St. James and didn’t love her. She was just that kind of person. This race is in honor of who she was in life. It’s also to raise money for the Women’s Wellness Center so that they can continue helping women in the community. Women like my mom.”
Emma cleared her throat and pushed down the emotion bubbling up inside her. “Anyway, I’m not one to give a big speech. I just want you all to know that I appreciate you being here. Thank you. I know if my mom were here, she’d thank you as well. Now let’s run or walk or do whatever we need to do to reach the finish line. But that won’t be the end by any means because I’m planning to keep this event going year after year and make it bigger and better each time.”
One person clapped and then another, and then the whole crowd was clapping and cheering. Emma smiled and swiped at a tear that rolled down her cheek as her emotions got the best of her. Then she stepped up beside her friends, wishing Nina could be here as well.
“Hey, Emma. Great speech,” Josie said. “I took notes. I’ll be doing a write-up on this event in Carolina Home magazine next week.”
“That would be great. Thank you.” Emma again glanced back at Angel alone in the crowd and frowned. “Ladies, thanks for being here. I’ll join you later. I need to go say hello to someone. My stepmom is over there all alone,” she pointed out. “I should walk with her.”
The women followed her gaze.
“Bring her over here with all of us,” Kaitlyn suggested. “This event is about women banding together and supporting one another, right? You could join her, and she wouldn’t be alone, but if you bring her over here, she’ll have all of us.”
Emma smiled. “I have the best friends in the world. Be right back.” She cut through the crowd and stopped in front of Angel. “Hi, Angel.”
Angel looked up with surprise. “Oh. Hi, Emma. What are you doing back here?”
“Grabbing you. You should be up there with me and my friends.”
“Oh no. I’m okay. You don’t want me intruding,” Angel objected.
Emma grabbed her hand anyway. “You are my friend too. And my family. Let’s go before the event kicks off.” She tugged, and Angel started following. A few steps in, she saw Diana, who had been their waitress the other night at Tammy’s Log Cabin. Jack had mentioned that Diana had been camping out at the park illegally for a little bit this summer. Emma grabbed her hand as well. “Diana, it’s so good to see you.”
Diana furrowed her brow. “Jack’s girlfriend, right? Emma?”
Emma nodded. “Right. Come follow me up to the front. I’ll introduce you to my friends, and we can walk together.”
When they reached her small group of close friends, they waited for the flare gun that she’d handed to Alice Hampton, an older woman who was working the event. Alice raised the gun with a shaky arm, looked at Emma, and pulled the trigger.
The crowd of women, men, children, and even some dogs took off down the trail. A surge of pride shot through Emma as she looked around at them all. She’d done it. This was happening. “This one’s for you, Mom,” she whispered.
Her gaze caught on Jack, who jogged ahead with her father. She was tempted to be nervous for him, but he could handle himself. And she knew her father. He’d always given a hard time to the guys she’d dated, but he was a reasonable man. He’d come around once he realized what she already knew—that Jack was good for Emma.
“How do you feel about jogging?” Angel asked.
“Great. I probably can’t do all three miles,” Emma said, so if you need to go ahead of me, I won’t be offended.”
Angel laughed. “Let’s go, then.”
Emma picked up her pace, realizing she was a lot like her father too. She’d given Angel a hard time but she finally was coming around. Hopefully it wouldn’t take her dad nearly as long as it’d taken Emma.
“Hey, Emma.” Ashley Rivers jogged up beside her and kept pace with her.
“Hi.” Emma was already slightly out of breath from the jog, but her breath became even shallower. “I didn’t think you were running.”
“Well, I already set up my table so I registered at the last minute. Then I’ll freshen up and finish out the day at the health fair. Will I see you over there?”
“Of course.”
“Great,” Ashley said. “You got my message?”
Emma nodded, sliding her gaze over at Angel, who wasn’t listening. “I did. I called the office back, but it was already closed.”
“Sorry about that. We definitely need to make time to talk early next week. Find me after the race, and we’ll arrange a time to meet.”
“Okay.”
“Great. See you later.” Ashley picked up her pace and jogged ahead, leaving Emma behind.
* * *
Jack liked to think he was in shape. He was an outdoorsy guy who walked, fished, boated. You name it, he did it.
But running was a sport you had to keep doing to stay conditioned. He was one mile in, the heat of the sun was beating down on him, and his legs felt like they were made of lead. Edward hadn’t said a word to him since they’d started moving down the path, and Jack didn’t think he could talk if he wanted to.
Emma was right. This was silly. Running alongside Edward wasn’t going to fix anything. Why was he torturing himself? He was about to start walking when Edward surprised him by talking.
“I always liked you before that night, you know. I was impressed at how you’d turned out despite your old man.”
Jack glanced over, reenergized by the adrenaline flowing through him.
“Your dad is a good guy too when he isn’t drunk.”
Good guys didn’t choose alcohol over their family. Jack would’ve said so if he thought he could run and talk at the s
ame time.
“That night when you showed up, I was angry at you but more than anything, I was sad. I thought, what a waste of all your potential, throwing it all away for something as silly as alcohol. But I’ve never seen you drink again, and I’ve been watching you.”
“I stopped drinking not long after that,” Jack said, breathless as he jogged. “I’ll never drink again.”
“You could’ve killed my only daughter,” Edward said. “I want to hold that against you and never let go. But more than anything, I also want to see Emma happy. You seem to do that for her.”
They ran a few silent beats before Edward continued. “If you hurt Emma, I won’t forgive you next time.”
Did that mean Edward was forgiving him now? “I would never intentionally hurt Emma.”
Edward glanced over. “Good. Now stop jogging before you drop dead out here, and I have to do CPR on you. See you at the finish line.”
“Not arguing with you on that one.” Jack stopped jogging and leaned forward over his knees for a moment. If he weren’t tired, he might do a little victory dance out here in front of everyone. He had Edward’s approval. There were no hurdles being together with Emma, assuming he hadn’t scared her off by telling her he loved her.
He wanted to tell her again. A dozen more times. But first he needed to cool down. He straightened and spotted the water stand up ahead with Sam handing out bottles to passersby. Jack started walking in that direction.
“Got one for me?” he asked.
Sam tossed it, and Jack caught it like a football. He twisted the cap and drank half the bottle before taking a breath.
“I’m going to take up jogging so I’ll be ready for next year.”
Sam grinned. “I haven’t seen Mom or Emma go by yet. I’m looking for them.”
Jack nodded and drank some more water, noticing how Sam reacted when a teenage girl ran by. “She’s pretty. Does she know you exist?” Jack asked.
Sam shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve talked to her a little bit.”
“Wanna know my secret with the ladies?”
Sam looked at him again. “What?”
“Our last name is Hershey, bro. Use it to your advantage. I always carry some Hershey’s Kisses with me. I used to leave one behind every time I saw Emma. I still do it sometimes. It makes an impression.”
Sam handed a bottle to another walker. “Maybe I’ll try it.”
“You should.” Jack winked. “Got to go. Keep up the good work.” He started walking, feeling lighter than he had when the event had started. He didn’t mind passing on his secrets to his nephew because he didn’t need those tricks anymore. All he needed was Emma.
* * *
The event had been over for half an hour, and Emma hadn’t been able to find Jack anywhere. Everyone she’d asked said they hadn’t seen him.
“Hey, Dad,” she finally said, reaching for her father’s arm. “How was the run?”
“Great. Perfect weather, and I could’ve run another three miles.”
She shook her head. “You’ve always had more energy than most twenty-year-olds. Hey, wasn’t Jack with you?” she asked.
“For half the run. I left him in my dust for the other half.”
Emma drew a hand to her forehead. “Dad, you didn’t. He’s trying so hard to get you to like him.”
“I know,” her father said.
“So give him a chance, okay? For me?”
Her father smiled. “I already am giving him a chance. And I gave him my blessing to date you, not that he ever needed it. Guys don’t ask for that anymore, do they? It’s a bit old-fashioned, which makes me like him even more.”
Emma expelled a breath. “So you forgave him?”
“And I trust him. I trust you too. If you think he’s the one for you, then who am I to stand it the way?”
“You’re my father.” Emma wrapped her arms around him in a huge hug. When she pulled away, she looked up. “That still doesn’t explain where Jack is.”
Her father shrugged and then smiled as Angel walked up to them. “There’s my lovely bride. How was the run?”
“Amazing. Emma and I ran together the whole way,” Angel said proudly.
Emma felt a surge of pride that intertwined with her guilt. She should’ve made more effort to get close to Angel earlier than now. But it was better late than never. “We should all get together for dinner again soon. You two and me and Jack. If I ever find him,” she added.
“Great idea. We’d love to,” her dad said.
“Well, enjoy the booths and tables set up,” Emma said. “There’s lots of great information out there, not just for women but for men too. And there’s food,” she added. Emma hugged him one more time and then, surprising herself, she hugged Angel too.
After saying goodbye, she headed off to visit the tables and booths, hoping she’d find Jack somewhere along the way. When she called him, it kept going straight to voicemail, which made her wonder if his phone ran out of charge or if he’d turned it off for some reason.
Music played softly in the air as she stopped at the first table. This one was a free blood pressure check. The nurse occupying this booth gave out handouts on heart health. The next booth was about healthy eating. A nutritionist gave out pamphlets on which foods to eat. She also had a few dishes to try and the recipes to take home if you liked them.
Emma kept walking. Eventually she stopped at a covered table where Ashley was sitting. Ashley was still dressed in her running clothes from earlier. She smiled up at Emma. “Emma, the race was fantastic. Don’t you think?”
Emma nodded. “It really was. And this Women’s Wellness Fair seems to be a success too. It looks like the whole town is here.”
“And then some,” Ashley agreed.
Ashley’s table was set up with a checklist of things that women needed to do for themselves, categorized by age. Things that Emma had been neglecting, out of fear. She’d done her checkup though, and everything was fine. She was worrying for nothing.
“Emma?” Ashley said, her smile wilting. She looked around at the crowd briefly and back at Emma. “Please make sure you come in on Monday. We need to discuss your genetic testing.”
Emma didn’t want to ask. She didn’t want to know. If she waited until Monday, she’d probably end up canceling the appointment. “I’m positive for the mutation, aren’t I?”
Ashley hesitated. “It would be better if we discussed this in my office when I can show the results in print.”
Emma shook her head. “Waiting for news is torture. I’ll come by on Monday, but can you please tell me so I know what I’m walking into? Please. Do I have the gene mutation?”
Ashley frowned, and then she looked around. There were no other people at her table right now. “I’m afraid so,” she said. “But I don’t want you to worry yourself over this too much. There are a lot of options for what you can do next. Come see me on Monday, and we’ll talk more in depth.”
Emma nodded as her knees threatened to collapse. She needed to be alone. “Thank you, Ashley. I’ll see you Monday.”
Emma left the booth as other people headed toward it. Then she changed directions and headed toward the parking lot, hoping this time that she didn’t run into Jack. He was the very last person she wanted to face right now.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Jack saw a lot of familiar faces in the crowd as the race died down and participants went to explore the educational booths set up by the Women’s Center. He was looking for one face in particular. Emma’s. He hadn’t seen her since she’d kicked the race off.
She’d done what she’d set out to do this summer. Emma had pulled an event together in honor of her mother. If he wasn’t in love with her before, he was now. And he admired the heck out of her.
As he looked around, he saw Amanda sitting on a nearby bench that lined one of the trails in the park. She was holding a bottle of water in one hand and an apple in another. He headed over.
“You okay?” he asked.
<
br /> Amanda looked up, squinting at the sun behind him. “Better than okay. I just walked three miles. I should probably be tired, but I feel amazing. And hopeful.”
Jack sat down beside her. “Yeah? I just feel tired,” he teased. But he also felt hopeful as he looked at his sister.
She shoved her elbow into his side. “Liar. You walk this park all day every day. This was probably nothing for a big lug like you.”
“But I don’t run it.” He shrugged. “I think I’ll start though. Maybe I’ll begin training for next year’s race.”
Amanda grinned at him. “I bet you’re proud of Emma for pulling this off.”
He nodded. “I am. I’m proud of you too,” he added, lowering his voice and giving her a serious look. He could see the wear of the last few weeks on her face, but she also looked clearheaded and happy.
“You know what? I’m kind of proud of myself too.” She unscrewed the top from her water bottle and took a sip. “Maybe I’ll take up running too and train to keep up with you for next year’s 5K.”
“It’ll probably be me keeping up with you.” He winked. Then he looked down at her hand. “You going to eat that apple?”
“Eventually. They’re handing them out at one of the tables.”
“You’ve already been around?” he asked.
“Not all of them. I’m just taking a small break.” She took another sip of water and then screwed the lid back on.
“Well, after you’ve visited all the tables, let me know. I’ll drive you home.”
She narrowed her eyes. “And by home, you mean your place?”
“My home is your home. I really mean that.” Jack supposed now was as good a time as any to discuss what Sam had asked him last night. “Amanda, I want you and Sam to stay in Sweetwater Springs. My house is more than big enough, and you don’t need to do everything on your own. Being a single parent is tough. I got a taste of that this summer watching Sam.”
“Sorry,” she said.
He reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. “Don’t be. I love spending time with Sam. I just realized that raising a teenager isn’t easy. Especially when you’re going through stuff. You should be here with family and friends to support you. Move back to Sweetwater Springs. Stay with me as long as you need. I’m sure Mom would love to have you and Sam closer too.”