Page 81 of A New Chapter

Chapter 37

It was Thursday evening, one week prior to Christmas, and Emma and Kelly were getting ready to meet Zack and Damian at Hilltop Brewery, a popular bar/restaurant that had recently opened in Clarkston. Emma had been working such long hours that she really looked forward to a night out. Apparently, Kelly felt the same. She had changed clothes in the office and strutted out in a corduroy mini-skirt, high-heeled ankle boots, tights, and a V-neck angora sweater that showed off her… assets.

Kelly’s appearance made Emma feel ultra-conservative in her knee-length plaid shirtdress and low-heeled leather boots. When they walked into the restaurant, Zack’s eyes lit up at the sight of her, so Emma decided that her outfit wasn’t so bad after all. Damian’s eyes also sparked as he scanned Kelly from head to toe and back again. They squeezed into the booth next to their dates and settled in for a relaxed evening.

A waitress delivered glasses of water and took their order for appetizers and a pitcher of beer. The four of them talked easily about work, the upcoming holidays, and, of course, Gracie.

“She’s with Nana and Papa tonight, but tomorrow is a school day, so I have to pick her up by nine,” Zack said.

Emma had been contemplating what to give Gracie for Christmas, and she decided that now was just as good a time as any to bring up her idea. “Zack, remember the other day when Gracie mentioned that she wanted a puppy?”

“Oh no,” Zack replied, shaking his head emphatically. “I already told her no pets until she’s old enough to take care of one.”

Damian grunted. “Dude, you’re so uptight,” he said, and Kelly suppressed a giggle.

“Hey, it’s hard enough taking care of a four-year-old; I don’t want to add a puppy to the mix!”

Emma squeezed his arm to regain his attention. “Wait, I have another idea. There’s this cat that’s been hanging around behind the bookstore, and…”

“A cat?”

“Yes, and I think it’s homeless. Some of the other store owners in the plaza have asked around, but nobody’s claimed it. What if…”

“I can see where this is going,” Zack said, fighting not to smile.

“It’s an adorable cat,” Kelly piped in. “I bet Gracie would love it.”

“And cats don’t require as much work as dogs,” Emma added. “As long as it has some food and a litter box, it’ll be fine.”

“What about scratching things and coughing up hair balls?”

“Geez, bro, lighten up,” Damian said, obviously enjoying Zack’s discomfort.

Glancing around the table, Zack must have felt outnumbered. He looked in Emma’s pleading eyes and said, “I’ll think about it.”

“Yay!”

“But you need to make some more inquiries first. I don’t want to give Gracie a cat only to find out that it belongs to someone else.”

“We can also take it to the vet and get it checked out,” Kelly offered, just as enthused by the idea as Emma.

“Looks like you’re about to get a cat!” Damian said, flashing his toothy grin.

Emma glanced over at Kelly, who had her eyes trained on Damian’s mouth. Oh boy, Kelly has it bad! Almost as bad as I do for Zack.

When the appetizers arrived, Emma took a few bites and felt her stomach contract. She hadn’t said anything, but she had felt queasy on and off all day. At first, she’d blamed it on the Mexican food that Kelly had brought in for lunch, but that was hours ago. Emma set the mozzarella stick back on her plate and sipped some water. The rest of them drank beer, but just the smell of it made her stomach clench.

Zack and Damian were too busy talking about football to notice, but Kelly glanced over at Emma’s plate and then made eye contact with her. She mouthed, Are you ok?

Emma gave her a slight nod and went back to sipping her water. She decided to avoid greasy food and ordered a salad for her main entrée. She picked at it through the remainder of dinner but left most of it on her plate. Finally, Zack looked over and noticed the untouched food.

“Don’t you like your salad, Em?”

“It’s ok. I’m not that hungry tonight. Kelly and I had a big lunch.”

Luckily, the waitress came over to clear the plates, and they moved on to another subject.

“So, Alex and Joe wanted me to officially invite you two over for Christmas dinner,” Zack said, motioning to Emma and Kelly.