And what would she tell them? Would she say she had a nut case in love with her? Talk about horrible messes…
Damn.
Why not be honest? It wasn’t just horrible, it was ridiculous. Other women had admirers. “Gentlemen suitors,” as the woman who’d schooled the Wilde girls in deportment would have said.
Not her.
She had a lunatic.
She could always give an alternate response. She could say that she’d slept with a man and then run away in the middle of the night. She could admit that running—remember, you’re being honest, James—instead of facing Zacharias had been pathetic.
Double damn.
Her life was starting to sound like a really bad TV show.
Jaimie smiled. Tried again and, this time, choked out a laugh. She peered into the mirror. Could she pull this off? Fluff up the hair, finger-pat those carry-on bags under the eyes, dig out a lipstick from her purse.
Not bad. Actually, good. As long as nobody looked too close.
“You can do this, James,” she said sternly.
Then she started the engine and pulled back onto the road.
***
Luck was with her.
No. Scratch that. There was nothing lucky about nobody noticing her because they were too busy trying to pretend they weren’t noticing Emily.
They were all there. Caleb and his wife, Sage, and their beautiful baby boy, Cameron. Travis and his Jennie, and their precious little daughter, Eleanor. Jake and his Adoré, with Jake curving his big hand over his wife’s belly and proudly announcing that they were having twins. Lissa, looking Hollywood-spectacular. And Emily..
Emily, quiet and withdrawn.
Jacob, Caleb and Travis didn’t seem to notice. They were busy discussing expansion plans for El Sueño. Sage and Jennie and Addison, which was Jake’s wife’s real name, were busy with the babies.
But Jaimie and Lissa noticed it right away, and whispered about it whenever they got the chance.
“Something’s the matter with Em,” Jaimie said as she and Lissa helped clear the dishes from lunch.
Lissa nodded. “I know.”
“Should we ask her about it?”
“No,” Lissa said.
“Agreed,” Jaimie replied.
Then they marched into the kitchen, walked up to Emily, who was
rinsing silverware at the sink, and folded their arms.
“Em?” Lissa said. “What’s the matter?”
Emily looked at them. “Nothing. Why would anything be the matter? What kind of question is that?”
She was smiling. Her words were bright. But Jaimie and Lissa weren’t buying it.
“Well,” Jaimie said, “you haven’t had much to say.”