He sat down beside her at the counter. “Yeah.” He worried about so many things, and lately, all of them had to do with Emily. As much as he’d like to talk things out with his mom over a cup of hot cocoa, he wasn’t about to divulge confidences.
His mother must have read his mood, because she rubbed his shoulder.
“Has she come out of the office?”
“No. Poor girl. She’s dealing with so much.”
Jake raked his fingers through his hair. “I wish there was some way I could take her pain away.”
“I know you do.”
Lottie set aside the dish towel she’d been folding. “Is there something you could do that would help her feel better, distract her maybe, for a little while at least?”
He shrugged. “I’m open for suggestions.”
“She enjoys being outside. Maybe she would like to go for a ride in the carriage again,” Faith said.
“I could make a picnic lunch,” Lottie added.
Jake smiled at his mom and Lottie’s enthusiasm. Did Emily have any idea how much everyone cared about her?
He wasn’t sure Emily would want to spend time with him in such close proximity. But if she agreed to go, it would give him the chance to see if he could get her to open up.
“It’s worth a try.”
As Faith and Lottie discussed what they could put in the picnic lunch, Jake poked his head out of the kitchen to see that his office door was still closed. He decided to hitch up the carriage before talking to Emily.
Whether she liked it or not, it looked like they were going on a picnic.
* * *
At the sound of a knock,Emily lifted her head from the arm of the love seat in Jake’s office. The door opened, and Jake poked his head in. She’d finished her phone calls, but she’d stayed in here because she couldn’t face anyone right now.
Jake stepped into the room with such a tender look in his eyes that Emily had to swallow hard to fight the emotions that clawed at her chest. She’d shed so many tears, most of them in this man’s arms.
Somehow, she needed to find the strength in herself to deal with her loss.
“I’m sorry I’ve been monopolizing your office.” She pushed herself to a sitting position on the love seat.
“It’s fine. It’s one of my least favorite places to be because it means paperwork.” He rolled the chair over so he could sit in front of her. “Have you taken care of everything you needed to?”
“Yes,” she said with a heavy sigh. “It’s so much harder dealing with it all myself than it was with Cameron’s help.”
Jake reached out and took her hand. “You don’t need to do it by yourself, Em. I would be more than happy to help you with anything you need.”
Emily squeezed his hand then pulled her hand from his. “I know, Jake, and I appreciate that. But I can’t do that to you... or myself right now.”
“I’m not sure I understand why you feel the need to pull away from me, but I’m trying to give you space. I promise I’ll try not to be too compassionate.” He gave her a teasing smile.
Emily rolled her eyes. “You’re not capable of partial compassion. It’s not in your nature.”
Jake’s brow furrowed, then he shrugged.
Emily bit back a smile. Jake had no idea what she was talking about.
“Mom and Lottie ganged up on me and insisted I get you out of the house.” Jake turned pleading eyes on her, and she caught her breath. He looked so adorable. “Would you like to go for a ride in the carriage? We can take a picnic lunch.” As Emily debated whether to go with him, he added, “I promise it’s not meant to be a romantic ride.”
“Is this your way of making sure I eat?” she said, ignoring the comment about romance. She couldn’t afford to think along those lines right now.
