“I fired her,” I tell them.
“An officer and a gentleman,” Cal says.
Special K rubs a hand down his face.“Why am I here?”
“You’re welcoming Emma to the family.That’s why you’re here!”Victoria yells into the camera.
I do love that Kevin can get his ass handed to him from four thousand miles away.
“Welcome to the family, Emma!”Victoria adds.
“Thank you!”
“We should have a party when we get back,” Cal says.
“Maybe Emma will cook,” Declan suggests.“She’s the best cook in these parts.”
“Best steak I’ve ever had,” Evander agrees.
“Good meat,” Special K chimes in.
“You boys should buy the little lady a restaurant so that she can shine,” my dad says.
“Sounds like an excellent idea,” I say.
Emma’s chest, neck, and face turn bright red.“It’s a great dream to have,” she says softly.
I put my arm around her.“Dreams just need a plan to make them happen,” I whisper in her ear.
Everyone’s in a good mood.Declan pops popcorn, and Emma agrees to make Evander a steak since carbs don’t touch his lips.When Special K steals it before it hits the plate, Emma makes Evander another one, laughing while she’s cooking.
I feel like I’m flying high.
I’ve never been happier, and my entire family is happy for me.Then I feel eyes on me, and I turn to see Aunt Phyllis.She isn’t smiling.In fact, there are tears rolling down her cheeks.While everyone is having a good time, she turns around and leaves the room.
What’s wrong with her?I know she loves Emma, yet something isn’t right.
CHAPTER 82
Finn
It takes me a minute to find Aunt Phyllis.She’s not downstairs.Not in the basement.I go upstairs, but there’s no sign of her until I spot the open attic door.I yank on the ladder, unfolding it so I can climb up.
“Hey there, Aunt Phyllis.”She’s sitting in a corner of the attic in an old chair, leaning over a pile of dusty cardboard boxes.When she sits up, she’s holding a large photo album, clutched tightly in her hands.She looks over at me, first with a lost expression, and then her eyes seem to focus and fill with emotion and welcome.
“Just in time,” she says.“You caught me looking at the old family pictures.My old family, I mean.The family I had before Murray.”
I find another chair and drag it next to her to sit.It’s covered in an inch of dust, and I wipe at it with my hand and then wipe my hand on my pants.Aunt Phyllis rarely if ever speaks about her family before she became a MacLaine, and I’m honored that she would share the photos with me.
I’m also worried about her.A cloud of melancholy is wrapped around her.Normally, Aunt Phyllis isn’t the melancholy kind of person.She’s more of a straight-shooting, take-your-lumps kind of person.
I put my hand on her arm and give it a supportive squeeze.“What’s going on?Are you okay?You ran out of the party like you couldn’t stand to look at Emma.”
She shakes her head.“I had two children, a girl and a boy.Troy lives in Carson City, and it’s his kids I go to visit sometimes.You know I had a daughter too.”
I nod.
She cracks open the old photo album, and we look at the photos together.They’re typical family snapshots.Happy events.Holidays.The usual stuff.But as the kids get older, I’m getting a sense of déjà vu, but I don’t know why.
