Sunshine on Silver Lake: Includes a bonus novella (Sweetwater Springs Book 5)

by Annie Rains

  Emma was still thinking about the box and the items inside when she opened the café a couple hours later. She was thankful for the endless customers who seemed to file in and out. When the crowd finally lulled, Nina stepped over while preparing an order.

  “I tried to call you last night,” Nina said.

  Emma poured a coffee for the customer she was serving and went to grab the creamer. “Oh, sorry I missed your call. Something came up.”

  Nina gave her a questioning glance as she made a cappuccino for the next customer in line. “Like what? A date?”

  Emma scoffed. “When would I have had time to meet someone and plan a date without telling you first?”

  Emma carried the drink back to her customer, an older woman, who offered her a debit card. She wasn’t familiar with this customer, which made her wonder if she was the one who’d left her a poor review earlier this week. Well, if she was, there were two new tables in front of the shop to drink coffee, thanks to Jack’s help.

  Emma lifted her gaze to look out the window as she swiped the woman’s card. Both tables out front were occupied, along with every seat in the café. Her smile faltered as she handed the card back to her customer. “I just added new seating, but it looks like it’s full this morning too. I’m so sorry for the inconvenience. I’ll be adding more seating soon.” If Halona agreed to have at least one table in front of her flower shop.

  The woman smiled sweetly. “It’s fine, dear. I’m having mine to go anyway. It’s such a beautiful day to walk and window-shop.”

  Emma relaxed a little bit, but her nerves came back in full force as more customers walked in. Where would they sit? They couldn’t all be hoping to window-shop this morning.

  Nina cleared her throat, and Emma moved so that she could ring up her customer. As the crowd inside the café died down, Nina headed back over to where Emma was making a shot of espresso. “You’re still thinking about that bad review. I can tell.”

  “Guilty,” Emma said without looking up at her friend. “I can’t help it.” She brought the espresso to her customer and took the payment. Then, with the first break in sight, Emma turned her back to the front of the café and faced Nina. “My mom always said that if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”

  Nina sighed. “Wouldn’t the world be a much nicer place?”

  “Speaking of my mom, I opened the box.” Emma’s hands started shaking just thinking about it.

  “Well, what was inside?”

  Emma sucked in a deep breath. “Not much. Just my mom’s favorite bandana and a running jersey. There was also a list of things my mom wanted to do while she was alive.”

  “Oh?” Nina’s brows lifted. “That sounds interesting. Like a bucket list?”

  “Kind of. The list wasn’t finished though. I think I want to finish it for my mom.” She looked at Nina. “Or at least check off one of the items.”

  Nina nodded. “What item?”

  Emma fidgeted with her hands as she talked. She was nervous and excited about the prospect. “My mom loved to run 5Ks, and she wanted to plan one of her own. I could do that for her. And it could maybe raise money for a good cause.”

  “You mean like for cancer?” Nina asked.

  Emma shrugged. “There’s already a group that does that in Sweetwater Springs. One of the unchecked items on the list was to save a life though. A fund-raiser with a good cause might do that.”

  “I think this is a really cool idea, Em. Maybe you can have your event at Evergreen Park,” Nina suggested.

  “I was thinking the same thing.” Excitement swelled in Emma’s chest. “I’ll call in a bit and see if that’s even a possibility. I want to get started right away.”

  “Well, let me know if I can help in any way. I’ll donate my time and what little extra funds I have. Whatever you need.”

  Emma smiled at her friend and employee. “Thank you. That means a lot.”

  The bell at the front door jingled, and Emma sighed. The break was short-lived. She turned to greet Jack as he approached the counter with his nephew.

  “Gotta quit meeting like this,” he teased, his voice dropping to a low note that resonated in her belly.

  “Am I going to have to spend my whole summer watching my uncle Jack flirt with his new girlfriend?” Sam asked.

  Emma straightened and looked at Sam, not missing the subtle collective gasp from Nina behind her and Brenna who’d stepped in line behind Jack and Sam.

  “What?” Emma asked.

  Jack gave her a subtle head shake, his eyes pleading with her not to correct Sam.

  “It was bad enough watching him try to catch your eye over Christmas,” Sam went on, his bangs falling in his eyes.

  Emma’s gaze bounced back to Jack. What in the world is happening this morning? Emma had fallen asleep in the truck last night. Had she missed suddenly becoming Jack’s girlfriend while she dozed?

  “Uh, can I get my usual?” Jack asked Emma. “And Sam here wants a flavored coffee.”

  “I remember that about him,” Emma said. Most teens she knew didn’t order coffee, but Jack’s nephew loved the taste. She always made his a decaf because fifteen-year-olds had enough energy to spare without adding caffeine to the mix.

  “Of course you remember his order.” Jack winked at her, and Emma heard Nina gasp again.

  Nina whispered as they made coffees. “You specifically denied going on a date.”

  “I didn’t have a date,” Emma said.

  Nina lifted a brow. “Well, maybe you didn’t, but Jack sure did.”

  Emma carried Jack’s and Sam’s drinks to the checkout and rang them up. “Can I talk to you for a minute?” she asked Jack. “Alone?”

  He gave her a sheepish look and then turned to Sam. “You mind staying out here a minute? A table just opened up over there.” He pointed to a table against the wall. “You can do whatever it is you always do on that phone of yours.”

  “I need to text Mom back anyway,” Sam said. “She’s already nagging me about what I’m doing and who I’m with. I’ll tell her I’m here with you and your girlfriend.”

  * * *

  Jack felt like he was walking into the principal’s office, which he’d had a lot of experience with growing up. He hadn’t necessarily been a bad kid. It’d just taken a little extra persuasion to get him to follow the rules.

  “What’s going on?” Emma turned to face him, her cheeks flush against her ivory skin.

  “Well,” he said, feeling his lips stretch into a slight grimace. Guilt curled in his stomach because he’d brought her in the middle of this without her permission. And now he was going to make an inconvenient request. “My sister kind of got the impression that you and I are dating.”

  Her eyes widened. “What? Why would she think that?”

  “Well, you were in my truck with me. At night. I told her that we were eating dinner when she called, and she just assumed, I guess.” He scratched an invisible itch on the side of his jaw, looking for something to do with his hands.

  “And you didn’t correct her?” she asked, her voice rising an octave.

  Jack held out his palms. “I did, but when Amanda gets something in her head, she doesn’t listen. Then she said seeing you and me together gave her hope that she can be happy one day too. I want her to believe that. Especially now.”

  Emma nodded, even though she still looked like she might start yelling at him. “You were protecting her, just like you always have,” she said quietly.

  Jack needed Emma to understand his reasons behind what he’d led Amanda to believe. “Stress isn’t good for Amanda right now. Not while she’s in treatment. I thought I’d wait to tell her the truth about us until she’s a little better.”

  “So you want me to pretend to date you for the whole town?”

  “Not the whole town. Just Sam. If I tell him the truth, he’ll want to know why I’m protecting his mom. He thinks Amanda is spending time with her boyfriend once she kicks the flu.” />
  Emma drew a hand to her forehead. “I don’t know, Jack. This seems messy. And Sam has already told people.”

  “We’ll correct Brenna and Nina, and stop the rumor in its tracks. Sam doesn’t know anyone here, not really. This charade will just be for him, I promise.”

  Emma stared at him.

  Jack needed her to say yes. For Amanda’s sake. “I’m sorry I got you into this, but I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”

  She lifted a brow. “How? A lifetime of Hershey’s Kisses?” she said in a teasing tone.

  “You already have that if you want it. What else do you want?”

  She shook her head. “There’s nothing I really want.”

  “Of course you do, Em. Everyone does.”

  Nina stepped into the room and cleared her throat. “She wants to organize a 5K.”

  Both Emma and Jack whirled to face Nina.

  Nina held up a hand. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep your little secret safe.”

  “You were eavesdropping on us?” Jack asked.

  “Of course I was. I had to see if what Sam said was true. And for the record, Brenna has already left the café, and she’s probably called Luke by now. He’s probably told the guys at the fire station, who’ve texted the news to their girlfriends, who are on the phone with their moms as we speak.” Nina offered a satisfied smile.

  Emma drew both of her hands to her forehead. “Oh no.”

  Jack tried not to take offense. “Would it be so bad if people thought we were dating?”

  She looked up at him, and for some reason, he thought he saw hurt flash in her eyes. She’d wanted to date him once, and he’d broken her heart and her trust. He’d almost lost her friendship as well.

  “Nina’s right. I do want to organize a 5K. And I want to have it at Evergreen Park.”

  “It’s July. The park is already booked for the summer,” he said. “I can get you on the approved list for next year maybe, if I pull a few strings.”

  Emma frowned. “I was hoping for something this year.”

  Jack hated to disappoint Emma. “It’s hard to say no to you. Always has been.”

  Emma stared at him a long moment. Then she looked at Nina. “If you’re back here, who’s watching the counter?”

  Nina grimaced. “Sorry. I’ll go do that.” She disappeared back toward the front, leaving Jack and Emma alone once more.

  Emma turned to face Jack. “I’ll make a deal with you. I’ll pretend to date you when we’re with Sam if you’ll find a way to get me on the schedule at Evergreen Park this summer.”

  He ran a hand through his hair. “You don’t have to pretend. I’ll get you on the schedule regardless.”

  “No, I want to.” She nibbled on her lower lip. “And since you’re my new boyfriend, maybe you can also help me organize the event too.”

  He chuckled under his breath. “Never guessed you’d be such a demanding girlfriend,” he teased.

  “And we’re only just getting started.”

  Chapter Five

  What am I doing? “I can’t do this. I’ve never planned an event before in my life.”

  Nina rolled her eyes at Emma as she wiped down the front counter. “No, but you run a café every day. It’ll be fine. You can get that event planner who’s always in here to help.”

  “Claire Donovan. Yes,” Emma said. “Good idea.” Her smile faltered. “Except it’s wedding season. Claire is probably all booked up and has more on her to-do list than she can manage.”

  “She can still give you some tips. Relax. Take some deep breaths,” Nina said.

  Emma did just that. “Okay. I can do this.”

  “Yes, you can.” Nina came and stood beside her. The café was quiet right now, which was welcome. “So Jack, huh?”

  Emma felt her cheeks burn. “You heard us. It’s just pretend.”

  “I thought I was your friend,” Nina said, feigning insult. “I know better than to think you and Jack are just putting on a show.” She narrowed her eyes, and it felt like she was looking straight through Emma. “Or maybe I know better, but you don’t.”

  Emma shook her head. “You’re not making any sense.”

  “Don’t tell me you haven’t thought about it. You two have crazy chemistry. I’ve been waiting for you guys to get together since my first day working here.”

  Emma sighed. “Well, keep waiting because that’s never going to happen.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because we’re friends.”

  “So there’s never been anything more? Not even once?” Nina pressed.

  Emma looked away. There had been something once. Or so she thought. “This thing between us is temporary. I’ll suffer through people thinking it’s real, but at least I have you to vent to.”

  Nina put a hand on her shoulder. “Anytime. But I’m looking forward to the good details. Like what kind of a kisser he is.”

  Emma drew back as she returned her gaze to her friend. “I’m not going to kiss him.”

  “But…you’re his pretend girlfriend. It’s not believable if you don’t kiss,” Nina pointed out.

  Emma hadn’t thought of that. The thought excited her as much as it terrified her. She and Jack couldn’t kiss. That would open a can of worms they didn’t need, especially this summer when she was planning a 5K event that she hoped would be an annual thing. And Jack was caring for his nephew. They both had too much on their plates for kissing, real or pretend.

  “Well, if you don’t kiss, I for one will be disappointed.”

  Emma laughed, her gaze catching on her father as he strolled in front of the café window. She pulled off her apron. “Do you mind if I visit with my dad?”

  “And tell him about your new boyfriend?” Nina raised a brow, a teasing grin spreading across her face.

  “No. I want to tell him about the race,” Emma corrected, feeling a little burst of adrenaline. The more she envisioned the event, the more excited she got.

  “Sure. I’ll make the drinks,” Nina offered. “I already know what you two want so go ahead and get settled.”

  “Thanks.” Emma waved as her dad walked inside the café. She stepped over to him and went up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “Hi, Dad. Do you have time to visit?”

  He looked around the café with a nod. “I was hoping you’d be free.”

  “It’s slowed down since this morning. And I can always spare time for you.”

  His eyes crinkled behind his thick-rimmed glasses as he smiled. “Good.”

  They moved to a table against the wall and sat down. Almost immediately, Nina slid two coffees and a plate of cookies in front of them.

  Emma gave her a grateful smile. When Nina left, Emma looked back at her dad. “What brings you by?”

  “Just wanted to make sure you had a good birthday.”

  She wondered if he realized how hard this one had been for her, given that she was the same age her mom had been when she’d died. He probably hadn’t even put two and two together. “It was quiet.”

  “I thought you went out with friends.”

  Right. “I had a change of plans. One friend stopped by, and I had chocolate for the occasion.”

  Her father nodded. “Angel will make you a cake, and we’ll put thirty candles on top. How does that sound?”

  Emma forced a stiff smile at the mention of her stepmom. “Sounds nice.” She rolled her lips together, wondering if now was a good time to tell him about the event she had decided to have. “Dad?”

  He bit into a cookie and looked up. “Hmm?”

  “I’m planning something. For Mom.”

  She watched the brightness of his blue eyes dull just a touch. “Oh? What do you mean?”

  “Well, I found this list of hers. Deb Hershey had it in a box along with a couple of other things that belonged to Mom. She sent them to me this week.” Emma left out the fact that Deb had sent them by way of Jack. “Did you know that Mom wanted to plan her own 5K?”

  Her father’s brow scrunched
as he seemed to search his memory. “I remember her mentioning something about that. But it wasn’t really practical at the time, with her being sick.”

  Emma nodded. “Well, I’ve decided that I’m going to do it for her.” A surge of pride zipped through her.

  Her father’s brows dipped. “Sounds like a lot of work to me, sweetheart.”

  His lack of a positive response stung a little. “But worthwhile. It was something she wanted to do and never got a chance to. So I’m going to do it in her honor. I want to remind people that she was here,” Emma added, remembering the unchecked item on the list about leaving something wonderful behind. This event could serve that purpose too.

  Her father didn’t look convinced. “You don’t need to remind me that she was here. I remember her every time I look at you. You’re the spitting image of your mother.”

  Emma looked down at the cookie in her hand. She and her mom had the same hair and eyes, the same oval-shaped face and apple cheekbones. The resemblance was uncanny if you looked at photographs of them at the same age. “Will you walk for her? Or run?”

  He smiled now. “Of course I will. Just tell me when and where.”

  “This summer. Evergreen Park.”

  “Evergreen Park?” her dad asked, his eyes narrowing. “How’d you manage to get booked there so soon?”

  Emma shrugged a shoulder. “Lucky, I guess.” Now wasn’t the time to jump topics, especially since she knew how her father felt about Jack.

  He took another bite of his cookie. “I’ll talk to Angel about participating too.”

  “Great,” Emma said with waning enthusiasm.

  A few customers pushed through the front entrance, and she took that as her cue to stand. “Well, I better get back to work. A café owner’s job is never done. But thank you for stopping in. It’s always good to see you, Dad.” She dipped and kissed his cheek.

  “You too. Don’t forget to tell me when you’re available,” he reminded her. “For cake and thirty candles.”

  “I will.” Emma waved and walked back behind the counter. Well, Jack was working on booking Evergreen Park, and she’d just gotten her first participant. Two, if she counted Angel. That made it official. The event was definitely happening, and it was going to be amazing.