“Fine,” Leon said.
Emily shared a victorious smile with Diane. “And I’ll pay for the renovations.” She took another bite of pork chop. “This is delicious,” she declared.
“Thanks,” Diane said, her eyes sparkling. “Now, Emily, are you settled in Charlotte for good? Or can we convince you to come back to Splendid Lake?”
“I’m not sure.” Emily shrugged and cut up her loaded baked potato. Splendid Lake was her home, but the memories were painful—bittersweet, but definitely painful. She missed her parents so much that her heart ached for them, and being so close to her childhood home, seeing places where they used to be a family... it was all too much for her.
Jake slid onto the seat across from her and kept his eyes focused on his half-eaten meal. “Sorry about that,” he muttered.
Emily’s heart squeezed as he scooped a forkful of green beans into his mouth and avoided her stare. His conversation clearly hadn’t been pleasant. She’d have to convince him to open up about it later when they were alone.
“I’ve decided that when the orchard opens for the season, I’ll allow you to give the market a try,” Leon said.
Jake’s eyes snapped to his father’s. “You will?”
“Yes.” Leon wagged a finger at his son. “But if it flops, then never again. Understood?”
“Yep, understood.” Jake gave Emily a half-hearted smile. “I guess that means we need to get to work, Carmichael.”
Emily grinned. “I’m ready when you are, Hughes.”
“I’m looking forward to seeing what you dream up here,” Diane said. “Oh, and who was that on the phone?”
Jake’s expression flattened instantly. “Claire.” He lifted his glass of sweet tea and took a long draw.
“How’s she doing?”
Emily hated how Diane’s expression brightened when she asked about Claire, and she hated herself for being jealous of Claire.Again.
Jake shifted in his seat. “Okay, I guess.”
“Is she in town?”
He shook his head. “Nashville.”
“That’s right. Her mom told me that when I ran into her last week.” Diane pointed at Leon. “Sherry said that we need to have dinner with her and Ron. It’s been too long. I miss our weekly dinners.” Then she faced Jake again. “When is Claire coming home?”
“Not sure.” Jake continued to stare at his plate, moving the food around absentmindedly.
Diane frowned. “Listen, I’m not going to pry about whatever’sgoing on with you two. But I promise, whatever it is, it’ll get better.” She gave Leon a sad smile. “Your dad and I had plenty of rough patches when we were dating, and plenty after we got married. But we soldiered on and got through it. You and Claire will do the same. Those tough times will make you stronger as a couple.”
Emily tried to ignore the queasiness that overtook her stomach as she imagined Jake and Claire beaming at each other at the altar, their current tiff a distant memory and a happy future together stretched out in front of them.
Then she gave herself a mental head slap. She was Jake’s friend. And if he was suffering, she was going to help him through this hard time, whether Claire was in the picture or not.
Uncertainty flickered in Jake’s eyes. More than ever, Emily longed to get him alone for a few minutes and force him to open up to her.
Diane turned to her. “You mentioned that you and Steve broke up. Are you seeing someone new?”
Emily was so stunned by the shift in the conversation she couldn’t answer for a moment. “Uh... n-no.”
“Well, don’t give up, sweetheart. You’ll find the right guy. Just don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and meet new people.”
Emily was suddenly dragged back in time to senior year, when she’d had her heart broken by her prom date. Since Jake was glued to Claire, Emily had agreed to go to prom with a sweet guy in her Spanish class named Lawson. He’d asked her out nearly a half dozen times before she agreed to go. And they’d had a great time at the dance. Lawson was funny, attentive, and cute, and Emily had started to like him. She thought maybe they’d become a couple. But a week after prom, she spotted him kissing a gorgeous blonde in the hallway.
Once again, she’d lost out to a prettier and more exciting girl.
And when her mother found her crying in her room, Mom had given her almost the exact same advice as Diane was sharing now.
