Rockport hadn’t been home in years, but she still dreamed of it often, still visited it while she slept soundly in her big, empty bed in the city.
In her mind, the town remained perfectly preserved and untouched by time, as if she were studying it through a photograph.
“He’s never sent anything like this before.” Jules lowered her hand, brows furrowed. “Something must be wrong. Have you tried calling?”
Emma sat up straighter and squared her shoulders. “You know your grandparents and I don’t do well with phone calls…”
Or any other form of communication, but Emma didn’t want to bring that up.
Jules knew all too well how strained things had been.
Her daughter straightened her back and linked her fingers together. “We should go. With Christmas around the corner, it’ll be good to get out of the city and go spend some time in Rockport.”
Emma blinked. “Since when are you such a fan?”
“We haven’t been there since I was…what, eight or something? I think it’s about time I see Rockport through new eyes.”
Emma frowned. “Actually, you were four…”
Jules leaned over the desk and took her mother’s hands in hers. “Come on, Mom. You were just telling me how frustrating it is to be passed over for partner again and how you needed some time off to recharge. This is the perfect opportunity. Kyle is away on another expedition and probably won’t be back till after the holidays, so I can even come with you.”
Jules’s boyfriend, Kyle Kelce, was usually away on some expedition, which made maintaining a relationship difficult, but Emma admired how dedicated her daughter was and how good the two of them were for each other.
Still, she couldn’t deny the gentle fluttering in her chest at the thought of going back to Rockport, and it was that anticipation that scared Emma when she considered what awaited her once she stepped foot off the plane.
She didn’t want to get attached again, only to have her hopes and heart dashed at her feet.
Emma didn’t think she could survive another heartbreak at the hands of her parents—or Rockport.
She would always have a soft spot for her hometown, but it had a way of sucking her back in, of making her feel like she was once more that pimply, gangly teenager living in her mother’s shadow.
Emma had worked hard to rise above that person, and she didn’t want to look back.
“Grandpa sent this letter because he wanted you to come,” Jules continued in a softer voice. Her eyes darted around the office, and Emma followed her gaze, taking in the shelves of books and the mahogany desk she sat behind before lingering on the view from the window.
A streak of lightning flew across the night sky, illuminating her daughter’s features.
When it started to rain, Emma pried her hands out of Jules’s grip and pushed her chair back. “I suppose getting out of the city for a few days would be good, but we won’t stay long. I have a big case around the corner…”
And she couldn’t afford to slack off, not when she’d been passed over for another promotion.
Emma prayed a few days in Rockport would be exactly what she needed to get her head on straight.
Well, it looks like you’ll be getting your wish after all, Dad.
Jules squealed and clapped her hands together. “I’ll book us the flights. Good thing I was packed for Christmas break. Now, I don’t have to unpack.”
Emma tried to muster a smile for her daughter, but all she saw reflected in her daughter’s gaze was Andrew’s crestfallen face, silhouetted by the moon’s light, as they’d driven back home in silence fifteen years ago.
She hoped she wasn’t setting herself up for yet another heartbreak at the hands of her parents.
Don’t do to Jules what you did to Andrew. Please.
Chapter Two
She shifted from one foot to the other and stared at the clock on the wall.
The hands were moving slowly, taunting her with every tick until her head was swimming with fatigue and exhaustion. Emma had spent the past few hours in a flurry of activity, alternating between wrapping up a few details for the case, packing a bag, and ensuring everything was in order for the next few days.
