“Goodbye,dear.”
I hang up the phone and fall into the seat beside Jackson. “I don’t even know what to say right now,” I tellhim.
“You should be proud of yourself. You did it,” hesaid.
“Well, with your help. I’m not sure I would have had the courage to pick up the phone and call him like youdid.”
“You would have for yourgrandmother.”
“Do I tell her?” I know the answer, but I felt the need to ask the question outloud.
Jackson shakes his head with a smile. “No, just be there when he walks through that door tomorrow. Never in your lifetime will you experience another moment likethat.”
“I have to finish the diary tonight,” I tell him. “I have to know everything there is to knowfirst.”
“Mind if I join you? I feel like I’m invested in this romance as much as you are,” he says while running his fingers through his hair. He even looks stressed out like I am. It’s cute and amazing at thesame.
“I want you to be with me when I read it,yes.”
Jackson leans in and cups his hand around the side of my face as he kisses me hard, forcing my heart to pound just a little harder than it alreadyis.
The door to the waiting room opens and a gasp follows. Startled, I pull away from Jackson and drag the back of my hand under my lips as I face Mom and Annie.Ohno.
“Oh my, I’m sorry. I mean, I’m not sorry that you’re kissing, but I’m sorry I walked in on you,” Momsays.
Jackson stands up, scratching at his brow with the back of his thumb. “Ladies, it was a pleasure to see you today. I’ll catch you later,Emma.”
“I think I’m going to get going too, actually,” I tellthem.
“You sit here all day until we show up and then you have to leave?” Momasks.
“Wouldn’t you if you were me?” I ask with a raisedbrow.
“If you even think for a second that your grandmother didn’t do the very same thing to us, you’re wrong,” Momsays.
“She forced you to marryDad?”
“No, actually she tried to keep us apart. She told me it would never workout.”
What she’s trying to say is, Grams knows everything and has a sixth sense. “Well, if you had listened, I wouldn’t behere.”
“Emma, everything in life happens for a reason, and while we think we have control over it, the truth is, we don’t. Our life lessons shape us, our future, our kids’ futures, and so on,” Mom offers as her form of alecture.
I know. I’ve heard it all before. “Okay, well on that note, I’m going to go get some fresh air. I think I at least have control over that,” I tell her with a snarkysmile.
“Oh, by the way, did you ever find that book Grams was askingfor?”
I don’t know what my face looks like right now, but I’m not so great at lying, especially when I’m being stared at by two pairs of eyes. “Uh, yes, I foundit.”
“Well, what wasit?”
“Just some old photos, nothing really,” I tell her as I place my laptop into my bag beside thediary.
“You’re lying. What was in thebook?”
“It’s something Grams wants to keep private, I guess. I don’tknow.”
I walk past the two of them, but Mom grabs my arm. “Emma Hill, at a time like this, we’re not keepingsecrets.”
