Chapter Fifteen
Emma
Her mom always did know how to throw a good party.
Emma looked around at the crowd of happy neighbors and friends hanging out in her mother’s backyard and felt a mingled sense
of pride and envy.
Rosie was so good at this. She instinctively knew how to make everyone feel comfortable, no matter their circumstances. Right
now, she was talking with a group of teenagers, and they all seemed to be engaged in what she was saying. She could chat as
easily with older people, children, those Emma’s age. Everyone.
Emma hadn’t inherited the same skills. She liked to think she was pretty good with people, after years working in the service
sector, but she could never interact with the same ease as Rosie.
She kept her eye on Olive, who was playing with a small group of children on the swing set. Her daughter was also having the
time of her life, making new friends in that unselfconscious way of young children.
Even Sylvia seemed completely comfortable with this crowd. Emma was the only one who felt out of place, wondering if people
were talking about Rosie’s wild daughter who had returned to the fold.
She was relieved when she spotted her friend Josie arriving with her husband and kids in tow. When she spied Emma, she beamed
brightly, handing her baby to her husband. He shepherded both kids to the food table and Josie headed straight for her.
“Hey you.” Josie hugged her and Emma felt her nerves relax. Josie had been so kind to her since she returned to Wood Briar, going miles out of her way to make Emma feel welcome here.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” Emma said.
“We went to dinner with Brandon’s parents tonight. I can’t believe after everything we ate at dinner that my family is still
heading to check out the potluck offerings.”
“There’s some good stuff over there. Somebody brought macadamia chocolate bar cookies that are sinful.”
“Probably Nina Patel. That’s her specialty. And you’re right. They’re delicious. I’ll have to grab one before we leave, if
there are any left.”
“Here,” Emma said, picking an untouched square from her plate and handing it over.
“You are a true friend.” Josie grinned, took a nibble and closed her eyes in ecstasy. “The absolute best. So have you seen
any of the old crowd here?”
“A few people. I saw Jake Holder and Lucy Carmichael together. I had no idea they were dating.”
Josie grinned. “Engaged, actually. As of a few months ago.”
Emma shook her head in surprise. The two struck her as complete opposites. Jake had been part of the wild, hard-drinking crowd
Emma had started running with after her dad died, while Lucy had been straitlaced and stuffy, even as a teenager.
Still, they seemed to work together.
“How are things at the bookstore?” Josie asked. “I’ve been meaning to ask how you are liking it but we never have a chance
to chat when you come to pick up or drop off Olive. She’s always so happy to see her mom when you pick her up, and I’m usually
in the middle of chaos with my own kids.”
Emma was deeply grateful again that Josie had offered to babysit her daughter. She found it heartwarming to see Olive interacting with Josie’s children.
“It’s going, I guess. Sales still aren’t super great but I’m planning a big renovation project. I hope it will brighten up
and refresh the place to bring in more shoppers.”
“That’s awesome! Do you need any help? I’m sure we could get the old gang together to help you paint or whatever. We love
projects.”
Emma could feel her cheeks flush. “Actually, this is an official renovation of Lucas Construction now. Bryce is helping me.”
Helping her be filled with turmoil and angst and want things she couldn’t have, anyway.
“Oh, that’s terrific. You won’t find anyone better in town.”
She nodded. “He’s already been a big help.”
“What all do you plan to do?”
She told the details to her friend, who seemed genuinely interested.
“I love all of this. I can’t wait to see it! You can bet I’ll be bringing the kids in for story time once you get those started
and I’d love to participate in a couple of book clubs.”
“Follow us on social media,” she said, which was becoming her mantra these days.
Emma really wanted to make The Rainy Day Bookshop a town gathering space while she was working there. Yes, Wood Briar had
a small library but it kept sporadic hours and the offerings were pretty sparse. She would love to see the bookstore fill
in the gaps.
“Emma!”
She turned at the excited greeting to find another good friend, Brooke Velasquez, heading toward her, arms outstretched. Brooke didn’t appear to have changed at all from high school. She was still short, cute, bubbling over with energy.
“I am so darn happy to see you,” Brooke said as she first hugged Emma then did the same to Josie.
“I’d heard through the grapevine that you were back in town, but I’ve been so busy at work this month, I haven’t had five
minutes to drive down to see for myself. I came down for a few days for my dad’s birthday and when my folks said they wanted
to come to a party here tonight, I tagged along, hoping I would see you.”
“Here I am.”
Emma forced a smile, though she again felt uncomfortable. What did her friends see when they looked at her? With her purple-tipped
hair, her tattoos, her piercings, she was a far cry from the popular, outgoing girl she had been before that horrible day
when her dad died.
“Where are you these days?” she asked Brooke.
“I bought a condo in Newport a few months ago. It’s closer to my work at the hospital there.”
She knew from their social media friendship that Brooke worked as an X-ray technician and loved every minute of it.
“Well, you look fantastic,” Emma said. “Like you still should be cheering at the fifty-yard line down at the high school.”
Brooke grimaced. “Not in a million years. I’m so glad to be done with high school and college.”
“Same,” Josie said fervently.
Emma had left before graduation and had gone to college mostly online, studying at night while her baby slept. She told herself
again to take pride in how far she had come, not feel an ounce of embarrassment at the nontraditional path she had taken.
“And you’re running your mom’s bookstore. What a dream job!” Brooke exclaimed.
“It’s getting there,” Emma answered. “I still have a long way to go, though.”
“She’s doing a big reno. And guess who’s helping her?” Josie asked, then answered before Brooke could try. “Bryce Kendall.”
The other woman made a low sound of appreciation in her throat. “Lucky you!” she said. “The man is fire, as my younger sister
would say.”
“Definitely,” Josie said. “He’s a lot different from the annoying pest he was in fifth grade. Remember how he always teased
you at recess and loved to pull your hair?”
“I always thought he had a thing for you,” Brooke said to Emma. “He watched you a lot when we were in school.”
Emma could feel her face heat and hoped the twilight disguised her reaction from her friends.
“I doubt that. If he watched me at all, he was probably only trying to figure out the next way he could make my life harder.”
“Speak of the devil,” Josie said, gesturing with her head.
All three of them turned to see Bryce walk into the backyard carrying a box from a bakery up in Lincoln City. As they watched,
Rosie hurried to him and hugged him, taking the box from him with a scolding kind of look.
“Fire. That man sizzles,” Brooke said.
“You are an engaged woman,” Josie reminded her.
“I am, and I adore my fiancé. That doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate a good-looking guy like Bryce.”
“Engaged,” Emma exclaimed. “I hadn’t heard that. Congrats! Who is he?”
“His name is Ben Warner, and he’s a hospitalist where I work.”
“Why didn’t you bring him tonight? I would have loved to meet him,” she said.
“He was working. Had a late shift this week, unfortunately. When he’s not working, we tend to be out having adventures.”
“Oh? What kind of adventures?”
“Anything outdoors. We love to hike, kayak, camp. He’s from Iowa and loves any opportunity to be close to the ocean.”
As she listened to her friends chat about some of their favorite recreational opportunities around the Oregon coast, Emma
felt again the sense of otherness that had been simmering under her skin.
This whole situation was completely out of her comfort zone. The whole suburban block party was worlds away from the life
she had been living since she left, trying mostly to survive in a world that too often felt dark and hard.
They chatted for a few more minutes, until Josie’s daughter started crying over by the swing set. Her husband wasn’t in sight,
so she left them with an apology before heading over to deal with whatever was wrong.
“How are you really, girl?” Brooke asked after Josie left.
Emma sent her friend a swift look. “Fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I imagine this is a big culture shock to you, coming back to small-town Oregon after all the glamour and glitz of Las Vegas.”
Her life in Vegas had not been glitzy or glamorous in the slightest. She could tell her friends about the best place to grab
a free meal and all the things she had learned about how to survive on the street without being forced to sell your body,
but she had a feeling they didn’t want to hear about that.
“I’ve missed everyone,” she said. “It’s great for my daughter, too.”
“Oh, where is your daughter? I have to meet her!”
She pointed out Olive, busy playing on the swing set with Finn and Zara Morgan and some other children.
“She is adorable!” Brooke exclaimed.
“Thanks. She is a joy. She has definitely changed my life.”
She and Brooke chatted about her friend’s wedding plans and about other friends and where they were now.
“Are you dating anyone?” Brooke asked.
Emma quickly shook her head, though for some silly reason, Bryce’s image popped into her head. “No. That’s way down on the
priority list right now. I have enough to do with the store and with Olive.”
“I get it. But when you’re ready to date, make sure you let me know. Ben knows everyone. He’s one of those guys who makes
friends wherever he goes. You know the type.”
“I do.”
Her dad had been like that, gregarious and friendly to neighbors and strangers alike. One of the hundreds of things she missed
about him.
“Most of the time, I love that he’s so social and so interested in other people,” Brooke went on. “But it’s not always easy.
We went on a trip to Hawaii last year, and I wanted to spend the whole time at the beach with my book but when I looked up,
Ben was in the middle of a crowd of a half-dozen people. He had all their names and addresses and was making plans to hang
out with them later that night.”
She laughed. “Did you have fun with his new friends?”
Brooke made a face. “We had a great time and are even inviting a few of them to the wedding. My point is that we can totally
find somebody for you, when you’re ready.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” she lied. She was relieved when Josie returned and the conversation could turn to other things.
Throughout the remainder of the evening as she chatted with neighbors and friends, she was aware of Bryce, who seemed to know everyone here.
She didn’t have a chance to talk to him until nearly the end of the evening, when she had retreated to one of the arbor swings
her mother had set up around the yard. From here, she had a good view of Olive, who was trying to wring every last bit of
fun from the party. The solitude gave Emma a chance to catch her breath and regather her composure.
“What are you doing over here by yourself?” a deep voice asked and she could feel her pulse jump when she recognized Bryce
through the fading light.
“Hiding,” she admitted. The words spilled out, though she wasn’t sure why she was compelled to honesty with him, of all people.
“Hiding from what?” Chains rattled as he sat down beside her.
“It’s not easy meeting up with everyone in town after so many years away, especially considering . . . everything.”
“Everything?”
She sighed. “Most people have been very nice but there are a few Judgy McJudgersons who have been looking at me like they’re
waiting for me to break out a crack pipe any minute now.”
He raised an eyebrow. “I hope you’re exaggerating.”
“Maybe a little. But I’m sure there are plenty of people who are wondering why my mom has welcomed me back with open arms,
after all the pain I’ve put her through.”
“I think it’s amazing what you’ve done, Em. You are so down on yourself, but I think you need to focus on how far you’ve come.
You’ve completely turned things around. That’s nothing but admirable.”
She wished she could see it that way. Instead, she only saw her own mistakes, laid out in front of her like runway lights on an airstrip.
She saw the poor choices she had made and all the opportunities she had missed out on. When she had been an angry, hurting
girl, she never would have guessed how running away, seeking her freedom, had closed so many other doors.
“What about you?” she asked. “Shouldn’t you still be out there flirting with all the women?”
“I don’t believe I was flirting with anyone. It’s called being friendly.”
“It’s called putting out the vibe, and you’re doing a very good job of it.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Am I?”
There was something sincerely baffled in his question, as if he wasn’t at all sure of his own appeal. How could that possibly
be?
“Surely you know that every woman with a pulse has her eye on you.”
She was amused to see a hint of color creep up on the tips of his ears.
“That’s ridiculous.”
“Is it?”
She considered teasing him more but the summer night was too lovely, one of those rare, beautiful Oregon evenings when the
world seemed fresh and sweet and filled with possibilities and it seemed too perfect to be swinging beside this man who fascinated
her entirely too much.