Emma climbs in, and I shut the passenger door.Jasmine jumps in the back and I shut her door too, then head over to the driver’s side and hop in.
Well.
Here we are, the three of us.
“Please buckle up, Jasmine,” I say.
I hear two seatbelts click.
“You too, Dad!”
“Of course.”I glance over at Emma, and her smile widens.
There’s absolutely no doubt in my mind now—she feels the connection too, and she can’t hide what she’s feeling.I guess that makes two of us.
It seems Emma will be coming home with us tonight, which means that eventually, I’ll have to make some decisions.But for now, I’ll put the guilt and grief and doubts aside, and just enjoy the sound of my daughter’s excited giggles and the pretty smile of the woman sitting next to me.
I start the car.
Emma’s still smiling.The hope I see in her expression fills my heart—even as it breaks it in two.
CHAPTER 20
Finn
I hold the door for both Emma and Jasmine, and we step inside the cultural wonder that is Sweetbriar’s most notorious restaurant.
I wait for it.It will be any second now.Emma turns to me, confused.
“I thought this was an Italian restaurant.”
“Oh, it is,” I say.
Since this is a seat-yourself joint, I direct everyone to a red vinyl booth on the far wall.Along the way I greet several of Aunt Phyllis’s friends, the feed store owner and his wife, and the deputy sheriff.
At each table, I introduce our friend, Emma Clark, who’s new to town.
“Hello,” she repeats each time we stop.“It’s very nice to meet you.”
We settle in, and I try not to show my hurt when my only child chooses to sit with Emma instead of me.I don’t mind it, really, since it gives me a chance to watch the two of them interact.Emma is very sweet with Jasmine and doesn’t seem to mind her incessant questions.That’s a social skill my daughter is still working on.
Her Uncle Kevin tells me to let her be, since she’s obviously destined for a career in Naval Intelligence.
The waitress stops by to deliver the laminated menus and our waters.She asks us if we need a minute, and we all answer in the affirmative.Jasmine and I know exactly what we’re getting, but we expect that Emma may have some questions as she attempts to navigate the menu.
Emma opens it up and begins to read.She glances up at the walls and back to the menu.She glances at the cash register, the bathroom doors, and the ceilings, and then the menu again.She closes the menu and takes a dainty sip of her water.I’m surprised she’s not yet asked the million-dollar question.
“Aren’t you going to ask?”Jasmine is wiggling in the booth like she’s about to bust with excitement.
“If you have questions, we have answers,” I tell her.
“Mind if I take a guess?”Emma asks.
“Guess!Guess!”
She smiles.She has a drop-dead gorgeous smile.She’s a very pretty woman, especially when she’s not being berated by her fuckhead employer.
“So, my guess is that this was a Mexican restaurant for a long time.Maybe even an institution around here?”
