Despite that, she found herself smiling. “Thanks, Frank.” She said. “So…are we ready to bake?”
“Yes, ma’am!” He said, in a pretend Southern boy accent which made Emmy laugh.
Just as they were about to make their way to the kitchen, someone rang the doorbell.
“Expecting anyone?” Frank asked Emmy.
“Not that I know of.” Emmy said. “Don’t worry. It’s probably just one of those neighbors. I’ll get it. Just go to the kitchen, it’s just at the back of that arch over there—“ She pointed to the Grecian Arch that separated the living room from the kitchen. “I’ll see you in a bit.”
“Alright, Madame…” He said then made his way to the kitchen.
Emmy then walked towards the door and opened it to see who rang the doorbell. She was then surprised to see Daniel standing outside the door, his hands in his pockets. If they were still together, Emmy probably would have hugged him right at that moment. She thought that he looked absolutely great with his tanned skin and hair that now went past his neck. Maybe, she just missed him too much, she thought.
But before she could do anything out of the ordinary, she reminded herself that Frank was waiting for her in the kitchen and that she no longer had any business with Daniel. It wasn’t Daniel who sent her those roses, anyway.
Sure, he knew that she loved roses so much but she could not see the point of him sending her anything. It’s just too impossible, in her opinion. They’re no longer that couple and she could not let all these unresolved feelings ruin her chances of starting over again. Sure, Daniel was there for him in the past but right now, it’s Frank who she’s got—and she has to focus on that.
“Daniel.” She greeted. “What a surprise…what are you doing here?”
“Did you get what I sent?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Dan.”
He took a deep breath and saw the roses in the living room. He then looked at Emmy once more. “I heard about what happened last night.”
“Wow, I can’t believe news flew out that fast.” Emmy said sarcastically.
Daniel took a deep breath once more. “Emmy,” he said. “I just want you to know that whatever happens…I’m here, okay? You can still count on me. We’re still friends.”
“That’s a really nice thing to say, Dan, but…I really don’t think it’s right for us to be around each other right now.”
“And why not?” He said. “Because you broke up with me?”
“You let me break up with you.”
“Wow, so now it’s my fault?”
“All I’m saying is that we’re clearly not strong enough to stay together.”
“Maybe that’s what you think.” He said. “I don’t blame you, though. Things have been terribly hard and crazy the past couple of months, anyway. But I won’t deny that I got hurt when you broke up with me and felt like I was the cause of all of these.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Maybe not in that way but come on, Em. That’s exactly what you were trying to imply.”
She took a deep breath. “I don’t even know why we’re still talking about this.”
“Maybe because we really haven’t talked about it before.”
“There’s nothing to talk about anymore, Dan. We’re over. That’s all we’ll ever be.” She said. “And…and someone’s waiting for me inside. Someone who’s willing to make my life rosy again.”
“What?” Dan looked confused. “Wait a second, Em—“
“I’m sorry.” Emmy cut him off. “I’ll just see you around.”
She closed the door and turned her back on him but her heart was screaming for her to look back. She didn’t.
CHAPTER 10
DANGEROUS CAKES
Emmy felt like her hands were shaking as she went inside the kitchen where a couple of ingredients were already laid out on the table. There was coconut milk, orange juice, orange zest, mango cubes, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, buttermilk, coconut, butter, salt, flour, ginger, eggs, and baking soda. Frank was even wearing an apron, ready for action.
“I hope you don’t mind that I rummaged through your fridge and looked for stuff that we could use.” He said. “I mean, I thought you’d still be long outside—“
“It’s okay.” She said. “And I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—“
“No, you don’t have to be sorry. It seemed like you and him had a lot of catching up to do…”
She took a deep breath, took an apron and wore it. She then pitched herself a glass of water, drank, and spoke. “I told you,” she said, “it’s complicated between me and Dan.”
“As far as I’m concerned, he seems to still be into you. I can’t blame him. I mean, come on, look at you.”
She laughed. “It’s not like that.”
“Messy break-up?”
She sighed. She really did not want to talk about Daniel right now but she knew that sooner or later, they had to talk about him and she had to come to terms with her past. “You could say that.” She finally answered. “He just came by to say that he heard about what happened last night. I mean, with Grace and all that—“
“Maybe he’s just concerned. You were friends, after all. I mean, weren’t you also together back in high school?”
She furrowed her brows, confused. “I don’t remember telling you about that.”
“I’m sorry.” He said. “Someone else must have told me. I mean, news travels fast in this town, you know.”
She bit her lip, unsure if she would believe him, but she decided that it would be stupid to make a big deal out of this. “Oh, okay.” She said. “So…what have we got out here…”
“Unlikely combination, eh?” He quipped as she went through each of the ingredients. “What do you think can we make with that?”
She was quiet for a little while then she took some of the orange zest in her hands and smiled at him. “I think we can make a spicy tropical inspired cupcake with these.” She said. “Make those cupcakes.” She grinned.
He grinned back. “Spicy cupcakes? Won’t those be weird?”
“Oh no, they’re great.” She said. “Dangerously great.”
“I like the sound of that.” He said and she laughed.
She started mixing all of the ingredients in a bowl, starting from the flour, baking soda, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, salt, and cloves. She stirred them altogether until the mixture was no longer clumpy then asked Frank to cream the butter.
“Is this alright?” He asked.
“Just mix it up a bit.” She instructed.
“You know,” he said, “I feel like you’re this kitchen goddess and I’m just…well, I don’t know what to call myself.”
She laughed. “My mom was the kitchen goddess. She’s really great. Sometimes, when I cook or bake, I just miss her all the more. But you know,” she added the eggs and sugar to the butter mixture, “these past couple of months, I realized that maybe, it’s also a good thing that she’s no longer here. At least, she’s in peace now. She does not deserve this kind of life at all, you know.”
“It’s tough not having your mother around.” He said. “I lost mine at an early age, too. But lucky for me, I have this mother figure who took me like her own child and I’m telling you, Em, I’ll do anything for her.”
“Wow.” Emmy exclaimed. “So…who is she? Where is she?”
“Oh, don’t worry.” He said. “You’ll meet her soon.” He smiled.
Emmy thought that there was something weird about the way he smiled but she just could not put her feelings into words. She just chose to ignore whatever it is that she has been feeling—for now.
“Em…” He said. “You know, there’s another reason why I’m here right now.”
Emmy was confused. “What is it?” She asked.
“Well…I know it may be too early for this but I don’t believe that you should postpone things, especially if you know that they’re right.” He told her. “I believe that once you
see the spark, you have to recognize it and work on it.”
“What are you saying?” She asked.
“I’m saying that…right now, I’m here to ask you out on a date. A proper date. Not in this house or in my house and without any of us having to cook or work for anything.”
She laughed.
“I’m serious!” He smiled. “I know we don’t know each other too much yet. We met just a couple of days ago. But I know that whatever it is that we have right now, even if it’s not something big yet, it can revolve to something better. So, Emmy Byrne, may I ask you out on a date?”
Emmy found herself smiling. “I’d love to.” She answered. “I’d really love to.”
Just then, Emmy heard Troy walking past the kitchen. “Sorry for eavesdropping,” he laughed. “I saw the bouquet of roses outside and thought that Dan sent them and I was going to ask you about it, Em, but…wow, seems like you got a date tomorrow, darling.”
“Hello, sir.” Frank said, went up to Troy, and held out his hand for a handshake. “It’s so nice to finally see you! Oh and yes. I’m here to ask your daughter out on a date, if that’s okay with you.”
Troy laughed. “If it’s okay with her then there’s no problem with me.” He said. “Just don’t break her heart, okay? And take care of her.”
“Dad, it’s just a date.” Emmy said and smiled.
“I know, I know,” Troy said. “But it’s been a tough couple of months. You really can’t expect me to not be scared at all.”
“Don’t worry, Mister Byrne,” Frank said. “You can trust me.”
CHAPTER 11
A DATE
“Why don’t you tell me what you know, Ruby?” Emmy asked Ruby as they were both among hazy clouds; clouds that were as hazy as Emmy’s mind.
Ruby laughed. There was something sad about the way she laughed. “Honey, I can’t. I’m not the one who’s alive right now. I’m not the one who’s still on earth. But here’s what I know…You’re not very safe, Em. Even if you think you are, you’re not. And it’s not because of who you think are your friends. I don’t think I’m making sense.”
“Ruby, tell me who’s behind this.”
“I’d tell you but then he’d have to kill you.”
“What? Ruby—“
“Em, are you okay?” Troy asked Emmy who came back to her senses. She just came downstairs after dressing up in an off-shoulder black mid-length dress and her favorite Christian Loubotin shoes.
“Dad.” She said. “Right, uhm, I’m okay.”
“You look great.” He said. “Frank’s lucky to be dating you.”
She laughed lightly even though she was sweating a bit. She just wanted Frank to arrive so they could go on their date and she could forget about having those Ruby dreams again.
She felt like Ruby was trying to tell her something but she had no idea what she was trying to say. Each and every day, she just gets all the more confused and there’s also the fact that she has no idea whether she has to believe her dreams or not. They’re only dreams, after all, and it would be stupid to follow through with them but somehow, she felt like those dreams were her only hope.
“Emmy, are you really okay?” Troy asked again. “You look pale. Did something happen? Did he cancel on you? Because if he did, I would—“
“Dad, it’s not Frank, okay? I’m fine. I’m just…I guess I haven’t been sleeping well recently.”
Troy took a deep breath. “I understand.” He said. “You know, if you want to rest I can tell Frank to just come back soon.”
“That won’t be fair to him.” She smiled lightly. “I’ll be okay.”
Just then the doorbell rang. “I guess that’s him.” Emmy said. “I’ll be going now, dad. Don’t worry too much about me. I’ll be okay.”
“If you say so.”
***
Frank meant it when he said that it would be a real date. They went to La Donna, this really exquisite Italian restaurant just a couple of blocks away from Frank’s house and Emmy thought that it was a really beautiful place. There were Grape Vines wrapped around the arcs, fruit-bearing trees outside the restaurant, and photos of some of Italy’s best destinations on the walls. The food was superb, too. They had Cheese Bruschetta, Gnocchi di Ricotta, Frutti de Mare, and Pizza Siciliana. Emmy actually felt like she was in Italy, which is one of her favorite places on earth.
They also had a good conversation over one of the best wines that Emmy has tried for her whole life. However, she felt like Frank still was not telling her a lot, especially when it came to his foster mother or whoever it was that he now considers his mother. She also could not tell him a lot about her past relationship with Daniel, and about every single thing that happened in Sky Valley since she came back because she did not want to ruin the night. But at the back of her mind, she felt like the night was not as perfect as how Frank intended it to be, and it wasn’t just because of her.
One time in the evening, someone called Frank on the phone and he was pretty much upset about it. He told whoever it was to “just let it go” and that “he knows what he’s doing” and when Emmy asked him about it, all he said was that Emmy has nothing to do with it and that everything’s alright but somehow, Emmy felt like a lot of things were wrong.
Did she like Frank? Of course, she did. He was charming, and great, and he reminded her that she could still reach for her dreams. He reminded her of Paris and of some of the best times in her life. But she didn’t really know if it was enough.
He brought her home that night and kissed her goodnight. He said he’d see her again tomorrow and that she should make a list of things that they should buy because they are going grocery shopping then they would go to his house and hang out for a bit. She thanked him for the nice experience and watched him drive his car away.
It was a windy evening; she felt a bit chilly, but instead of going inside the house right away, she chose to stay outside and feel the wind blowing her hair, making her feel colder inside.
She fished out her phone from her purse. She hesitated about doing what she was about to do for a bit but decided to go forth with it. Maybe it was the wine, or maybe it’s just how things have been recently but she did the unthinkable: she dialed Daniel’s number. After three rings, he picked up.
“Em?” He asked. “What’s going on?” It was already forty-five minutes past midnight. Of course, he’d wonder why she was calling.
“Dan,” she said, feeling the tears about to rush out from her eyes. Her voice was shaking but she decided to speak before he could even say anything else. “Please don’t say anything just…just listen to me. I know I’m not supposed to call you. I know that I asked for this and that I deserve every inch of your madness or whatever it is that you feel about me right now. I don’t even know why I’m calling you but I guess, I just…I just want you to know that…that I’m not exactly happy right now. I went on a date with Frank and…and it seemed perfect but…but you know things never really are perfect. I don’t know what I’m looking for, Dan. I don’t know what I wanted. But I guess…I guess I’m still looking for the kind of love that we had. I’m still looking for those conversations. I’m still looking for you.
Every single day, it just gets worse. I know I broke up with you. I’m not asking you to take me back and all that…I just…I just want you to hear what I have to say because no one else would listen.
And I’m tired. I’m just tired, Dan. I’m sorry. I miss you.”
“Emmy,”
Emmy shook her head and shut down her phone. She did not want to hear what he was about to say. She felt broken and confused—and all her thoughts scared her even more.
CHAPTER 12
BE CAREFUL
Emmy found herself walking in a garden full of Red Roses. She felt like she was Alice and that she was finally in her wonderland. There were a couple of butterflies in front of her, as if asking her to follow them.
So she did.
She walked through an almost endless path of spi
rals. She didn’t know where she was going or where she was headed to. All she knew was that she had to follow the butterflies.
Then, the butterflies stopped and vanished and she felt so dizzy that she fell on the floor where there were thousands of red roses—thorny red roses—waiting for her. She stepped on them carefully but no matter how careful she was, the roses still pricked her and made her bleed.
“Stop!” She called out. She didn’t know if anyone was listening but she wanted to ask for help. “Stop, please!”
Suddenly, someone helped her stand up. There were two of them, actually: Annabeth and Ruby. They looked exactly like they did when they were alive except for the fact that they were now wearing tattered white dresses and that their eyes looked dead—like there were no emotions inside of them; like they never lived in this earth.
“Annabeth? Ruby?” Emmy said.
“You haven’t changed.” Annabeth said. “You’re still not careful about the people you trust!”
“I warned you.” Ruby told Emmy, her eyes making Emmy scared. They were cold and lifeless—just like Ruby was. “I warned you, Emmy. You keep talking to people you should not be talking to and where does that lead you? Sooner or later, you’ll end up like us!”
“Maybe even worse than us!” Annabeth added. “I did not deserve this, you know? And Ruby does not deserve to die, too! It was her choice though—“
“I didn’t really have a choice—“
“Why, Ruby?” Emmy asked.
“Don’t be such an idiot.” Annabeth said. Even in the other life, she was still a bitch. “You know, Emmy. At the back of your mind, you know.”
“But I don’t!” Emmy felt so helpless; trapped and helpless.
“Of course you do.” Ruby said. “You’re just blinded right now. You’re letting your thoughts control you. You’re much smarter than that. You have to be careful, Emmy, or else a lot of people would get hurt. You have to be careful if you want to save yourself and the people that you love. You have to listen to us or else our deaths would be in vain.”
“But I’m so confused!” Emmy said. “I don’t know what to do anymore. You have to help me!”
William Jarvis - Sky Valley 03 - Mayhem at the Mansion Page 4