The front doorbell chimed in the hall.
“You get your shower,” Tory said, “and I’ll get the door.”
She opened it to find Emma, dressed in a lavender Chanel suit and holding a bag from Neiman-Marcus. “Am I late?”
Tory embraced the little woman and pulled her inside. “The party’s just starting.”
Emma removed her pillbox hat and patted her gray curls. “I wouldn’t miss my favorite goddaughter’s first birthday for the world.”
Later, Tory gazed out over the garden where the last of the autumn leaves drifted in the twilight, while Stephanie, the feminine image of her handsome father, dozed in her arms, clutching the Victorian doll Emma had given her.
While Rand lit the fire, Jill served coffee to the adults, then pulled an afghan over Andy, asleep on the sofa.
“You’ve brought life back to this house, Tory,” her sister said. “I never thought it would feel like home again after Mom and Dad died.”
“Chalk it up to the power of love.” Emma stirred sugar into her coffee. “Love can move mountains.”
And bend time. Tory met Rand’s gaze across the room and smiled contentedly.
“Emma,” Jill said, “Tory tells me you’re a fortune-teller.”
Emma shook her head. “Not really, m’dear. Just a dabbler.”
“Give it a try, luv,” Rod said. “What’s in store for the lot of us?”
Emma’s amethyst eyes twinkled. “Well, that’s easy enough. Happily ever after—all around.”
Rand sat on the arm of Tory’s chair, gathering her and his daughter in his arms. When Tory looked up at him, he bent and kissed her forehead, then ruffled Stephanie’s curls. His eyes danced, sharing with his wife the secret knowledge of Emma’s magic.
“If Emma says happily ever after,” he whispered, “we can count on it.”
She lifted her face for another kiss. “For all time.”
ISBN: 978-1-4592-8314-5
It’s About Time
Copyright © 1995 by Charlotte H. Douglas
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