Lost And Found Family

“A coffee, maybe,” he said.

“You’ve looked off-kilter all day.”

“Bad night,” he murmured, wanting to say bad year. “I’ve got a headache that won’t quit.”

She turned toward the door. “I’ll get you some aspirin.”

“Becky. No, but thanks,” he said.

She circled back. “Why don’t you take the rest of the day off? I’ll tell Lanier you’ll go over these tomorrow.”

He sighed. “He probably needs them today. An hour ago,” he said.

Her frown deepened. “I’m worried about you.”

“I appreciate that but I’m just bleary-eyed from looking at all these purchase orders.”

“Those are a good thing,” she said with a quick smile. “Business is great.”

That only reminded him of Emma and her concerns about No More Clutter. He glanced again at the photo, then at the phone.

“Would you get me the O’Leary office in Cincinnati? I need to change their mind about how much they want to pay us to haul freight.”

Without a word she disappeared into the anteroom. A minute later he heard her on the phone. Christian added the papers she’d given him to the stack on his desk, then straightened his tie. Ready for business.

At least, that’s what he needed everyone to think.

* * *

EMMA WAS HAVING a very bad day. Yes, she’d loved the space at Hamilton Place and hoped Nicole could negotiate a more affordable rent, but she wasn’t that confident. Since her return to the shop, she and Grace were barely speaking to each other, and every phone call proved to be another disaster in the making.

To make matters worse, neither of the customers she’d expected yesterday had shown up. Emma had stayed until the last minute waiting for them. At least that had given her time to work up her estimate for Melanie.

“Grace,” she said. “Have you reached Mrs. Belkin yet?”

“I’ve tried. If you want to know the truth, I think she’s screening you out.”

“We promised to redo her closet. That’s all I can offer.”

“She’s probably told everyone in town she’s not happy by now.”

“How could you possibly know?”

“I hear things,” Grace murmured.

“What things?”

She made a scoffing sound. “You were at Coolidge Park. Didn’t you notice? Every time someone came up to me, they were like ‘oh, Grace. It must be hard to come to a party like this...’” Her gaze snapped up to meet Emma’s. “They’re all so sympathetic when what they’re really thinking—saying—is we’re outcasts in this community.”

All the blood seemed to leach from Emma’s limbs and for an instant the world around her spun. “Why would you say that?”

“Because it’s true.”

Emma didn’t want to talk about that. We, Grace had said.

“You never want to deal with this,” Grace said. “The morning after Owen’s funeral you were right here at your desk. You didn’t even miss a day of work after the accident.” She swiped at her eyes. “And why do people call it that, when it wasn’t an accident? We were both there,” she reminded Emma. “So how could it be an accident?”

Oh, no. Emma rose from her desk. She walked toward Grace and tried to take her in her arms but Grace shrank from her touch. “How long have you felt like this?” As if she couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment.

“Ever since I saw Rafe running toward the stalls. Then I was running, too,” Grace went on. “I saw Owen lying there, so still. And you and I were both screaming.”

And there, on the ground all around him, lay the scattered gummy bears.

Despite Grace’s resistance, Emma managed to pull her close but of course the words didn’t help. “I’m sorry, Grace.”

“You must blame me,” Grace said, her voice trembling. “I know I blame you.”

Emma could hardly argue with that. But her heart hurt anyway.

She’d have to find some way to atone. With Grace now, too.

* * *

EMMA HAD ONCE looked forward to Sunday afternoons, when her family gathered to share dinner and any news of the week. This time she didn’t know what to expect. She checked the lasagna, then shut the oven door.

There was no predicting anything. As soon as Grace had said those words the other day, the phone on Emma’s desk had rung. Mrs. Belkin had decided to hire another firm to remake her closet. No surprise.

Emma tried to put this newest disappointment out of her mind. But if she didn’t succeed with Melanie’s project, there would certainly be more. Besides, Emma really wanted to help her.

Maybe today she could even make amends with Grace.

Emma turned from the stove. Bob’s tail had started to wag full speed. She must have heard a car in the drive. The dog’s ears pricked and now Emma could hear the sounds of doors closing, voices murmuring. By the time Grace and Rafe walked in, Bob’s whole body was quivering with joy.

Grace fell to her knees and hugged the dog. Both faces were shining, and Emma smiled at what appeared to be a good start to the afternoon.

Christian strolled into the kitchen and grinned. “I was going to take Bob for a walk but I see I’ve been replaced. Hey, baby.”

Grace rose to her feet and went into his arms.

“Hi, Dad.” She kissed him soundly. “No one can replace you.”

Half in the door, half out, Rafe stood there looking, as he always did, like he shouldn’t be here. Emma’s heart went out to him; as a newlywed, she’d felt the same way with Frankie. Like Rafe, she’d married into a much wealthier family than the one in which she’d grown up. She frowned. Christian hadn’t said a word to Rafe, only given him a quick nod, but then he rarely did, which pained Emma. She knew how it felt to be an outsider.