CHAPTER FIVE
Chase
WHEN I LOOKED UP AND saw Emerson walking toward me, I couldn’t help but grin. She is so beautiful, and what adds to her beauty is that she doesn’t flaunt it. She is absolutely breathtaking today. Her legs go on forever, her hair shines brightly in the late morning light. I’ve never seen red hair so vibrant before. While I was checking her out, Charlie raced over toward Emerson; that girl would talk to anyone, actually she does talk to anyone. And anyone who talks to her gets sucked into her cute little vortex. I sit there watching the two of them interact together; I’m intrigued as to what they are discussing. Charlie is a lil’ devil, who can manipulate anyone and everyone to do what she wishes, so who knows what she has just suckered her into doing.
Charlie and I come to the park every Sunday before we go have lunch with Ma, Pa, and Tasha, her mother, after they all finish up at church. Tasha is a family friend, and when tragedy stuck, we were there to help…just like everyone in the town. Tasha and Donovan were childhood sweethearts; they declared their love for each other when we were five. When they got married right after high school, no one was surprised. They got pregnant with Charlie soon after and everyone was happy for them. Unfortunately for Tasha and Charlie, Donovan was killed in a tractor accident just after I returned. Tasha and I developed a close bond when that happened, and I vowed to her that I would always be there for her and Charlie. Charlie was only three when the accident happened, but she knows who her daddy is, everyone in town helps to keep his memory alive for her.
It looks like today, we will be having an extra at lunch and I don’t mind one bit at all. I will have to find a way to thank Charlie for enticing Emerson to join us today. We stop to cross the street and Emerson reaches out and grabs my arm. “Are you sure it’s okay that I join you and your family for lunch? I’d hate to intrude.”
“It’s fine Emerson. We all have to eat and besides, if you cancel now, you’d be breaking a little girl’s heart.” I nod my head toward Charlie.
“Lay the guilt trip on, why don’t you?” She looks down at Charlie before looking back up at me. “Okay, sure, I’d love to join you guys.” Under her breath, I swear I hear her mumble, “Meeting the parents and we aren’t even dating yet.” That last part of ‘yet’ piques my interest. Without thinking, I lace my fingers with hers and tug her across the road for lunch. As we cross the street, I wonder how the lunch will go.
* * *
The bell above the door chimes as we walk into Tiff’s. Charlie races over to my booth in the back where Ma, Pa, and Tasha are waiting for us. Ma’s eyes pop wide-open when she sees me holding hands with Emerson. This causes Pa to turn and look over his shoulder. He grins wickedly at me before turning his attention to Charlie, who has climbed onto his lap. We walk up to the booth “…and then I invited her to lunch with us and she says yes.” Charlie is excitedly relaying what just happened in the park. “And this is her.”
“Charlie, and what did I say her name was?” I ask sternly.
“Her name is Emerson and it’s rude to call someone her.” She looks around me to Emerson. “Sorry for calling you her, again.”
“It’s all right, Charlotte. It’s hard when you meet new people.” Charlie beams at Emerson, then she looks at me with a ‘told you it’s okay’ look before she grabs my hand and pulls me to sit next to her, effectively pulling Emerson onto my lap as our hands are still clasped together. Whispering into her ear, I huskily say, “I like you falling for me.” Emerson pulls back and smacks my arm as she settles in next to me. “Ma, Pa, and Tasha, this is Emerson. Emerson, this is Tasha, Ma, and Pa.”
With a cheerful smile, Ma replies, “It’s lovely to meet you, Emerson, I’m Judy. And my husband is Jonathan. Around town we are known as Ma and Pa, but feel free to call us whatever you wish, dear.”
“It’s lovely to meet you both,” Emerson quietly replies. “Your daughter is adorable, Tasha. You must be proud.”
Tasha’s face lights up at this praise from Emerson. “Thank you, it’s lovely to meet you too. Chase didn’t mention that he was dating anyone.”
Together we both say, “We’re not.” We both look at each other and laugh. “Tasha, Ems and I aren’t dating. We are just friends.” I lean into her and whisper, “Yet.” I sense her shudder at this and I can’t help but grin down at her.
The moment is interrupted when Pa says, “Emerson, I hear you are renting the cottage over on First Street. And that you’ve done wonders with the yard.”
“Yes, I felt at home as soon as I walked through the front gate, jungle and all.” I laugh, “Working in the yard has been tough. It’s slow going, but I have most of the weeds and such out now. I’m hoping to start planting soon. Coming from the city, I’m not sure if I have a green thumb or not.”
“Where are you from, dear?” Ma asks, as she continues to color with Charlie.
“New York,” Emerson says, not offering anything further, but I sense there is more to it. Before I can ask, Ma beats me to it.
“What brought you to Nels Cove?”
Emerson grabs the water in front of her and takes a drink; I think she’s stalling. “I was on a road trip and stumbled upon Nels Cove, I fell in love with the place and decided to stay.”
“Running away, eh?” Pa says.
Emerson freezes, her drink is halfway to her mouth and I notice that her eyes glaze over. Her breathing becomes labored and she seems uncomfortable. “I…ahh, um…” She’s saved from explaining when Tiff walks up to take our orders, but Emerson jumps up and pushes Tiff out of the way. “I have to go. It was nice meeting you all.” Before anyone can say anything, she races out of Tiff’s. A loud sob breaks free as she pushes the door open. We all sit there stunned, and through the café window, we watch her as she races through the park.
“Well, that was weird,” Tasha says.
“That poor girl, I knew she was hiding something,” Tiff sadly says. “What can I get for ya? The usual Sunday lunch?”
Vaguely I hear Ma and Tiff talking, but my eyes are still locked on the park. Quickly, I stand up and shuffle out of the booth, and say, “I’m going to make sure she’s okay.”
Ma is nodding. “Thanks, Tiff.” Tiff shuffles away and Ma then looks at me “Chase, yes, you go. My momma instinct is kicking in, and I just want to wrap my arms around that sweet girl.”
“Me too Ma, me too. I’ll pop out this afternoon and let you know that Ems is okay. Sorry to cut and run.” With that, I lean over, kiss Ma on the cheek, ruffle Charlie’s hair, and race out of Tiff’s to head over to Emerson’s place.
* * *
Knocking on her front door, I shout, “Emerson, let me in. I know you’re home.” Pausing, I then add, “Please let me know you are okay and then I’ll go.” When I’m still met with nothing, as a last resort, I add, “Don’t make me find Sam and get the spare key.” At that comment, I hear shuffling inside and then the front door swings open. I’m not prepared for what I see. Emerson is standing in front of me, her face smeared with that black stuff chicks wear on their eyelashes, her eyes are red and puffy, and tears pour down her cheeks. “Ems, baby, what’s wrong?”
She doesn’t say anything; she just stands there crying. Instinctively, I reach out, wrap my arms around her and hug the life out of her. She molds into my chest and lifts her arms around my waist. We stand there for a few minutes, and I let her cry and get it all out. She pulls away and hesitantly looks up at me. “I’m sorry, Chase. I haven’t done that in a while, well in public anyway.”
Reaching out, I wipe under her eyes with my thumbs, smearing the black stuff even more. “It’s fine, but talk to me, Ems, you worried us all back there.”
“I’m sorry,” she says, stepping out of my hold. She motions for me to enter. When I nod, she turns and walks into her living room, as I follow behind. She sits on the floral couch that I’m sure has been here since nineteen twenty-two.
Taking a seat next to her, I sit back and say, “Hmmmph.” The couch is surprisingly comfy, really comfy. My face must give away my thoughts because Emerson laughs and it’s a beautiful sound.
“It’s comfier than it looks, hey?”
“It sure is, totally was expecting a hard lump and not this soft as a cloud pillow that envelopes you like a hug,” I say, glancing over at her. I then add, “Are you okay? We didn’t mean to upset you.”
“Yeah. No.” She shakes her head. “I’m fine.”
“Ma taught me than when a woman says she’s fine, she is anything but.” This gets a grin out of her and I feel good—warm and fuzzy on the inside—knowing that I made her grin through her sadness. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“Not really, but I know that I need to give you an explanation.” She jumps up and declares, “Wine, I need wine for this. Do you want anything?”
“I’ll have what you’re having.”
Emerson nods at me and heads into the kitchen. A few moments later, she returns with a bottle of red, two glasses, and a plate of cheese and crackers. “Is red okay? If not, I have white in the fridge.”
“Red is fine, here let me.” Reaching over, I grab the bottle from her. I twist off the cap and pour us a glass each, handing one to Emerson. Our fingers brush and I feel a spark zap between us. She takes the glass and swallows it all one go. “More?” I ask. She lifts her glass toward me so I pick up the bottle and fill her glass again. She sits back into the couch and gets comfy, tucking her legs under her. “When you’re ready,” I say, as I shuffle around so I’m sitting and facing her. I rest my hand reassuringly on her knee and begin to rub my thumb back-and-forth.
She stares into her wine glass for a few moments before she takes a deep breath. “Last year, in an instant, I lost everyone that I held nearest and dearest to me.” Swallowing deeply, she goes on, “The day from hell began when I was fired over the phone. I kind of broke down and my fiancé took it upon himself to cheer me up. He arranged a perfect day. We eventually met up with his parents, my parents and brother in Central Park. We went the zoo, got hot chocolate; it was the perfect day. We were heading to dinner at Tavern on the Green when a mad man opened fire on his partner, and us.”
“Oh my God, Emerson, I’m so sorry. That must have been so scary.”
“It was, but in the crossfire, he killed everyone but me. Brian threw himself on me and saved my life.”
“Holy shit, Emerson.”
“That’s not all, I also suffered a miscarriage in the process. I never even knew I was pregnant. In an instant, I was all alone.”
I’m at a loss for words; I know what it’s like to lose someone but to lose several loved ones that must be heartbreaking. “I’m…”
“Don’t you dare say, ‘I’m sorry for your loss’ or ‘I know how you feel.’ You don’t know what it’s like to have your life ripped apart in an instant. To feel guilty that you lived. To lose something that you didn’t even know you had,” she snaps at me. Slamming the wine glass down on the coffee table, she hops up and stalks over to the window. Her body heaving with what I suspect is rage, anger, sadness, and guilt; hell, it’s probably a combination of all those emotions and then some.
Sitting on the couch still, I take a sip of the wine and quietly say, “When I was ten years old, my twin sister died because I wouldn’t go to Nelson Lake with her. Stubbornly she went on her own. Cadence hit her head and drowned.” Emerson gasps and turns to face me, her mouth open in shock. “I know what it’s like to harbor guilt for someone dying, that’s why I won’t be mad at your little outburst just then. But know that I’m here anytime you want to talk and/or vent. Trust me when I say, bottling it up isn’t healthy. I may have had twenty years to deal with the loss of Cadence, but not a day goes by that I don’t think about her.”
She walks over to me and sits on the coffee table, looking sadly at me. “I’m sorry that I snapped, and for what it’s worth, I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Apology accepted, Emerson. I cannot imagine dealing with a loss like that, but I’m going to guess that you ran away from New York and Pa’s comment today reminded you of that. And it stirred up all the memories of that day.”
She covers her mouth with her hand in shock. “Oh, your parents. They must think I’m so rude. A damn nutcase even.”
A laugh escapes me, “Actually, Ma wants to wrap you in a hug and make all your worries go away.”
“Really?” Her voice is laced with shock.
“Yep, and just so you know, Ma is an excellent hugger and an even better listener than I am.”
Silence falls between us; it’s not uncomfortable, which is surprising since we hardly know each other. “Emerson, would you like to come out to Ma and Pa’s with me this afternoon?”
“I’m not sure, Chase. I think I just want to be alone. This is only the second time that I have told the story, and to be honest, I’m kind of wiped out.”
“Yeah. No, I understand. I know Ma was worried when I left them earlier. Do you mind if I give Ma and Pa a brief rundown?”
She nods her head at me, “Yeah, and please apologize for my behavior. Running out like that wasn’t very polite. I can only imagine what they must think of me.”
“I will apologize on your behalf, no problem at all. I know Ma and Pa and they will not hold it against you. They too have suffered a loss, I’m sure they will understand.” I drain the last of the wine and place the empty glass next to hers on the coffee table. “Ems, will you be okay?”
“I will be.” She bites her bottom lip and looks up at me. We stare at one another, and I want nothing more in this moment than to lean over and kiss her, but I refrain. She breaks the moment, “Thank you for listening.”
Lifting my hand, I pat her knee gently. “Thanks for sharing. It can’t be easy retelling that.”
“That’s an understatement if there ever was one. But I appreciate you listening, especially since you have been in similar shoes before.”
“As I said, it does get easier with time, but they will always be in your heart, always. And if I’m being brutally honest, there will always be a hole in your heart from them not being around.”
We sit staring at one another again; the silence is oddly comforting. I see her mouth open and close a few times. I can’t take the not knowing anymore. “Just say it, Ems.”
“I…ahhh, I really am so sorry for being such a bitch earlier. I was so rude, I’m upset with myself more than anything.”
“As I said before, it’s fine. There is no manual on how to deal with this, we all deal and cope in different ways. Yours just happened to be in a sexy, snappy way.” Her cheeks darken and I notice her swallow deeply. “I’m going to go and see Ma and Pa, are you sure you’ll be okay?”
She nods her head. “Yeah, I’m sure.”
We both stand up, I go to step around her to the door, but she stops me and wraps her arms around my waist. Instinctively, I hug her back, holding her tightly to me. She fits perfectly in my arms, and I want nothing more than to sit back on the couch and stay wrapped in each other’s embrace. She breaks our hug and walks over to the door. She opens it and steps outside, walking to the top step. She looks up to the sky and closes her eyes. I always thought Emerson was stunning, but seeing her now—so relaxed—is absolutely breathtaking.
Stepping up beside her, I place my arm around her shoulder and pull her into me for a side hug. “Thank you for opening up to me, Ems. Please know that I am here anytime you want to talk…or yell.”
She giggles and I find myself laughing too. It’s very easy being with Emerson. I haven’t felt this way with anyone before. It’s an odd feeling and it’s one I hope to explore further, but not right now. I need her clearheaded and not emotional when we take the next step in our relationship. Stepping away from her, I walk down the steps. “See you round. Ems.” With a wave, I open the front gate and walk back to my car, which is still on Main Street, with a noticeable pep in my step thanks to one, Emerson James.