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

by Annie Rains

“I’m so thrilled about this fair and now your 5K as well. I really believe it could save a life.”

  Goose bumps popped over Emma’s arms. “Save a life,” she repeated. “That was one of the items on my mom’s Life List too.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Jack didn’t mind silence. It was one of the reasons he loved his job. But Sam was with him today, and he was the kind of quiet that rang all kinds of warning bells in Jack’s gut.

  Was I too hard on him for coming in past curfew?

  Rules were healthy, right? And if Sam got away with breaking one, he’d break them all. Right?

  The whole morning had been filled with pushing paper and making phone calls, one of which was to Dr. Rivers about her upcoming event. He’d also given a brief lesson on how to identify poison ivy to a group of Boy Scouts.

  Sam had been quiet through it all so Jack had suggested a hike, thinking his nephew was bored out of his mind. The hike was proving to be more of the same. “You okay?” Jack finally asked as they walked along one of the trails.

  “Yeah,” Sam said, his voice so low it was barely audible over the noisy wildlife surrounding them.

  “You haven’t said much today. Is this about last night? Because if it is, I didn’t even yell. I barely reprimanded you. If you ask me, you got off easy.”

  “I don’t care about last night,” Sam said. “You were right.”

  Jack glanced over. “Okay. Then what?” His breathing was heavier now as they walked up a steep hill in the woods, making him wish he’d taken the ATV out. But that wouldn’t have been conducive to talking.

  “Nothing,” Sam said.

  “You’d rather be working with Emma today?” Jack asked.

  Sam laughed a little. “No. I mean, yesterday was cool, but I like it here too.” He stopped walking and shoved his hands in his pockets. “It’s just, Mom didn’t call yesterday.”

  Jack folded his arms over his chest. “She was probably just busy, but I’m sure she misses you.”

  “Busy doing what?” Sam asked.

  “You know,” Jack said, as if that answered anything.

  “No, I don’t.” Sam shifted back and forth on his sneakered feet. “She can never talk long when she calls, and she doesn’t tell me anything about what she’s doing. She just wants to hear about how I’m doing. And about you and Emma.”

  Jack straightened. “She asks about me and Emma?”

  Sam looked down, letting his overgrown hair fall in his face. “She’s kind of obsessed. I think she’s really happy to see you two hooking up.”

  Jack frowned. “Hooking up” had a very different meaning in his mind, and he and Emma definitely weren’t doing that.

  “She said you were alone for a very long time, and she thought you’d always be alone. Mom says that seeing you and Emma together makes her think that things can change for the better.” Sam swiped at his hair and faced Jack. “See? If she was on vacation and having the time of her life, she wouldn’t be wanting a change. She’d sound happier.”

  Jack nodded. He’d have a talk with Amanda about Sam’s concerns. Maybe it was time to tell Sam the truth. There would only be more questions as time went on.

  A hiker came up on the path, carrying a long stick. A ball cap sat on his head, and he smiled at the two of them as he approached. “Hi, Jack.”

  Jack recognized the man as Paris Montgomery, a graphic designer who’d recently moved to Sweetwater Springs from Florida. “Paris. Hey, man. How are you doing?”

  “Never better.” Paris introduced himself to Sam and then gestured behind him. “Looks like someone’s been camping out in the park. Did you see that?”

  Jack shook his head. “Not today.” He’d been too distracted talking to Sam. “But I’ve seen evidence a few times lately.”

  “There’s charred sticks and a half-eaten apple on the ground,” Paris told him. “That apple could attract wildlife so I thought you should know.”

  “Thanks.” Jack motioned for Sam to follow him, and they went to check out the situation while Paris continued forward on the path. Sure enough, there were charred sticks, a half-eaten apple, and a gum wrapper.

  “What are you going to do?” Sam asked.

  Jack shrugged. “I don’t know who it is, so there’s not a whole lot I can do.”

  “We can have a stakeout tonight,” Sam suggested, his face lighting up with the idea.

  “A stakeout? This person could be dangerous, Sam.” Although that wasn’t likely. The person was probably just homeless for some reason and possibly unaware they were even breaking the law by being here. “I can hang more signs that make the park hours more clear and that staying overnight is against the law.”

  Sam seemed to deflate and nodded.

  Jack clapped a hand on his back. “Let’s head back to the office. I need to make a report on this.”

  They started walking once more, both falling quiet on their hike back. At least Jack now understood a little bit of what was going through his nephew’s mind. Amanda was withholding the truth to keep him from worrying, but that plan was backfiring. Keeping secrets and false pretenses always backfired, in one way or another.

  * * *

  A few days after her semi-date to the park with Jack, Emma took her time as she strolled down the sidewalks of Main Street. Nina was working the café this afternoon. Weekday afternoons were usually slow and usually only required one person to handle things. If it got busy, Nina knew she could call Emma back and she’d be there in a flash.

  After meeting with Ashley a second time and solidifying the plans for the Women’s Wellness Fair and the 5K, Emma had spent a little time making flyers for the event so that people could sign up for it online. She put up a couple flyers on the community posting areas as she strolled. Then she stopped inside Dawanda’s Fudge Shop to talk to Dawanda about possibly sponsoring the event. Halona had already agreed that the Little Shop of Flowers would be a sponsor. Mayor Everson had too.

  “Count me in,” Dawanda said enthusiastically. “I love a good cause, especially one that will benefit the women in this town. And I loved your mom,” she said, placing a hand over her heart.

  “Did she come in here a lot?” Emma asked, wishing she could remember.

  “For maple nut fudge.” Dawanda nodded. “That was her favorite. I read her fortune in the cappuccino a couple times too.”

  Emma cocked her head. Dawanda was famous in town for her cappuccino readings where she claimed to see images in the frothy foam of her drinks and predict the future of her customers. “What did my mom’s fortune say?” Emma asked. Surely it hadn’t said that her mom would die young. Otherwise, she’d have gone to the doctor sooner.

  Dawanda shook her head. “I saw a big heart and a full life.”

  “My mom died young,” Emma pointed out. That didn’t exactly imply a full life.

  “A full life isn’t measured by time.” Dawanda dipped into the fudge cabinet and pulled out a square of maple nut fudge. She wrapped it in a napkin and slid it across the counter toward Emma. “On the house.” She jabbed a finger in the air at Emma. “I still need to read your fortune in the foam.”

  Emma reached for the fudge. “Thank you. I’ll have to get my fortune read another time,” she lied. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know what lay ahead. “Right now I’m going to Sophie’s Boutique for a little retail therapy.” She was hoping to take Ashley’s advice and enjoy doing something that she and her mom had loved doing together.

  “Ahh.” Dawanda smiled brightly. “Retail therapy is nearly as good as fudge therapy.”

  Emma laughed. She bit into the maple nut fudge as she exited the store, sighing as the square melted in her mouth. Then she walked farther down Main Street and stepped inside Sophie’s Boutique.

  “Welcome to Sophie’s—” Sophie’s words cut off as Emma faced her.

  She hadn’t thought this through. She’d forgotten Sophie’s disappointed look when she’d spotted Emma out with Jack at the music event on Friday night.
/>   “Emma,” Sophie said, a little thread of surprise in her otherwise cheerful voice, “what brings you here?”

  “You told me I needed to come check out the summer line.” Emma shrugged.

  “But it’s the middle of the day. You never leave the café.”

  “Nina and Sam are covering it, and the café isn’t that busy right now.”

  Sophie nodded. “I see.”

  “Sophie, about the other night—” Emma cut herself off. She couldn’t exactly tell Sophie her relationship with Jack was a hoax. Then again, they were only trying to fool Sam and his mom, who didn’t even live in Sweetwater Springs. Sophie could keep a secret, and Emma didn’t want to hurt their friendship over something so silly.

  She stepped closer to Sophie, looking around the boutique to make sure no one else would overhear. The boutique was empty. “About the other night,” she repeated.

  “You don’t need to explain.”

  “Yes, I do. And I have an explanation.” Emma proceeded to tell Sophie all about how she’d somehow become Jack’s fake girlfriend. For the sake of his sister, who was in a rehab facility. That wasn’t Emma’s secret to tell but Sophie was trustworthy. At least Emma hoped she was.

  “Whoa. I had no idea. You and Jack looked so comfortable with each other. You looked real to me,” Sophie said.

  “He’s my friend. I am comfortable with him.” Emma headed over to the racks of new clothing now. “We’ve been good friends forever, since as long as I can remember. It’s no big deal to hold his hand.” Or kiss him. The kiss wasn’t going to happen again. It’d been research, and now that they’d been there and done that, it was over.

  “Well, I have to admit I was a little bummed when I saw you together at the park on Friday night,” Sophie said. “Not that I have a huge thing for Jack. I don’t. He’s a nice guy, and he’s cute and all. I was more disappointed that you would be dating him behind my back and let me blabber on about him in your café the other day, if you knew he was already taken.”

  “He’s not taken,” Emma reiterated, wondering at the jealousy crawling through her. Jack wasn’t hers, and she didn’t want him to be.

  The conversation moved on to the fund-raiser for her mother, and Emma told Sophie all the details about that as well.

  “Of course, I’d love for my boutique to be a sponsor,” Sophie said. “You know, I’m meeting up with the Ladies’ Day Out group this evening. I can bring flyers and get all of the LDO to sign up as well. And get them to spread the word. As you know, we’re really good at spreading news.”

  Emma laughed. “Thank you.”

  “Maybe you should come with us and tell them the details yourself. I’m sure you could get a few more sponsors.”

  Emma used to hang out with the LDO all the time, but life had only gotten busier, and her feet usually ached after working at the café all day. “Where are you all going?” she asked, hoping the venue would sway her one way or the other.

  “Kaitlyn has invited us to the Sweetwater Bed and Breakfast for a movie in the ballroom. Brenna McConnell is catering dinner for free, and I heard something about Dawanda bringing fudge and doing her cappuccino readings.”

  “I just dodged one of those on the walk here,” Emma confessed.

  “Well, I don’t mind them,” Sophie said. “It’s all in fun, and I’ve heard that some of Dawanda’s predictions have actually come true.”

  Emma had heard the same, which made the readings even more intimidating.

  “Join us,” Sophie said as she walked Emma to one of the fitting rooms. Emma had picked out a huge stack of clothes to try on as they’d talked. But in the spirit of remembering her mom, she’d only allow herself to purchase one outfit. Maybe something to wear out with the LDO tonight.

  “Okay,” Emma said. “I’ll come.”

  * * *

  Jack stared at the text on his phone.

  Two dollar drinks at the Tipsy Tavern. Come hang with us?

  It was from Luke Marini, the local fire chief in Sweetwater Springs. Jack sometimes hung out with him and Granger Fields. He never drank though, and he never gave anyone a solid reason why. His friends probably assumed it was just because of his father. They didn’t need to know that Jack had struggled with the same issues.

  Maybe next week, Jack texted back.

  It had been a long day, and he wanted to make sure Sam was okay. His nephew had spent the day at the café. Jack collected his things and walked out his office door at five p.m. As he headed home, he answered a call from Amanda.

  “Hey, Jack,” she said. Her voice sounded rough and tired.

  “You doing okay?” he asked.

  “Oh yeah. Getting my head on straight is exhausting, that’s all. How are you and Sam?”

  “No problems here.” She didn’t need to know that Sam was suddenly asking questions about where she was. Amanda had already told Jack how she felt about telling her son the truth. But Sam was smart, and he was starting to see cracks in the story he’d been given. “He loves skateboarding.”

  “That he does,” Amanda agreed on a laugh.

  “It’s better than some things he could be doing. Like those video games that kids are obsessed with.”

  “I’ve never bought him those games,” Amanda said. “He’s complained about that for years.”

  “You’ve given him everything he’s ever needed.”

  Amanda scoffed. “He needed a dad. He needs his mom this summer.”

  “But he also needs you to be healthy. You’re making sure he has that, and that’s important,” Jack told her.

  “How are you and Emma?” Amanda asked.

  Jack hedged, remembering their kiss on Friday night. They hadn’t been out together since then, only texting a few times. He’d been in to the café with Sam to get drinks and a snack, but he and Emma hadn’t been alone. “We’re good,” he finally said.

  “And how are you?” she asked.

  By the tone of her question, he knew she was asking if he’d taken a drink. Almost a decade sober and it still felt like the people who knew about his alcoholism were waiting for him to fall off the wagon. “Amanda, you don’t have to worry about that with me,” Jack said, feeling a little defensive. “I struggled with alcohol, got drunk too much and too often, but I got help. I’m done with that. It won’t happen again.”

  “Jack, you’ve always thought you were invincible.” Amanda sighed. “But you’re human just like the rest of us. And it’s nothing to be ashamed of. Everyone has their weaknesses. Everyone has something that they’re afraid to face. No one is exempt, not even you.”

  Jack’s jaw tightened. He wasn’t sure why he was so irritated by her words. Why couldn’t she just believe him when he said he was fine? “That therapist in there must be filling your head,” he muttered, immediately regretting his words.

  Amanda went quiet.

  “I’m sorry,” Jack finally said. “But I’m fine, okay? You’ll be fine. Everyone’s fine.”

  “Famous last words,” Amanda said.

  “Maybe for those who aren’t in the Hershey family. But we’ve got each other,” Jack said. “If you’re in a bind, you can call me. And if I ever need a hand up, then I know I have you to call on.”

  “It’s nice to have a brother like you. Thanks for helping me. I owe you.”

  “You don’t owe me anything.”

  They chatted just a minute longer and then said goodbye. Jack released a pent-up breath. That phone conversation was an example of why he didn’t tell his friends about his own struggles with alcohol. People expected alcoholics to fall off the wagon. He knew better than most what was at stake, and he intended to hold on tight and never let go.

  Chapter Twelve

  Going out with the Ladies’ Day Out group tonight was the best idea Emma had agreed to in a long while. She was having a fantastic time in the bed and breakfast’s ballroom, which was set up with a large-screen TV for guests to watch old movies.

  Brenna McConnell had brought enough foo
d to feed the LDO for several days, and between all the women, they’d eaten it until there were hardly any leftovers. Now the women were on the last leg of a Julia Roberts classic, Steel Magnolias, and all the women were hugging boxes of Kleenex to their midsection, sniffling and, if they were anything like Emma, hoping just this one time the movie would end differently.

  It didn’t.

  As the movie credits rolled, all the women fell back into easy chatter among themselves.

  Kaitlyn flipped on the lights and started collecting everyone’s trash in a large plastic bag.

  “This was so much fun,” Kaitlyn’s best friend, Josie, said, seated on one side of Emma. On Emma’s other side was Edna Baker, the chief of police’s grandmother. Emma knew all the women in the room. They frequented the café and felt like family to her. Tonight, there was Kaitlyn, Josie, Sophie, Edna, Nina, Halona, Brenna, Dawanda, and Janice Murphy. Everyone was keeping a close eye on Janice to make sure she didn’t get near the beverages that Brenna had brought. Janice had an uncontrolled inclination to spike drinks.

  It was a small group tonight and not all the usual women could make it, but it was no less lively.

  “Everyone, please make sure you go to Emma’s website and sign up for her 5K walk/run event with the Women’s Wellness Center this summer,” Kaitlyn called out to the group.

  All the women turned to look at Emma with interest.

  “It’s in honor of my mom,” she told those who didn’t know.

  “Where can we sign up?” Josie asked, pulling her briefcase to her. She’d come straight here from work. She placed her ever-present laptop on her legs.

  “Jenny’s Wellness Walk for Women dot org,” Emma rattled off. “There’s a twenty-dollar entry fee, but you get a T-shirt and all the money benefits the Women’s Wellness Center.”

  “That is so wonderful. My fudge shop is a sponsor. You other entrepreneurs need to think about doing so as well.” Dawanda clapped her hands together and looked at Emma again. “Your mom would be so proud of you.”

  Emma’s gaze fell to her lap. She wasn’t so sure. There were some things her mom would be happy over. But Jenny St. James would likely be disappointed in Emma for cowering away from taking care of her own health right now.