With a slight shake of her head, Emma turned away from the sight and snatched a cookie off a passing tray. She shoved it into her mouth, ignored the lump in her throat, and turned to her friend with a smile. Marley stood next to her in an ankle-length green dress, smiling to herself and singing along to the music. A few more musicians joined the couple on the piano, and the music grew louder, nearly drowning out everything else.
More and more people took to the dance floor.
Marley was whisked away by a dark-haired stranger with green eyes, and her face flushed when he put his hand on thesmall of her back. Smiling, Emma watched them dance and continued to stand next to the refreshment table in the back, the yearning in her chest only growing. Jack appeared next to her as she was helping herself to another slice of fruit cake at the scrumptious buffet laid out, looking handsome in his dark red button-down tucked into a pair of black trousers, a festive Christmas tie hanging askew around his neck.
“I had a feeling I’d find you here.” Jack picked up a plate and began to fill it with mini sandwiches. “Why aren’t you enjoying the dance?”
“I am enjoying it,” Emma replied between mouthfuls of food. “I just thought I’d enjoy the view better from here.”
Jack opened his mouth to say something else, but he was interrupted by a young man calling out to him. As he approached, the piece of cake lodged in her throat, and Emma began to choke. Hastily, Jack began to thump her on the back, and the young man, who was the spitting image of Jack, handed her a glass of apple cider.
She downed the hot liquid in one gulp and grimaced when it burned her tongue.
Jack’s hand was still on her elbow when she righted herself, eyes still watery. “Are you okay?”
Emma thumped her chest and coughed. “Yes, I just ate way too fast.”
And Derek looked too much like his father for comfort.
It was bringing back a lot of hazy lazy Sunday memories for Emma, ones that involved staring up at the skies with Jack and dreaming up a future together.
Slowly, Jack released her elbow, but she still felt his touch burning through her skin. “Emma, this is my son, Derek. Derek is a powerline worker here in Rockport. Derek, this is my old friend, Emma. She’s a family lawyer in the city.”
Derek stuck his hand out, a dimple appearing on his right cheek. “It’s good to meet you, Emma. Dad’s been talking about you ever since you came back into town.”
Jack shot his son a disgruntled look. “I have not.”
Derek snorted. “All he can talk about is the good old days with Emma. He’s definitely reliving his glory days with you around.”
Emma’s face turned a bright red as she snuck a glance at Jack, her stomach dipping. “He is, is he?”
Derek glanced at something over their shoulders and then turned to them with an apologetic smile. “Definitely. I’m sorry, but I see someone I know. I’ll be back.”
Derek disappeared into the crowd, and when he reappeared, he was on the other side of the room.
Emma was still breathless and smiling when she turned to Jack. “So, you haven’t been able to stop talking about me, huh?”
Jack shoved a cookie into his mouth and pretended to chew. “I have no idea what he’s talking about. He’s exaggerating.”
Emma raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t seem like it to me.”
Jack shrugged and used a napkin to wipe his mouth. “He definitely likes to exaggerate. You should’ve seen him when he was little.”
“He looks so much like you,” Emma offered in a softer voice. “And he seems like a good kid.”
“I got lucky.” Jack looked over at his son, eyes brimming with pride. “I had no idea what I was going to do when his mom left, but somehow, we made it through. He loves hearing stories about the good old days, by the way.”
“Like when we used to swap notes in class?”
“Or when we tried to prank the school mascot?”
Emma threw her head back and laughed. “I remember Barry getting really angry with us. I don’t think I ever pictured being chased by an angry boy in a beaver costume.”
Jack smiled at her over the rim of his glass. “It was your idea. You wanted to try the costume on.”
“You went along with it,” Emma pointed out with a slight shake of her head. “If you didn’t want to, you should’ve just said so.”
“I could never say no to you,” Jack replied, his smile growing wider. “You know that.”
