Page 64 of The Emma Special

Sharon placed her hand on her husband’s arm. “Let’s bless the food. Quickly.”

Everyone bowed their heads and ignored the grunts from Kenna as Jim thanked the Lord for the food, family, and friends.

Friends. That was Emma—the outsider.

He finished the prayer just in time because Kenna transitioned into full Hulk mode, kicking and screaming against the restraining device.

Harrison’s fork and knife rattled onto the plate as he huffed. “Can’t you just get her out of here?”

Lottie shot her husband a cold look before unstrapping Kenna from the seat. “Come on, sweetie. You can sit in my lap.”

James’s dad cleared his throat. “Emma, I believe I owe you an apology.”

Blinking through the confusion, Emma glanced from Jim to James. What was happening? Her throat was closing and her muscles tightened.

Jim propped his elbows on the table and folded his hands together over his plate. “I realize that the mistake at work could have been avoided had I communicated more clearly with you. I should have also tasked someone else besides James with letting you go. I see now that must have been difficult… for both of you.”

Sharon gave her husband a small nod as he finished his rehearsed speech. She might have been the mastermind behind the apology, but it eased the hurt a little to hear the words. Emma had done her best at Anderson and Associates, and she certainly hadn’t meant to mess up.

Emma nodded once and cleared her throat. “Thank you, and I’m sorry for what I did.”

Sharon picked up her silverware and smiled. “Well, that was very nice of you. Emma, I know you will be greatly missed at the office. You were such a ray of sunshine.”

Sharon still felt this way about her? She’d been called many things including flighty, silly, and extra but… sunshine? Was that really how James’s mother saw her? Her own mother believed Emma wasn’t capable of putting one foot in front of the other, much less being a bright spot in the world.

“The sun!” Kenna shouted, lifting her hands in the air as Lottie tried to settle the wiggly toddler on her lap.

Lottie stuffed a cloth napkin into the collar of her daughter’s shirt. “This outfit was cute while it lasted.”

Kenna grabbed the bottom of the napkin and lifted it over her head. A second later, she jerked it down, revealing a glowing smile.

Emma covered her eyes for a few seconds before uncovering them with a gasp. “Peek-a-boo,” she whispered across the table.

The little girl chuckled and squirmed in her mother’s lap, clearly pleased with the game she’d initiated. “See you!”

Harrison pulled the hem of the napkin from Kenna’s tight grip. “Hush. The adults are talking.”

Emma jerked back as if she’d been the one reprimanded. Well, she had. She hadn’t been talking with the adults. She’d been playing with the kid. Her hands slipped beneath the table where she wanted to crawl and hide.

James’s warm hand rested over hers. The weight was enough to keep her from floating away. She looked at him to find a message written clearly in his soft smile.

It’s okay. You’re not in trouble.

How did he ease her worries with a look? How did he infuse his touch with comfort and peace?

The world tipped on its axis. She was leaning on him again. Leaning way too much. He shouldn’t have to carry her burdens.

Lifting her lips in a closed smile, she whispered, “Thank you,” and slipped her hand from his. A casual chatter had grown around the table, and no one seemed to even notice her struggle and James’s rescue.

Thank goodness conversation was easier from that point on. Sharon entertained Kenna so Lottie could finish her meal. There were a few tense moments in the conversation between the men, but it wasn’t anything like Garrett’s flying stapler incident at the office.

Basically, the Moores were a regular family with an irregular amount of money. They disagreed, had it out with each other, and made up.

When the plates had been cleared, Sharon stood holding a sleeping Kenna and whispered, “There’s peach cobbler and ice cream in the kitchen. I thought we could eat it on the patio since it’s such a lovely evening.”

Garrett scooted his chair from the table with a loud scrape. “You don’t have to tell me twice.”

Everyone moved to the kitchen where two women dressed all in black scooped cobbler and ice cream into bowls. Sharon bounced Kenna’s limp, sleepy body as Lottie explained how her week at work had been derailed by a last-minute order that put every other project behind.