“Everything?”
She sighed. “Most people have been very nice but there are a few Judgy McJudgersons who have been looking at me like they’re waiting for me to break out a crack pipe any minute now.”
He raised an eyebrow. “I hope you’re exaggerating.”
“Maybe a little. But I’m sure there are plenty of people who are wondering why my mom has welcomed me back with open arms, after all the pain I’ve put her through.”
“I think it’s amazing what you’ve done, Em. You are so down on yourself, but I think you need to focus on how far you’ve come. You’ve completely turned things around. That’s nothing but admirable.”
She wished she could see it that way. Instead, she only saw her own mistakes, laid out in front of her like runway lights on an airstrip.
She saw the poor choices she had made and all the opportunities she had missed out on. When she had been an angry, hurting girl, she never would have guessed how running away, seeking her freedom, had closed so many other doors.
“What about you?” she asked. “Shouldn’t you still be out there flirting with all the women?”
“I don’t believe I was flirting with anyone. It’s called being friendly.”
“It’s called putting out the vibe, and you’re doing a very good job of it.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Am I?”
There was something sincerely baffled in his question, as if he wasn’t at all sure of his own appeal. How could that possibly be?
“Surely you know that every woman with a pulse has her eye on you.”
She was amused to see a hint of color creep up on the tips of his ears.
“That’s ridiculous.”
“Is it?”
She considered teasing him more but the summer night was too lovely, one of those rare, beautiful Oregon evenings when the world seemed fresh and sweet and filled with possibilities and it seemed too perfect to be swinging beside this man who fascinated her entirely too much.
Chapter Sixteen
Bryce
If one of his buddies had told him a few weeks earlier that he would find himself sitting on a swing with the lovely Emma Lucas—and feeling more peace than he had all day—Bryce would have laughed out loud at the absurdity.
What was it about her that soothed him so much?
He wasn’t entirely sure. She didn’t exactly have a restful personality. Emma could be caustic, sharp edged. He knew that was a defense mechanism, though. He couldn’t imagine all that had happened in the past ten years to give her those pointy prickles.
He was content to let the soft breeze eddy around them while the noise and hubbub of the party played in the background.
She was the first to break the silence. “I didn’t expect to see you here tonight,” she said after a moment. “I thought you would be busy with your mom.”
He sighed, feeling that heavy weight descend on his shoulders again. “I was there most of the day. She’s supposed to move back to her facility tomorrow, where they’re going to work on rehabbing her hip, so we had some details to work through. They have to keep a closer eye on her and plan to install some bed rails and a bed alarm so they know if she tries to get up in the night. She will hate it and won’t understand why she can’t get up when she wants.”
“That must be so tough. I can’t even imagine.”
“I hope you never have to go through it,” he said quietly.
He didn’t want to talk about his mother tonight or care centers or broken hips. Eager to change the subject, he gestured around to the festive background. The crowd had begun to break up but there were still plenty of people gathered under the café lights on the patio or clustered in cozy conversation areas.
“Your mom always throws a good party.”
“Are you surprised? My mom always does everything well.” At her glum tone of voice, he sent her a searching look.
