Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
One hour of water aerobics. The perfect escape from worrying about the sea lions, the gold, and the fact that she was supposed to be on a plane back to Boston in two days.
Emma pushed through the women’s locker-room door and out onto the deck of Redemption High School’s pool.
The pungent smell of chlorine welcomed her, and a playful slosh of water lapped at the pool’s gutters.
A dozen older adults and senior citizens already stood in the shallow end.
Their bright-colored one-piece swimsuits and turquoise-blue floaty belts made them look almost welcoming.
Her flip-flops slapped against the damp tile as she walked to the two-tier silver bleachers closest to the end of the pool.
“Hey, everyone. I’m Emma, and I’ll be filling in as an instructor for your class. It’s my first time back in this pool in a very long time.” She offered a wobbly smile. “So go easy on me, okay?”
A couple of people chuckled. The tension lodged between her shoulder blades relaxed a smidge.
“I hope you do a better job than the last girl who subbed,” somebody grumbled.
Her smile faltered. Okay, so maybe one grumpy lady was to be expected.
“Olive, that was not necessary,” Mrs. Manning chided from the front row of the group. “Emma has graciously offered to step in and help us out. We all need the exercise and the social time, so let’s be kind.”
“Her family wasn’t kind to mine,” the silver-haired woman shot back. “In fact, I wouldn’t mind getting a refund on the money I donated for that cannery your dad never built.”
“Okay, that’s enough,” Mrs. Manning said. “If you can’t be kind, then maybe this isn’t the class for you.”
“You’re not in charge of that.” Olive glared up at Emma. “By the way, you’re late. We need to get started.”
Warmth flushed Emma’s skin, and she shot Mrs. Manning a pleading glance.
“We do like our routines around here,” Mrs. Manning said. “How would you like us to begin?”
Emma left her striped towel on the bleacher, slipped off her flip-flops, and unzipped her yellow terry-cloth cover-up. Then she slid into the pool, gasping at the cold water. “Let’s start with some warm-ups,” she said, her teeth chattering. “How about we march in place?”
She demonstrated the motion, letting the water wash over her extremities. “Like this.”
All twelve of them complied.
“You’re off to a great start,” she called out, her voice echoing off the high ceilings. “Keep it moving.”
She surveyed her attendees. A white-haired woman in a bright magenta swimsuit smiled back at her.
“Nice work.”
The woman waved. At least somebody was happy she was here. Make that two somebodies, as Mrs. Manning set a great example for her peers and marched in place.
“All right, what’s your favorite exercise? What do you typically do?”
“Isn’t that your job to decide?” Olive’s blue eyes flashed with disdain.
Oh boy. Emma glanced at the other ladies. “I can think of five or six exercises. I was hoping to start with something that you enjoyed. What’s your favorite?”
Olive tipped her chin up. “Leg lifts.”
“Perfect. Let’s start with fifteen reps.”
“Oh, I prefer twelve.” Olive scooted closer to the pool’s wall. “With support.”
“Great, you can do twelve. Use the wall as much as you need to. Everyone else? Let’s try for fifteen. Three sets. Let’s go.”
Her pulse climbed, her breathing increased, and she finally stopped shivering.
Snide comments melted away as the women completed their reps.
It felt good to encourage people and lead a group exercise class again.
By the end, she was exhausted but exhilarated.
As the ladies made their way over to the ladder and slowly climbed out of the pool, she wrapped up in her towel.
“That was great, honey. Thank you,” the white-haired woman who had smiled at her said. She leaned in. “Don’t let Olive get you down. She’s rarely happy.”
Emma pressed her fingers over her lips, stifling a laugh.
Mrs. Manning climbed out of the pool last. “That was exceptional, Emma. Thank you, darling. I’m really proud of you. I’ll talk to the activities director at the senior center. Maybe this can be a regular thing.”
Emma reached for her cover-up and pushed her feet into her flip-flops. “I’m afraid that’s not possible, Mrs. Manning. I’m supposed to go back to Boston on Monday.”
“Well, make all the plans you want, but those sea lions might have a way of prolonging your visit.”
Hope not. She kept that part to herself and headed for the locker room.
After a hot shower, Emma layered on her warmest pair of sweatpants, a T-shirt, a hoodie, and a vest. She put on her socks and sneakers, then headed through the wide corridor leading to the exit.
The lingering smell of popcorn and the hum of the bright vending machines brought back memories of her first year—and the only year—she got to spend at this school.
Her heart pinched as she passed the trophy case, where a photo of Luke and his teammates hoisting a trophy from some basketball tournament caused her to slow her steps.
There were quite a few McGuires in photos hoisting trophies.
It was nice to see that Luke had had a good life here, but selfishly, she couldn’t help but wonder what it would have been like if she’d been here cheering him on, going to dances, and—
Her phone chimed from the depths of her bag. Digging through it, she pulled it out to see Nathan’s name glowing on the screen. She swiped to take the call.
“Hey, sweetie, how’s it going?”
“You sound tired,” he said, without bothering to greet her.
“Yeah, well, haven’t slept much lately,” she said, forcing a smile even though he couldn’t see it.
“Join the club,” he said. “My cross to bear as a surgeon, I suppose.”
Emma pushed the door to the parking lot open, the cold air nibbling at her cheeks.
“Are you wrapping things up with the house?” Nathan asked, yawning.
She glanced toward the car she’d borrowed from Lainey, illuminated under a parking lot light.
A gentle snowfall had started, each flake landing like a soft kiss on her jacket.
She smiled. Luke would be thrilled; maybe this incoming snowstorm would add another few inches to yesterday’s and the McGuires would get another boost in customers.
“Emma, you there?”
“Sorry. Got distracted.”
“I’ll say. You’ve been harder to reach lately.”
She sidestepped his thinly veiled criticism. “I’m going to have to stay here a little longer.”
Silence stretched between them.
“Nathan?”
“You said ten days. Today is day eight.”
“I know, but things are complicated. The house needs to be put on the market, but there’s damage from the tidal wave to deal with. My mom hasn’t paid the property taxes in years, and yesterday we found something significant.”
“We? Who’s we?”
Nathan’s tone made her wince.
“Um, an old friend. Luke. He’s helping me figure out how to access the house since the dock is unusable and the deck is overrun with obnoxious sea lions.”
“I don’t like you having old friends who also happen to be male.”
Seriously?
She clicked the key fob, unlocked the door, and climbed into the driver’s seat.
Tossing her bag onto the passenger side, she exhaled.
“You don’t have anything to worry about.
Besides, if it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have been able to move the thousands of dollars in gold nuggets we found stashed under the floorboards. ”
“You’re kidding.”
“True story. I don’t know how much it’s worth yet, but—”
“Then liquidate it.” He cut in. “That solves everything, doesn’t it? Pay the taxes, sell the house, and get back here in time for the gala.”
Her stomach dropped. “I’m not going to be able to come to the gala. Sorry. I’ll make it up to you next year though.”
“Excuse me?”
“I need more time here. To figure out if the gold is even mine. It could belong to my cousin Gavin. And I can’t list the house as is.”
Nathan muttered an obscenity. “We agreed the gala was important. My colleagues will be there, not to mention the donors. And fundraising for the children’s hospital is my mother’s passion project. It’s not just another party.”
She started the car, then rested her forehead on the steering wheel. “I didn’t plan any of this, Nathan. You’re acting like I caused all these issues, when in reality—”
“When in reality, no one forced you to hop on a plane last-minute and shirk all your responsibilities here. Now you’re telling me that you’re caught up in some small-town drama and you have to stick around and play gold miner with your old friend Luke?”
“That’s not fair.” She squeezed the words past the emotion tightening her throat. “I’m trying to do the right thing.”
“Really?” Nathan scoffed. “If you want to do the right thing, then get on the plane Monday and come home.”
“But—”
“I’ve got to prep for a surgical consult. Call me when you’re thinking clearly.”
He hung up before she could respond.
She stared at the phone in her hand, blinking back tears. For the first time since she’d said yes to marrying him, an ugly thought crept in. Uninvited. Unwelcome.
What if Nathan wasn’t the man she thought he was?
She set the phone down, cranked the defroster, then cleared the windshield with the wipers.
A classic country song played on the radio, and she sang along as she drove through town.
Lights glowed softly behind frosted windows, and snowflakes drifted through the air.
Something about Redemption in the snow gave her all the feels—a stark contrast to Boston, where everyone was rushing, always going, going, going.
Here, the snow blanketed the town in a quiet stillness that felt almost magical.
A few minutes later, she turned up the hill toward Lainey’s house, her headlights catching the light dusting of snow on the driveway. Abbie’s car was parked in front of the house. When Emma pushed open the front door, she was greeted by the sound of laughter and the savory aroma of melted cheese.