Page 15 of A New Chapter

They strolled slowly up and down the rows of craft tables, stopping occasionally if something caught their attention. Zack had just paused at a custom woodworker’s booth to look at a child-size desk and chair for Gracie when Emma saw him.

There was her ex-husband, not six feet away and headed straight toward them. That would have been shocking enough, but to add insult to injury, he had his arm around the waist of a tall, leggy woman with long, glossy black hair and a dazzling white smile. The woman reminded Emma of Cher circa 1970!

“So, Emma, what do you think of this one? Do you think Gracie would like it?” Zack was still busy perusing the desk and chair and hadn’t noticed Emma’s expression until he glanced up at her stricken face.

“Emma, what’s wrong?” he asked, but it was a little too late.

“Hello, Emma,” Mark said and dropped his arm from around the Cher-wannabe’s waist.

“Hello, Mark,” Emma replied while Zack moved to stand alongside her.

“This is my friend, Charlene,” Mark said as he gave Zack the evil eye.

“Nice to meet you,” Emma said and then turned toward Zack. “And this is my friend, Zack,” she added pointedly.

Zack removed his sunglasses and held out his hand to Mark. “You look familiar,” Mark said, eyebrows knit with concentration.

“We’ve met,” Zack replied with forced politeness. “At Phil’s wedding five years ago. Emma and I stood up together.”

“Ah, yes, now I remember.”

Emma thought she saw a flicker of disdain pass over Mark’s face, but she couldn’t be sure. He had always been hard to read, unlike Zack, whose every thought registered on his face. For instance, at that moment, he looked like he wouldn’t mind punching Mark right in his smug face.

“Of course, I didn’t see much of Emma that night. Seems like you were monopolizing her time,” Mark continued, unaware that he was waving a red cape at a fight-ready bull.

Emma laid her hand on Zack’s arm and gave it a little squeeze. “Zack, I think it’s time for us to go. We don’t want to miss our dinner reservation.”

Zack didn’t even flinch; he just went along for the ride. “Right, and we wanted to take a shower first.”

Ok, he didn’t need to go that far! “Goodbye, Mark, Charlene,” Emma said and slipped her hand into Zack’s while they walked away.

When they arrived at Zack’s car, Emma realized that their fingers were still entwined. Neither one let go until Zack opened the passenger door for her.

“Was that an Oscar-worthy performance or what?” Zack asked when they pulled out of the parking spot. “I felt like Liam Neeson for a second there. Man, I wanted to clock the guy, and then he made that snide comment about the wedding…”

Emma’s silence must have tipped him off. She had been trying to hide her tears as Zack carried on, but her face was already damp by the time he noticed.

“Oh God, Emma, I’m so sorry,” Zack said.

“It’s ok,” she said, swatting angrily at her tears. “He just caught me off guard, that’s all. I figured I might run into him someday, but not today and especially not at a craft show. He never would have gone with me to a craft show, yet there he was with, with… Charlene.”

Zack gently picked up her hand in his as a fresh stream of tears ran down her face. “I understand, Em, believe me. I went through this with Alicia. The first time I saw her with pretty boy, it made me crazy. It took every ounce of control I had not to beat the guy to a pulp.”

“What stopped you?”

“Gracie. I didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize my relationship with her—still don’t.”

“You’re a good dad, Zack,” Emma said softly.

“And you’re a good woman. Don’t let Mark or any other man make you feel otherwise.”

Emma looked down at their hands. That was the second time today that they had held hands, and it struck her that it had felt like the most natural thing in the world.