“You know how much I love books,” Marley replied, pausing to tuck a lock of chestnut brown hair behind her ear. “I figured what better way to put that to good use?”
Emma made a vague hand gesture. “It suits you.”
Marley, whose eyes had been darting listlessly left and right, drew herself up to her full height and gave her a genuine smile. “Thank you. You look good. The city life agrees with you.”
Emma grimaced. “Not really, but that’s nice of you to say.”
Of all the people in all the world…
Running into her former best friend, Marley Rose, at the library shouldn’t have surprised her. Even when they were kids, Marley had always preferred quiet corners where she could sit and bury her head in a book. As the youngest of five siblings, she’d had the unfortunate luck of being overlooked by most of her family, and it was Emma who first noticed her.
Emma had taken one look at her from across the playground during recess and had immediately liked her.
For years, the two of them had been inseparable.
Even Emma and Jack becoming an item hadn’t stopped them. On the contrary, Marley, who kept to herself and didn’t open up to people, had taken an immediate liking to Jack, and the three of them had become glued at the hip. All of those late-night study sessions, the whispered conversations as they stayed up late in bed, giggling to each other, and the dances where they’d huddled in a corner, laughing amongst themselves, came back to Emma then.
She was hit with a wave of nostalgia more powerful than anything she’d ever felt, and it surprised her.
Emma hadn’t expected to feel this strongly about seeing her childhood best friend or have the memory of their falling out hit her with a wave of regret and dismay over how she’d left things.
When Marley leaned in for a hug, Emma didn’t stop her.
She squeezed her eyes shut and remembered the last time she’d seen Marley, days before her college graduation, with her best friend on the brink of tears.
Emma knew it was her fault.
She was the one who hadn’t done anything to repair the rift between them, and all these years later, she wanted to kick herself for it.
Marley cleared her throat and glanced down at the book Emma was holding. “Are you doing some research for the eclipse? It’s all anyone can talk about.”
Emma shifted from one foot to the other and gave her a sheepish smile. “I was hoping to find out more about it and the rumored Sullivan treasure…”
Marley gave her a mischievous smile, and they were suddenly under the bleachers again, trading candy and swapping stories. “I had a feeling you would. I don’t know as much as I would like, but you’ve come to the right place.”
Emma blinked. “I have?”
Marley nodded and made a sweeping hand gesture. “I know every nook and cranny of this place, so I should be able to help.”
Emma fumbled in her pockets before pulling out her phone. “I found this map online. Supposedly, it shows the exact location of where the treasure is buried.”
She didn’t like lying to her friend, but she wasn’t ready to share the truth yet, either.
Not when she had no idea what, exactly, that was.
Marley’s skirt swished as she reached forward and took the phone out of Emma’s hand. “This is a very detailed map. Yeah, it should be able to help.”
Emma’s heart beat faster. “Really?”
Marley gestured to Emma, who fell into step beside her as they ventured deeper into the library, with its high, arched ceilings, stained glass windows, and the lingering smell of almonds and vanilla that grew as they progressed.
“Let’s start with the astronomy section.” Marley placed both hands on her hips, and her eyebrows drew together. “Maybe we should split up to cover more ground.”
Emma couldn’t help the laugh that fell from her lips. “You haven’t changed a bit, Marley Rose.”
And she was glad that, for now at least, Marley didn’t appear to be holding any grudges regarding their failed friendship.
Emma wished her own feelings regarding the matter weren’t as complicated.
