Emma raked a hand through her hair. “Are you more upset over the fact I chose to be a lawyer or the fact I didn’t end up with Jack?”
Marie sighed and glanced over at Henry, who sat in an armchair by the window, staring out at the snow. “Henry, please.”
“Your mother is just concerned that you’ve lost your way and turned your back on your roots.”
Emma’s stomach tightened. “You want to talk about roots, really? Because the two of you are just a model of stability? That’s rich.”
Henry’s eyes flashed as he stood up and towered over his daughter. “There’s no need to take that tone with us.”
Emma’s phone rang, bringing her back to the present with a jolt and earning a few withering looks from a group of elderly women standing nearby. Hastily, she fished it out of her pocket and pressed it to her ear.
Jules sounded out of breath. “I’ll be there in a few minutes. You still at the supermarket?”
“Yeah, I thought I’d pick up a few things to snack on while we’re at the inn,” Emma replied, pausing to switch the phone to her other ear. “Do you want me to come outside and meet you?”
“No need. I’ll be there soon,” Jules said, her voice rising in excitement. “I can’t wait to see Grandma and Grandpa tomorrow.”
Emma’s mouth turned to ash. “I’m sure they’ll be very happy to see you.”
Provided they didn’t rip into Emma first.
When Jules came in a short while later in a puffer jacket and combat boots, her face flushed with color, some of the knots in Emma’s stomach loosened. The two spent the next hour wandering through the aisles while people whispered and Christmas classics played in the background. Once they walked out, arm in arm, a strange chill raced up Emma’s spine and stayed with her as they checked into the Beech Tree Bed and Breakfast.
That night, while Jules dozed peacefully on the bed next to hers, Emma stared up at the ceiling and tried to imagine all the ways the visit could go wrong.
At least Jules was there to help cushion the fall.
A part of her felt guilty for dragging Jules back into the line of fire, despite its necessity.
Emma could only pray she was making the right decision for both their sakes.
Chapter Three
“Remind me again why we’re not headed to Grandma and Grandpa’s right away.” Jules appeared in the doorway to the bathroom, auburn hair pushed to the side and an oversized Christmas sweater hanging off her delicate frame. “I know we got in late yesterday, but shouldn’t we see them right away?”
Emma picked up her brush and pretended to sort through the tangles. “They’re late risers now, sweetheart, so I thought we could walk around town for a bit. Give them a chance to have breakfast and go through their routine.”
And it gave her a chance to figure out what on Earth she was going to tell them.
A perfunctoryhellodidn’t seem like it was going to cut it.
Nor did shoving Jules in their faces and praying it thawed some of the ice.
It’s not like it’s a complete surprise. Your dad did send you that letter, after all.
Except she hadn’t heard from him since then, and she’d already placed several phone calls to her assistant, Roger, who was holding down the fort until she returned, and still had nonews for her about the developments in the divorce caseormissed calls from her dad.
At the thought of her most recent case, Emma scowled, familiar frustration bubbling to the surface.
How can one man be so hard to track down?she mused.How’s he still missing when I have some of the best people looking for him, including his own lawyer?
Mr. Anderson’s lawyer couldn’t dodge her calls forever.
After running a towel through her hair, Emma stepped back into the room and tried to place all her worries about the Anderson case on the back burner. She went over to the suitcase propped open by the side of the bed, taking out a blue fleece sweater and some dark jeans, all while trying to ignore the niggling voice in the back of her head. Jules was studying the flurry of snow outside their window as Emma laced up her boots and straightened her back.
You can do this, Em. Today is going to be a better day. You’ll see.
On the tips of her toes, and not wanting to run into anyone she knew, lest she be dragged into inane small talk, Emma led Jules down the carpeted stairs, past the people milling outside the dining room area, and into the snow-covered landscape outside. Shivering, Emma zipped up her jacket, pulled down her collar, and peered at the sun set against a backdrop of bright blue clouds. With a smile, Jules looped her arm through Emma’s and pulled her down the stairs of the front porch.
