CHAPTER 83
Emma
“Last day of school!” I sing.
Jasmine has skipped the last week of school, but there’s a party on the last day, so she wants to go. Summer’s driving her pickup truck, and Jasmine and I are sharing the passenger seat. I’m worried that we’ll be stopped by a cop, but Summer’s not concerned. She’s not worried about anything.
“What’re they going to do? Arrest us for misuse of a seat?” She snorts.
I’ve seen folks arrested for a lot less, but I don’t say anything. I’m starting to get used to the idea that I live in paradise, a place without fear and worry. It’s harder to get used to than I would think. It’s like winning the sweepstakes without understanding what money is.
I give Jasmine a quick hug. I’m happy for her, that she got to grow up on Yosemite Ranch with the MacLaines. What a magical childhood. What a magical existence.
Suddenly out of nowhere a rush of hope fills me, and I touch my stomach. Could I have a family here, I wonder? Children?
“Whoa,” I say out loud.
“What’s wrong?” Jasmine asks. Her head is resting on my shoulder.
“Nothing at all,” I say, rubbing her back. “I’m just really happy.”
I’m not lying, but I’m not telling the whole truth. For the first time in my life, a picture of my own children pops into my mind. Children I love. Children I don’t fear for because I know they are safe and secure.
Could it be that easy? Could I have simply answered an ad, walked into a wedding, and found myself a happily ever after?
Blinking back tears, I swallow my emotion. I’m not about to ruin Jasmine’s last day of school with a case of baby fever.
The thought makes me laugh. Jasmine’s head pops off my shoulder, and she looks at me questioningly. “Happy again?”
“Very.”
“See?” Summer says. “It’s my truck. It’s a love truck. You have to squeeze together, and then it reminds you that you love each other.”
“It’s a love truck,” Jasmine says, and we all laugh together.
Summer stops in front of the school, and I get out to see that Jasmine gets inside.
“Give ’em hell, kid!” Summer shouts.
I crouch down and hug Jasmine. “What she said.”
“What she said,” Jasmine repeats. “Are you picking me up after school?”
“I wouldn’t miss it.” Jasmine kisses me on the cheek.
I watch her run into the school. Summer honks her horn, and I get back in the truck.
“Breakfast on me?” she says.
“Is that a question or an offer? Either way, I say yes.”
“I’m going to eat three orders of sausage patties. Oh! Also pancakes. And eggs benedict.”
“Summer, how do you stay so slim?” I ask. “You’re thin as a rail with boobs and an ass.”
“I work fourteen hours a day. I’m strong as an ox. I lift hundred-pound bags of feed like they’re nothing. My boobs come in handy in the lake after a long day. Flotation devices.”
“I have the same flotation devices,” I say. “In case you aren’t aware, they can be fun in a whole bunch of situations.”
I’m asking if she’s using her boobs for extracurricular activities besides swimming, but Summer isn’t into hints and innuendo. I think I’ll have to be more blunt the next time I broach the subject.
She parks on the street in front of the diner. Inside, the restaurant is doing a bang-up business. Summer and I hover over a booth where a couple of ranch hands are just finishing up.
“There’s two at the counter!” one of the waitresses shouts, but Summer insists on the booth.
The second the two men stand up, we slip in. “Don’t go anywhere,” Summer tells the waitress when she hands us the menus. “We know what we want.”
“We’re out of sausage patties,” the waitress tells Summer before she can order.
“What asshole ate my sausage patties!”
“You can have mine,” a young woman calls. I recognize her from the fair. If I remember correctly, her name’s Phoebe Travis and she lives on the neighboring ranch.
She picks up her plate and brings it to Summer. She’s wearing pink scrubs, and her long hair is tied back in a high ponytail. She’s even cuter in the daylight. “I gotta go anyway. I’m on a double shift.”
“Gee, thanks, Phoebe!” Summer exclaims, obviously thrilled. “Do you know Emma?”
“Sure. We met at the fair when…”
Suddenly, Phoebe’s eyes get huge. She takes a big swallow. Summer and I turn to see what she’s looking at.
Evander is on the sidewalk, turning into the diner.
When he enters, Phoebe mumbles something to herself and turns away.
Evander strolls in, looking laughably out of place in the diner.
Everyone here is a laborer, and even though Evander technically labors, he looks like he’s about to open for Frank Sinatra in Vegas.
He stops at our booth. “Hey there, Phoebe,” he says. “Scoot over, Summer. I’m hungry. I need a steak before I swing by the courthouse.”
“Oh… hi…” Phoebe nearly chokes.
I want to hug her. I want to stuff her in Summer’s love truck and make her feel better. She’s obviously head over heels for Evander, but he’s oblivious. Summer doesn’t see it either, but I think she’s oblivious about a lot more than just Evander and Phoebe.
Still, it’s painfully clear that the beautiful nurse is madly in love with Evander.
“Would you like to join us?” I ask her.
“Uh… well… I…” is all she manages.
“Take a load off,” Evander tells her, pointing to the empty seat next to me. “Have you eaten? If I don’t get a steak in me, I’m going to get hangry, and…” He projects his voice so the waitress can hear him. “You don’t want to see me hangry!” The waitress shakes her head and closes her eyes.
Summer and I both order, and Phoebe just stands by our booth, seemingly forgetting about her double shift.
“You got a cramp?” Summer takes a bite of a sausage patty. “Thanks again for this.”
“Uh… bye!” Phoebe leaves.
“When are you going to start pounding the carbs, Evander?” Summer elbows him. “It won’t kill you, you know.”
“This suit does not pair well with carbohydrates.”
“One day, I’m going to hold you down and stuff a Fluffernutter and Wonder bread sandwich down your gullet.” Summer chews on another sausage patty.
“You and what army, Summer? You’d need a big one too, spec ops for sure, and maybe even the Green Berets if you can’t find any SEALs, but even then I’m not letting a punk-ass Fluffernutter sandwich pass through the security checkpoint of these perfect lips.”
Summer’s fork hangs in midair, and a bit of sausage falls off and lands on her plate. “You are the weirdest mofo I’ve ever known.”
Evander smiles, then looks over at me. He’s got a twinkle in his eye.
Uh-oh.
I think I’m the next hot topic. The carb conversation but without the carbs.
“So, Emma.” I think that must be his lawyer voice. “You and my big brother Finlay…”
It isn’t a question, but it’s not a statement either, so I don’t know what to say or even if I’m supposed to speak. But I see Summer glancing from me to Evander and realize this is some sort of test.
Fine. I can handle it.
I lean in on my elbows. “Lots of sex.”
I drop that nugget and nod slowly, hoping it will shock him enough to stop the interview.
I’m thrilled to be a Yosemite Ranch insider, but I’ve never enjoyed being teased. Unfortunately, Evander doesn’t seem fazed. He’s waiting for me to say more.
Oh, no.
“Finn is a real dynamo.”
“I’m starting to feel uncomfortable,” Evander says.
“Really? I want to hear more.” Summer winks at me.
Evander shakes his head. “I’m not buying it. I’ve known Finn my entire life, and yes, I do deserve a medal for that, thank you for asking. But see, I suspect that the man you describe may not be Finlay MacLaine. I fear you may be sleeping with an imposter.”
“Oh, Evander.” I smile at him sweetly. “We do very little sleeping.”
Summer slaps the table and breaks out into hysterics. When she comes up for air, she fist bumps me. “Nice one. She got your ass, Evander. No army required.”
After breakfast, Summer takes me back to the ranch, and Evander follows us there in his SUV. My window’s open, and I close my eyes and enjoy the wind on my face. I’m going back to Finn’s house. To my house.
So this is what bliss is, I think.
We turn on the road and through the gate.
I wonder if Finn is waiting for me at the house.
I wonder if today’s the day he’ll pop the question.
I wonder if we have time to cuddle and make wild love in the shower or pool or kitchen island before school’s out.
I wonder what I’ll make for dinner. I’m in the mood for lamb chops, but I can make that baked ziti that Finn loves so much.
“Holy shitballs!” Summer slams on the brakes.
Behind us, Evander slams on his brakes too.
In front of us, Jamie, Finn, Declan, and Special K are standing in the middle of the road, forming a semicircle around an irate bald man with fat neck rolls.
He’s standing with his back to us waving his arms, like he’s having a seizure.
I recognize his back. The head. The fat rolls.
He doesn’t need to turn around for me to know who he is.
He decides to turn around anyway.
J.R. Perkins.