by Claire Adams
Silence filled the room as Blake and I stared at the open door and empty hallway, listening to the sounds of footsteps growing fainter. I looked back at him and inhaled sharply. He was even more handsome than I remembered. His hair was a little longer and, as a result, the salt-and-pepper gray was a little more pronounced, but the five o’clock shadow made him look a little more tired than I remembered him being.
I stood staring at him from across the room and couldn’t think of a single thing to say.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Blake
I wasn’t sure if Emily was mad at me or not, but by the look on her face, I could tell she was surprised that I was here. I stood awkwardly at the door waiting for a sign from her, and when I didn’t get one, I cleared my throat and walked across the room.
“So, Nina tells me she’s failing History,” I said, feeling both angry and ashamed that my daughter was doing so poorly in Emily’s class.
“What are you talking about?” Emily asked, looking more surprised than she had when I walked into the room. “She just got her exam back, and she got an A on it.”
“You mean she’s not failing?” I asked.
“She’s passing with flying colors,” Emily replied tersely. “I’m not sure why you’re here.”
“I’m here because Nina…” I said, trailing off, as I realized that my daughter had set me up. I chuckled softly as I shook my head. “She’s a piece of work, that one.”
“What do you mean?” Emily asked, giving me an irritated look.
“I mean that she wanted you and me to get back together, so she engineered this whole thing,” I said. “For someone as smart as you are, you sure do miss the obvious.”
“Oh, right,” she said, turning her gaze toward the window on the opposite side of the classroom. “Missing the obvious.”
“Emily, why did you get so mad at me?” I blurted. As soon as the words had left my mouth, I wished I could haul them back and swallow them.
“I…don’t know how to explain my family,” she said, shaking her head slowly. She avoided my gaze as she continued, “My parents aren’t bad people, but some of the things they do…”
“It’s okay; you don’t have to explain. I get it; they’re your parents,” I said. “I just didn’t understand why you got mad at me.”
“I was mad at the situation,” she sighed. “I was mad that you and my father were fighting. Mad that I felt like I had no say in the matter. Mad that you have perfectly wonderful parents who treat you like a person, not a possession.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, unsure of what else I could say, and not willing to risk pushing her further away. “I’m just sorry, Emily.”
“No, it’s not you,” she said, shaking her head as she covered her face with her hands. She cried, “I’m just tired of fighting them all the time. Nothing is ever good enough.”
“Emily…” I said, as I moved around the desk and pulled her into my arms. I could feel her shaking in my arms as I held her tightly and gently rocked back and forth. “It’s okay. Shhh. It’s okay.”
I could hear the second hand of the clock over the door ticking as I held Emily and waited for the sobs to subside. In a few minutes, she lifted her head and stared up at me with tear-stained cheeks.
“I’ve tried to distance myself from them,” she said, forcing back a sob. “I don’t want their money or their things. I just want some peace in my life, you know?”
Unsure of what to say, I simply nodded and waited for her to finish.
“My family has a lot of money, and they use that money to get the things they want regardless of the cost,” she said. “There’s always a price to be paid with them, though. And you’re never free and clear. Never.”
“You’re right, I don’t understand what you’ve been through,” I said, as I held her and slowly ran my hand up and down her back trying to soothe her. “But I assure you that I definitely don’t have a normal family. They are as weird as a family can get.”
“But they’re so nice!” she wailed, as she pressed her face against my chest and cried. “My family is not nice at all.”
“Emily, listen to me,” I said, speaking softly as I rested my chin on the top of her head. “It’s not your fault you have a family that drives you crazy. It’s not your fault that your father insulted me. It’s not your responsibility to find a way to excuse your family’s behavior and live with it. The only responsibility you have is to be true to yourself.”
“Thanks, Shakespeare,” she mumbled into my chest.
“I’m serious,” I said, pulling back and tipping her chin up so that she was looking at me. “You are only responsible for you. End of story.”
Emily nodded as her eyes filled with tears again. I leaned forward and gently kissed her forehead before pulling her back into my arms. I knew I’d missed her, but until this moment, I hadn’t realized just how much I’d missed her. I heard the classroom door open behind me, and when I turned to see who it was, I saw Nina smiling and giving me two thumbs up. I shook my head, and she quietly closed the door leaving Emily and me alone again.
“I’m a mess,” Emily said, pulling back and wiping her eyes. “I need to clean up and get out of this school.”
“How about I take you out for a nice dinner and then you can go home and get a good night’s sleep,” I suggested, hoping that she would say yes to dinner, and trying to come up with an alternate plan in case she said no.
“I don’t know,” she said, pulling away before starting to pack up her books and papers. “I should get home. I’ve got a lot of grading to do.”
“It’s just dinner, Emily,” I said, frantically trying to think of a reason she couldn’t refuse. When I found it, I smiled, “I know that Nina would appreciate it if you were there to help celebrate her improved History grade.”
“Oh my God, you’re going to use your daughter to blackmail me into having dinner with you?” Emily laughed.
“Yep. I’m going to use every weapon in my arsenal to get you to have dinner with me,” I said with a grin.
“Fine, I’ll have dinner with you two,” Emily smiled, as she finished packing up her things and grabbed her coat.
I took Emily and Nina to the diner on Lexington for dinner, and for several hours we sat and laughed about everything and nothing. It was good to see Emily slowly returning to the way she had been before the confrontation with her parents, but there was something in her eyes that told me that whatever had happened at her house wasn’t quite over yet.
On the drive home, Nina sang loudly with the radio from the back seat and then nudged me once I’d parked in the driveway in front of Emily’s house.
“Dad, walk her up to the front door!” Nina urged. “It’s totally rude not to do that!”
“Where are you getting your information from, young lady?” I said, shooting her a warning look.
“It’s okay, I’m fine,” Emily laughed, as she got out of the truck and headed up toward the front door.
“Dad!” Nina whispered. “Go! Now! You need to give her a goodnight kiss!”
“Don’t lecture me, daughter,” I said sternly before getting out of the truck and following Emily up to the door.
“Seriously, I’m fine, Blake,” Emily said, turning to look at me. Before she could say anything else, I cupped her chin with my hand, bent down and softly kissed her lips. When I pulled back, Emily let out a small sigh and said, “Oh.”
“Do you want to have dinner with me and my nice family tomorrow night?” I asked. “I would like it, and I know they would, too.”
Emily nodded before turning the key in the lock and letting herself into the house. I watched with a big grin on my face as she turned to close the door.
“I’ll pick you up at 5!” I shouted, just before she closed the door. When I returned to the truck, Nina flashed me a big grin and two thumbs up.
“Way to go, Dad!” she cheered, as she climbed over the backseat and took her place in the passenger seat. “Let’s rock
and roll!”
Chapter Thirty
Emily
The next afternoon, I spent a long time getting ready for my date with Blake and his family. I pulled everything out of KO’s closet trying to find something decent to wear. I passed on the T-shirts with obscene sayings on them in favor of a fluffy pink angora sweater that KO had shoved in the back of her closet. I paired the sweater with the new jeans I’d bought after the fire and a pair of black leather boots. The effect was a juxtaposition of innocence and danger.
I’d just finished brushing out my hair when I heard a knock on the front door, followed by the sound of it opening.
“Emily? Are you here?” Nina called as she entered the house.
“In the back bathroom finishing up!” I called back as I dabbed a little more lipstick on my lips and smacked them together to set it. I took a last look at myself in the mirror and smiled, “Perfect.”
“Oh, you look good!” Nina exclaimed as I emerged from the bedroom. “You look really good, Emily!”
“Why thank you,” I smiled. I headed to the kitchen calling, “Howard! Dinner!”
“Where is the little rascal?” Nina asked, as she looked around the living room for the ball of orange fluff that was my cat. I guessed she’d found him when I heard her holler, “Ouch! Bad kitty!”
“Howard, what are you doing to Nina?” I yelled, as I dumped his food into his bowl and then reached for his water bowl.
“He smacked me!” Nina said, as she came into the kitchen holding one hand with the other. “I was petting him, and he just reached out and smacked me with his claws.”
“He’s kind of a jerk that way,” I said, pulling her hand away from the injured one and taking a look at the scratches. Howard had left his mark, but it didn’t look too serious. I cleaned the wounds with warm water and soap and then put a bandage over them. “That should be okay; I don’t think there will be lasting damage.”
“What a jerk,” Nina muttered, as she perched on the stool and watched Howard eat his dinner. “Boys.”
“They’re not all jerks,” I laughed, as I checked my purse to make sure I had everything I needed. “Your dad’s a good one.”
“Yeah, but I can’t date my dad,” she grumbled. I sensed that something else was going on, but I didn’t know if I should pry.
“I take it you know one of these jerk boys?” I said in as off-handed a manner as I could muster.
“Yeah,” she muttered. There was a long pause before she spoke again. “Emily, why do boys say they like you in private and then act like they hate you around their friends?”
“Ahhh, the age old question,” I said, nodding. “I think your dad would be much better able to answer that question, don’t you?”
“No. He’d just want to go after the guy and beat him up,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I don’t want my dad anywhere near my love life.”
“He lets you near his,” I said, trying to encourage her to talk to Blake without sounding overly adult.
“Yeah, but that’s totally different,” she said. “I’m the kid. I have no say in what he does. Plus, I like you.”
“You don’t think he’ll like the boy you like?” I asked, wondering which boy it was.
“I’m pretty sure he’ll hate him,” she sighed. “He hates everyone I like.”
“I don’t think he hates everyone,” I said sympathetically. “I think he’s just protective of his daughter.”
“Try overprotective,” she sighed again. We were interrupted by an impatient blast from Blake’s horn. Nina looked out the kitchen window and said, “We’d better go. Dad’s getting impatient.”
“What took you girls so long?” Blake asked, as we climbed into the truck.
“Girl talk and my jerk of a cat,” I said, as I leaned across the front seat and kissed his cheek and whispered, “Let it go for now.”
Blake nodded as he cranked the radio, and we all sang at the top of lungs the whole drive. At his parents’ house, Ellie had a feast awaiting us, and when I walked into the kitchen to ask if I could help, she wrapped me in a big hug.
“It’s been far too long since we’ve seen you, dear,” Ellie said with a warm smile. “Now, if you’ll put those dishes on the table, we’ll be ready to eat!”
We all gathered around the table and ate until we were ready to burst. Ellie and Alan had taken a trip to Costa Rica the week before and were full of tales of the rich, lush landscape, delicious food, and friendly villagers. As Nina cleared the table with help from her father, Alan pulled out the dominoes and began prepping the playing area.
“Aw, Dad, no!” Blake groaned, as he re-entered the dining room to grab a few more dishes. “Do we have to do this every time?”
“What?” Alan said, shooting his son a look. “Emily is good at the game, and I think she’d probably enjoy a game or two. Am I right, Emily?”
“I, well…I…” I stammered, looking back and forth between Blake and his father, unsure of how to answer.
“Fine!” Blake laughed, throwing his hands in the air. “Just steal my girl and play until the cows come home, Dad.”
“I believe I will,” Alan grinned.
Once the dishes were taken care of, Blake and Nina rejoined us at the table, bringing the cake and coffee that Ellie had prepared. Alan split us into teams, and he and I proceeded to make quick work of Blake and Nina’s team. We won several rounds before Nina pointed out that she had to be up early the next morning because Remy was coming to pick her up.
As we prepared to leave, Alan disappeared into his work room and emerged holding something behind his back.
“Emily, I’ve got something for you that I think you’ll appreciate,” he said with a grin, as he handed me a long, narrow box. It was surprisingly heavy, and I gave Alan a confused look as I sat down and unwrapped the present.
“Oh, Alan, this is lovely!” I said, as I looked at the lid of the box, which had a picture of a set of beautiful ebony domino tiles on it. “Thank you so much!”
“Now open the box,” he said, as he exchanged a knowing grin with Ellie. “There’s more inside.”
“Oh no, you shouldn’t have,” I said, as I lifted the lid and found a plain white envelope inside. I picked it up, opened it and gasped. “You really shouldn’t have!”
“What is it, Emily?” Nina asked, as she stepped up beside me and peeked around my arm then exclaimed, “Whoa, Gramps! That’s so cool!”
“Will someone tell me what’s going on, please?” Blake said, as he peeked over my shoulder.
“Your dad gave me the rest of his Celtics season tickets,” I said, holding them up so Blake could see them and grinning as I added, “If you’re nice to me, maybe I’ll take you to a game or two.”
“Geez, Dad,” Blake said, as he looked at his father. “I had no idea Emily was your favorite!”
“She’s a nice girl, and I knew she’d appreciate the tickets,” Alan said, as he grabbed his son and hugged him tightly. “Unlike my ungrateful sons who don’t know a basketball from a hole in the ground.”
“Now listen here, old man,” Blake laughed, as he returned the hug. “Don’t try and show me up!”
Alan laughed as he stepped back and let Ellie hug Blake. I moved toward Alan and hugged him tightly.
“Thank you so much,” I said, in a voice choked with emotion. “It’s really very kind of you.”
“Be good to him,” Alan said quietly. “He’s fallen pretty hard for you.”
I stepped back and nodded even though I didn’t quite understand what Alan was saying. I wasn’t sure he knew what had happened between Blake and me, and I definitely didn’t want to try and explain my parents to him and Ellie. They’d never approve of me dating Blake if they knew how my family had behaved toward him.
On the way home, I turned to Blake and said, “You know, Valentine’s Day is Tuesday.”
“Uh-huh,” he nodded, without taking his eyes off the road. “What’s your point?”
“Dad!” Nina yelled from
the backseat. “Don’t be a total douche!”
“Hey, watch your language, young lady,” Blake warned.
“Douche is not a bad word, Dad,” Nina sighed, as she fell back against the seat.
“It’s really not,” I whispered loud enough for Nina to hear. “It’s just teenage slang.”
“Well, I don’t like it,” Blake said.
“Okay, well, how about you accompany me to the Celtics game on Tuesday, and we’ll discuss flexible semiotics on the drive into Boston,” I said dryly. Nina giggled loudly in the back seat.
“I don’t know who this semiotics team is, but I’d be happy to watch the game with you,” Blake replied with a grin.
“Dad! Don’t be so clueless!” Nina groaned. “You’re embarrassing me!”
“Then we’re even, kiddo,” he grinned, as he looked at her in the rearview mirror. “You’ve embarrassed me more times than I can count.”
“Sure, like when I was two!” she protested.
“Oh no, you’ve done a bang-up job over the past year, my beautiful daughter,” he laughed. Nina dissolved into a fit of laughter, and I found myself trying to hide a grin as I listened to the two of them detail the instances of embarrassment with mock outrage.
“So, will you go to the game with me?” I said, breaking in before Nina could begin another tale of her father’s cluelessness. “Will you be my Valentine’s Day date?”
“I’d love to,” Blake said, as he pulled up into my driveway and parked the truck. He walked me to my door, where we exchanged a very chaste kiss before he whispered, “I’ll ditch the kid, and after the game, we can indulge in some adult activities.”
“We shall see, Mr. Gaston,” I said with a flirty grin. “We shall see.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Blake
Sunday morning, I woke Nina up early so she could get ready for Remy to pick her up. She said Remy was planning to take her to her church and then to Boston for lunch and shopping. Nina rolled her eyes at having to go to church until I reminded her that when she stayed with her grandparents, they, too, took her to church.
