She laughed. “Okay, just kidnapped until we leave.” She reached down to raise Emery’s chin. “Listen to me, you have command of yourself. No one can make you do anything you don’t want. I joke about Caleb, but we shouldn’t have to kidnap him because we know and trust you. Understand?”
“I understand.”
Mom’s honesty blew away some of Emery’s romantic clouds. Nothing was ever as it seemed, was it? She continued to brush her hair, humming softly, as the fire burned lower and lower. Delilah popped out of Cottage 1 to see if they needed more wood. But Mom said they were going in soon.
“What do you and Delilah talk about all the time, Mom?” Emery said.
“Life. Death. Jesus.”
“Jesus?” Emery said. “Why? We have love. We have each other. We don’t need religion.”
“Delilah’s not talking about religion.” Mom leaned on Emery as she tried to stand but lost her balance and fell back into the chair. “Goodness, I’m a bit weak tonight.”
“Mom, what’s going on?” Emery took the brush, then helped her to her feet. “Do you really just have a cold, or is there something else? You sleep a lot. You’ve lost weight. I don’t believe you and Dad visited old friends when you disappeared.”
Mom started for the cottage ahead of Emery. “How about we go in and read? What happened in the chapter we finished, Miss I’ve-Just-Been-Kissed?”
“Mom, don’t tell Dad about the kiss, okay? Just you and me.” Emery folded Mom’s blanket and hurried after her.
“It’s our secret.” But Emery suspected she’d tell him the moment they were in bed and the lights were out.
“Mom, can I ask you one more thing?”
“Anything.”
“You said kissing Randy Needleman was like kissing a toad?” Emery cocked her head to one side, resting her hand on the cottage latch. “When did you ever kiss a real toad?”
TheSunday
Gazette
February 9
Happenings Around Town
WestEnd
The Beach Boys!
Sunday Night
February 16
7 p.m.
Blue Shell Amphitheater
Tickets available online.
EastEnd
Starlight Roller-Skating Rink
18 sessions a week.
Tickets at the door.
Fish Hook Bonfire
