Page 145 of Key West Homecoming

Emma smiled. “I executed the assignment?”

“Beautifully.”

Ted Ballard approached the table but didn’t offer his hand.

“Rachel.”

“Ted.”

“I’ll be in touch about the recovery process. My client intends to cooperate.”

Rachel held his gaze. “That’ll make a nice change. I’ll be in touch.”

Ballard turned to Emma. “Ms. Kendrick, I’m sorry for the difficulty this has caused you.”

“Thank you, Mr. Ballard.”

He nodded and returned to Arthur.

For the second time in two days, Emma looked at her uncle for longer than a second. His hands were flat on the table, and his shoulders seemed to have folded inward. He still didn’t look at her.

A few weeks ago, she might have wanted him to. She might have needed him to see her standing there after losing the thing he’d tried so hard to keep from her.

Now she didn’t.

“Come on,” Rachel said. “Let’s get out of here.”

They stepped into the marble hallway with Yolanda and her cart of file boxes behind them. Edmund was waiting with Rebecca a step away. Jake stood farther down the hall, giving Emma room to go where she needed to go first.

She went to Edmund.

He opened his arms, and Emma stepped into them. He held her for a long moment with the gentle strength she had come to know in him.

“She’d have been proud,” he said into her hair.

Emma closed her eyes. “I hope so.”

“I know so. She wanted this for years, and now she got it.”

Emma stepped back. Her eyes were wet. Edmund’s were too.

She imagined Gloria standing beside them. She could clearly see Gloria with a cup of coffee in one hand, pretending not to notice that her fourteen-year-old granddaughter had stolen half of it.

“Come to the house for lunch. Rebecca’s making Cuban sandwiches. Bring Jake. Bring Rachel if she’ll come.”

“I’ll come.”

“Good.”

Rebecca smiled over her father’s shoulder. Then she tipped her chin toward the front door and mouthed that she was taking him home to rest first.

Emma nodded.

She watched them make their way toward the exit with Rebecca’s hand at Edmund’s elbow.

Then Emma turned to Rachel.

“Rachel.”