“Don’t complain if you get bored shopping for sheets and towels.” Cassie winged a wink toward her friend. “Emma? What’s wrong?”
Emma clenched the steering wheel, and she studied the parking lot with an intensity that was scary.
“Bit of a headache,” Emma said.
“You want me to drive?” Manu asked.
Cassie frowned, gazing from Emma to Manu. Manu seemed off too and didn’t wear the same easy-going attitude he’d sported when she first met him. Now that she looked closer, he bore shadows beneath his brown eyes, exhaustion hovering over him like a ghost.
“No, I’ll drive,” Emma said. “Where is your vehicle?”
“It’s at the mall. I needed computer parts and saw you come out of the store.”
Cassie frowned again, knowing something wasn’t right, but unable to pinpoint what or why Emma and Manu were suddenly behaving strangely. Maybe it was her imagination again. “So, what color sheets are you going to buy?”
“Pink with flowers,” Emma replied without missing a beat.
Manu chortled from the rear seat. “Does Jack like pink?”
“Jack will like whatever I buy,” Emma snapped.
An uncomfortable silence fell, and Cassie struggled to fill the gap. Had they argued? And if so, why didn’t she know about it?
In the department store, they headed straight for soft furnishings floor.
“You get your sheets, and I’ll grab pillows and towels. What color towels?”
“A dark color that will go with the bathroom,” Emma said. “Darker is better with Jack around. I tried white and had to replace them.”
Cassie strode away to fulfill her mission. When she turned into the towel aisle, she glimpsed Manu and Emma in whispered conversation. Tense because Emma was jabbing him in the chest with her forefinger. Manu stood there and took it before wrapping Emma in his embrace. Not a romantic one, more comforting and friendly. None of her business. Besides, Emma might tell her what was wrong during the drive home.
Long years of friendship had taught her that Emma stewed and processed when she became angry or upset about something. Shrugging away her concern, Cassie grabbed a cart and started her assignment.
Cassie studied the colors and quickly chose a selection of towels. The pillows took a bit longer, but she grabbed six. She also tossed in a package of tea towels.
“All done?” Manu asked.
Emma remained silent, her arms full of packaged sheets.
“All done.”
Half an hour later, after a quick and uncomfortable coffee, Cassie was glad to be on the road back to Clevedon.
“Emma, is something wrong?”
The healthy color fled Emma’s hands as she gripped the steering wheel tighter. “June isn’t well. Manu is worried about her.”
“I see.” An understatement. She didn’t understand at all. If June was unwell why would Manu want to spend time with them? “Why was Manu shopping and not with his mother?”
“He said his brothers made him take a break.”
“Oh.” Well, that made sense, but it didn’t explain Emma’s mood. Anger pulsed off her, and she hadn’t been like that when they left Jack and Hone.
The built-up suburbs gave way to the green countryside, and Cassie let her mind drift to her music. Other managers. Who could she contact? She needed someone with knowledge of the country music bigwigs and who could be flexible about the changes she wanted to take with her career. A sensible person would continue to put out Katie-Jo country songs to make use of her fan base. Perhaps she could use another name for her new stuff and start over as an indie. A lot of musicians were taking the independent route these days, and there was no reason she couldn’t dabble on the side. Of course, she wouldn’t be able to handle a full-on concert tour if she did that. Maybe a month of concerts. Yeah, she could handle a month, and maybe, just maybe, she could return home to New Zealand to relax. Something to consider.
Cassie pulled a notebook out of her handbag and started making a list of what she needed to research. She glanced up and stared, surprise making her blink. “Stop the car.”
“What? What’s wrong?” Emma turned fierce, her tone no-business.
