She giggled. “It was a little bit, but it was also amazing.”
The bell above the door chimed, and she and Carly looked over to see a tall, slender brunette enter. Emma straightened in her seat. “Good morning, Mrs. Lamar.”
The woman glanced at her, seeming at first not to recognize her, but after a moment’s pause, she walked over with a polite smile. “Emma, right? And please call me Kate.”
“Yes. Thanks, Kate.” Emma motioned for Kate to take the seat beside her.
“What do you recommend?” Kate asked.
“The cinnamon bun, definitely. Carly’s cinnamon buns are pretty much the best breakfast food ever created.”
Kate glanced at Emma’s plate. “That does look good.”
“It’s delicious.”
Carly smiled from the other side of the counter. “I should hire her to work for me. Would you like to taste a sample?”
“No, thank you,” Kate said. “I’ll take Emma’s word for it. Two cinnamon buns, please. One for here and one to go. For my husband,” she added, glancing at Emma.
“Are you guys enjoying your time here in Haven?” Emma asked.
Kate nodded. “It’s a lovely town.”
“Your son’s a great kid. We’ve all enjoyed having him here.”
The older woman’s expression was pained. “It’s not that I object to him being here exactly…but he should be in college right now. Instead he’s here, playing around, riding zip-lines and DJ’ing in a club. He’s headed down the wrong path.”
“And no one has tried to convince him of that more than Ryan,” Emma said quietly.
“Excuse me?” Kate gave her a sharp look.
“Ryan didn’t get to go to college, you know. He couldn’t afford it so he just worked his ass off to make up for it, and he’s done well for himself. Really well, I think. He doesn’t like the club thing any more than you do, and he’s been riding Trent hard about getting back into college. He doesn’t want his brother to make a mistake he’ll regret later on.”
Kate was silent as Carly set a plate with a cinnamon bun on it in front of her.
“Coffee?” Carly asked.
Kate nodded. “Please.”
“I actually warned him to back off,” Emma said. “I told him if he pressured Trent too hard about it, he’d push him away.”
“I didn’t know,” Kate murmured.
“He’s really a great guy, you know? He had a crap start in life, but he made something of himself anyway. He’s kind and generous and one of the most hardworking people I know. Trent’s lucky to have him as a big brother, Kate. And you should support that, instead of trying to drive a wedge between them.”
“But the tattoos…and the motorcycle…”
“What about them? Spend a little time with him, and you’ll see. Give him a chance.”
“You love him,” Kate said, giving her an assessing look.
“Yeah, I do,” Emma said softly.
On the other side of the counter, Carly dropped a plate with a crash and a muffled swear.
“Don’t even pretend you didn’t hear what I just said.” Emma shook her head with a smile. “But don’t you dare repeat it either.”
Carly straightened with a shit-eating grin and mimed zipping her lips.
“Ryan doesn’t know?” Kate asked.
“This thing between us is…well, to say it’s complicated is cliché, but we’ve been friends most of our lives, and this new step is well…new. He’s nowhere near ready to hear or say those words yet.”
“I see,” Kate said. “Well, we don’t leave until tomorrow evening. I don’t suppose he’d have an opening for a rock climbing lesson in the morning?”
Emma couldn’t contain the smile that creased her cheeks. “You’d have to ask him, but on a Monday morning? I’m guessing he could fit you in.”
Kate nodded briskly. “We’ll just see about that.”
