Flirt (Chasing Hope Book 1)

by Lavinia Leigh

  “Well, either she leaves, or I do.” Emmeline shrugged.

  “You do not have the authority to kick me out,” Dorothy said, her hands on her hips, spitting the words out like a viper.

  “Then that just leaves me,” Emmeline said. “Sorry, Mom. Give me a minute, Nicholas, to get Millie ready.” And she walked up the stairs to her bedroom with Nicholas hot on her tail.

  “I’m so sorry about my mom. I don’t know what has got into her. She’s like a different person these days,” he said, taking his daughter from Emmeline while she packed the diaper bag. He kissed Millie on the head and snuggled her in closely. Emmeline knew how much he hated being away from her. He said over and over how wrong it felt.

  “I’m sorry, I just can’t take it anymore.”

  “I know, babe. I’m sorry I didn’t make it here sooner. I just heard she had come.”

  “At least you’re here now.” She stopped what she was doing and placed a hand on his chest. Touching him had a calming effect. He leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips.

  “I have a surprise for you,” he whispered in her ear.

  “Really?” She could use a little surprise, a little fun.

  “Yes, let’s go now. I can’t want to wait to show you.”

  Emmeline grinned.

  Chapter Eight

  “This is it,” Nicholas said as he pulled into the railway station where he worked. His father had helped him land the job. As a successful businessman and generous philanthropist, it hadn’t been a big deal for him to connect Nicholas with the man who ran the train station, and it turned out to be a perfect fit. It didn’t pay too badly, he could work after school, and as an added bonus, it included a generous benefits package along with life insurance, which was hard to come by when working part time.

  “I don’t understand, why are we here?” She reached into the back seat and put the soother that had popped out of Millie’s mouth back in before the inevitable crying started.

  “Just wait, you’ll see.” He reached up and ran his hand through his hair.

  He’s got something up his sleeve, Emmeline thought excitedly, and it’s big.

  “Any clues?” she pried.

  “Nope!”

  The clouds were thick and fluffy, and a cool summer breeze met them as they stepped out of the car in front of the hundred-year-old grey brick train station. It had a low, sloping roof and rounded window frames painted in a dark green as an homage to the town’s official colour and trimmed in a pale yellow.

  “What are we doing here?” Emmeline asked impatiently, pulling Millie’s car seat out of the back seat.

  “Just wait,” Nicholas said, grinning. He took her by the hand and led her around to the now defunct train museum. It was a series of six cars sitting on a separate set of tracks made just for the museum’s purpose, a little ways away from the main line. In the fifties, these cars had been renovated and placed on a short set of tracks just for the public to tour. There was an engine car, one first class, a second class, a bedroom bunk car, a club car, and at the end there was the caboose. At one point, people from all over the county went through the little museum, paying fifty cents a pop. But over the years funding for upkeep was cut, and then it was only open on weekends, then only weekends in the summer. It had closed officially three years prior, but hadn’t been removed, partially from lack of funding to even get rid of it, and partially because there was a strong group of citizens who felt like it should be reopened and were always fighting on its behalf. In the meantime, it had fallen victim to graffiti and Halloween egg assaults from restless teens bored of life in a small town. The shiny paint had faded, and it was falling into disrepair. Something needed to be done. Either it had to go, or there needed to be someone who would take care of it.

  The train was owned by the historical society, a committed group of Port Hope residents who worked tirelessly so that not one of the important elements of their local history would be lost. Nicholas brought her around to the first-class car, and climbed the metal stairs, pulled an aged set of keys out of his pocket, and opened the door.

  “Welcome home, Emmeline.” Blushing slightly, he moved awkwardly, as if unsure whether to pick her up and carry her over the threshold like they did in old movies or not. Instead, he took the handle of Millie’s car seat and walked inside after Emmeline.

  “I don’t understand,” she said, eyeing him suspiciously. “Isn’t this place closed?”

  “Yes, for now,” he said. “But they’re going to reopen it. In the meantime, they wanted someone here full time to watch it and make sure the outside isn’t damaged any further. They finally have the funds to restore the museum, but they can’t do it for another eight months or so when the grant money they need is supposed to come in. In the meantime, I’ve arranged for us to stay here. My boss knows what’s going on with us, and he’s a member of the historical society. He came to me and mentioned it. He knows how hard the past few months have been. I know it’s not much, but at least…” He was stopped mid-sentence. Emmeline felt like a weight had been lifted off her chest. She threw her arms around him and kissed him, with Millie in her car seat stuck in between them.

  A place of our own, she thought as Nicholas showed them around. Emmeline had been through as a kindergarten kid, but hadn’t thought much of it ever since. It couldn’t be more perfect. There was a visitor’s washroom in the club car as well as a spot for a microwave. It was already set up to serve coffee and sandwiches in the small cafe, which had closed down the year before the rest of the train. The electricity still worked, and so did a small fridge. They toured the sleeper car, which held two rooms with bunk beds. It would do. Millie’s playpen could fit into one room, and Emmeline and Nicholas could sleep in the other. The second class car could be their family room. She laughed; they even had a formal living room for company in the first class car.

  Millie began to cry, tired of being in her car seat: it wasn’t her favorite place. Nicholas carefully undid the straps and pulled her out.

  “What do you think of our new house, Millie?” he asked, holding her cheek next to his. Millie drooled and Emmeline grabbed a receiving blanket and wiped it up.

  “When can we move in?” She already saw herself living there, and hoped that it would be soon.

  “It’s ours, now and for the next eight months. It should give us enough time to get on our feet and figure out what to do next. The best part is, it’s rent free, in exchange for keeping the place safe.”

  “Really?” Emmeline asked, trying to stay cool, but the excitement slipped through anyway. Nicholas laughed.

  Emmeline didn’t want to think about next. All she could think about was now. She could finally start her life with her baby the way she was supposed to. This train was paradise and her ticket to freedom. She took Millie from Nicholas and plastered kisses all over her chubby cheeks.

  “Yeah, really. I don’t know where we’ll go next, but…” His cheeks pinkened as he struggled to finish the sentence.

  “It doesn’t matter. I just want to enjoy this moment.” This was more than she could hope for. She kissed Nicholas on the cheek and then spun Millie around. “Do you see this, Millie? Daddy got us a new house. And let’s face it, it’s the coolest house around.”

  Nicholas laughed again, visibly pleased with himself, and surely relieved that she was happy with the idea.

  With the initial tour over, Emmeline started to mentally place their meager belongings in their new home.

  “Here is the bedroom, this is where Mommy and Daddy are going to sleep, and this will be your room—but don’t worry, if you just want to sleep with Mommy, then you can. You don’t ever have to be apart from us.”

  “She’s sleeping in her own room, Emmeline,” Nicholas said dryly.

  “Don’t you listen to mean ol’ Daddy. You sleep wherever you want.” Emmeline winked at Nicholas. “So, can we get our stuff and move in now?”

  “Let’s wait. I just want to enjoy this first. My parents don�
��t know I’m leaving yet, and I’m pretty sure it’s going to be rough.”

  Emmeline clenched her teeth. She hadn’t thought about actually telling everyone they were moving that until that very moment. The prospect dulled her excitement, like putting water on a fire.

  Chapter Nine

  It was therapeutic, quietly unpacking her clothes and put them in the miniature closet in the bunk car of the train. Admittedly, it was probably only going to fit about four of her shirts and Nicholas would have to find somewhere else to put his clothes. Space was at a premium.

  It was odd thinking that her first home would be on a train. It wasn’t what she had imagined, but it was theirs and she loved it. A place where she could finally breathe and be herself, away from the further hurt and disappointment they had caused their parents by their decision to move in together. She knew this wasn’t going to be their forever home, just a place to live for eight short months. She pushed away the anxiety caused by their uncertain future and sighed. Right now, things were good, really good. They were starting their lives altogether, just the way she had imagined for the past several months as she felt her belly grow.

  “Hey, Babe,” said Nicholas, wrapping his arms around her waist and snuggling his lips in close to her neck. “Are you finished?”

  “Almost.” She pulled out another shirt from her suitcase and pushed the rest of the clothes in the closet as far over as she could to try and make room for just one more item. They hadn’t officially unpacked the night they moved in, or even the day after that, both still traumatized by their parents’ reactions to the move. Emmeline was a little worried that Nicholas regretted his decision to bring all of them here; he had hardly spoken that first day. It stung, but every time she really started to think about it, Millie needed her attention. Somehow that was a blessing.

  Today when Nicholas woke up, the spark had returned to his eyes, and he had made her much-needed coffee and gave it to her in bed. They were happy.

  Telling their parents they were moving went as expected. Her mom cried. She’d never seen her mom cry before. Emmeline couldn’t change her decision, though. Millie needed a mom who was strong, who had a hold on the situation, not some pathetic screw-up whose well-meaning parents questioned her every move and undermined her authority. Emmeline had quickly packed her and Millie’s things and went back to the train where Nicholas and Millie were waiting. She hadn’t brought Millie with her, sure it would have made the whole thing harder. Unfortunately, Amy took it as a slight, accusing Emmeline of keeping Millie away from her like she had done with Dorothy. Her mom was a pain in the butt, but she didn’t hate her.

  Nicholas’s story wasn’t as successful. His mother went hysterical, throwing things at him, calling him a disgraceful ingrate. His father finally had to interfere, handing Dorothy two Xanax and a glass of water. It seemed to be one of his regular roles these days. Nicholas looked at his dad for sympathy, but he didn’t offer any, seemingly lost, not knowing what to do. Finally, Nicholas promised that he would stay, and snuck out later that night.

  Three months later, they still hadn’t talked to him. Not even to tell him that they had paid for him to go back to private school. A letter came from Clifton Hill Academy to confirm his admittance for that year. He called home to say thank you, but no one answered and no one returned his calls. It broke his heart. Emmeline knew it. It broke her heart. He was working so hard; he did everything for them.

  Emmeline’s parents offered to pay for her to go back to school at Clifton, but she instead decided to finish her high school diploma by correspondence. She didn’t want to be away from Millie, especially since she was still nursing her. Home schooling was her best option, and she could tailor it to Millie’s feeding schedule. She didn’t resent Nicholas going back to school as normal. It just was how it was, and it would be better for all of them for Nicholas to graduate as he had planned.

  Emmeline started her coursework to finish her last year of high school in early August. They didn’t have a TV, and Nicholas was working as much as he could before the summer was over, so she began to plow through her courses faster than she had imagined was possible. By mid-September, it became a race for Emmeline to see how fast she could finish, and she teased Nicholas that she’d be done with high school long before he would.

  On October first, Millie surprised Emmeline by rolling over for the first time. It happened in the morning, and by the afternoon Millie became so proud of her accomplishment that every time Emmeline put her down on her stomach, she rolled onto her back. Emmeline called Nicholas on his cell phone and left a message for him to meet them at the beach when he was done with school for the day. She had a big surprise.

  Emmeline spread a blanket out on the sand, taking advantage of probably the last warm day before things began to cool down for winter in Canada. The sun was strong, and she dressed in jeans and an oversized light pink sweater, throwing her long hair up in an elastic, thinking how long it had been since she had last had it cut and styled. But enjoying these last warm days was a must, especially when you could celebrate a baby milestone at the same time.

  A warm breeze blew off the lake, and Emmeline laid out the dinner she had spent the better part of the afternoon making, then nursed Millie peacefully to the sound of the waves gently rolling up the sand. Nicholas joined them a little while later. Emmeline’s heart fluttered as she saw him get out of the car and walk toward them. He was so good looking, even with the circles that were settling under his eyes these days. Emmeline still caught herself looking at him, thinking how lucky she was, and at times she still couldn’t believe he loved her.

  “Hey, my beautiful girls,” he called out as he got closer. Emmeline put Millie on the blanket and got up to kiss him hello. “What’s the surprise?”

  Emmeline smiled playfully. “Just wait, you’ll see.”

  “What? Aren’t you going to tell me? I thought that was the point of coming here.”

  His arms wrapped warmly around her as she pressed her body toward his. He reached down and squeezed her bum, keeping half an eye on his daughter. Just then, Millie let out a loud cry.

  “What? What is she doing?” he asked, pulling away slightly. His eyes bulged out of his head as he watched his daughter flip over, landing on her back. “No, she can’t do that! She’s too little!”

  “Surprise!” Emmeline couldn’t help but beam. She sat down on the blanket next to Millie and turned her back over while Nicholas joined them.

  “Are you sure we should be letting her do this?” he asked, clearly unsure if he should be proud papa or ground Millie on the spot.

  “Yes, she’s fine. Besides, I don’t think there’s any way to stop her. Once she started this morning, she kept on going. Millie seems to have a mind of her own.”

  “That’s unfortunate,” he answered dryly.

  “I think she just might take after her parents.” A little sheepish, Emmeline rolled her eyes upward.

  “Shall we lock her in her room now, or do we wait until she’s a year or two older? I don’t like this mind of her own thing.”

  They pushed the food out of the way to give Millie more room to roll, and then waited patiently for it to happen again. Of course, because they were watching, Millie promptly stopped. Eventually, they dove hungrily into the food.

  “You know, this is pretty good,” Nicholas said. “I had no idea you could cook when we moved in together.”

  “Neither did I. I never tried before.”

  He took another bite just as Millie rolled, this time from her back to her front. “You know we’re never going to keep her in one place now.”

  “Ugh, I don’t even want to think about it.”

  “I can’t believe they’re missing out on this.” He gazed at the water with a faraway look in his eye. He didn’t have to say who; she knew he meant his family.

  She leaned over and put her head on his shoulder, and he wrapped his arm around her.

  If only there was a way she could fix it.

/>   Chapter Ten

  As October wore on, the air chilled and Millie began to roll and wiggle with more and more confidence. By December, she had grown so much that neither Emmeline nor Nicholas could believe it. With only weeks until Christmas, Nicholas wasn’t acting like himself. Emmeline could see sadness lurking behind his normally vivid eyes, and feel the heaviness weighing on him that she knew he was trying to mask. She finally confronted him. Nicholas broke down and wept for the first time. With the holidays coming up and dreadfully missing his brother, he was done with their exile. She sent him out for an evening with Callum, hoping some downtime would do him good, but although he had fun, she could tell it didn’t erase the ache of missing his family.

  Emmeline had heard through the grapevine there were problems on the other end as well. Dorothy wasn’t showing up at her regular committee meetings, which was unusual.

  Emmeline hadn’t spoken to Dorothy herself since the baby shower. Part of her felt bad that Dorothy was apparently struggling, but she wasn’t the only one affected. It was time to move on and get over it. To tell the truth, Emmeline got angry every time she thought about it. Dorothy went on and on about how she and Nicholas were still children and didn’t know what they were doing, but Emmeline couldn’t help but think how much Dorothy acted like a toddler throwing a temper tantrum. Emmeline didn’t say anything to Nicholas about what she thought. For once her tongue didn’t get the better of her when she and Nicholas were talking.

  Emmeline decided to swallow her pride and put aside caution so that she could attempt to fix things with Dorothy. It might just be the best present she could give Nicholas, especially since she couldn’t afford anything of significance. Maybe, with the time that had passed and the holidays coming up, Dorothy would be able to see reason. If not for Emmeline’s sake, at the very least for Nicholas’s. She decided to take Millie to their house while Nicholas was in school. She didn’t want to tell him she did this if it didn’t work out.