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“Don’t you fret, buttercup. It’ll be easy. Promise.” Harper picked up the Italian dry salami. “Want to start cutting this up, nice and thin?”
“Yes! That’s doable.” Emma moved to the sink and turned on the faucet, washing her hands. “Is this your mom?” She flicked her chin at the photograph on the windowsill above the sink.
Harper reached for the frame, staring down at the two people who were so much younger in the photograph than what Harper remembered her parents looking like. “Yup, that’s Mom and Dad on their very first trip to Vegas. Right after they got married, I believe.” While Brody had gathered up most of the family pictures, packing them away after the funeral, Harper had refused to let him pack this one away. For her, the photograph was a reminder of her Vegas dreams and her parents.
Emma grabbed the cutting board and the knife. “They really loved Vegas, huh?”
“Actually, my dad hated Vegas.” Harper took the prosciutto out of the fridge. “Vegas was my mom’s thing.” She sidled up to Emma at the counter, then began rolling the thinly sliced meat and arranging it on the large wood serving board. “She used to talk to me about moving to Vegas right here in this kitchen.”
Emma cut a slice and held up the salami. “Is this thickness good?”
“It’s perfect.” Harper nodded then reached for another piece of prosciutto, rolling the meat tightly.
The knife clanged against the board as Emma sliced another piece. “What about Vegas did she like so much?”
“The excitement, I imagine.” Harper leaned over the board and placed the rolled-up meat down, fiddling with the angle until it looked just right. “Mom always said she was made for Vegas.”
“If she loved it so much, why do you think she never moved there?”
Harper had often wondered the same thing. Now, as adult, she thought she had it all figured out. “I’m sure because of Brody and me. It’s not really the place she would want to raise her children.”
Emma sliced two more pieces, then asked, “Do you think she had regrets about that?”
Happy with the layout of the prosciutto, Harper straightened. “I don’t think so. The life she had with us made her incredibly happy. It was just another life she could have had, and I think sometimes she dreamed of that, you know?”
“Do I ever.” Emma laughed softly. “I totally get that two-life thing. Been there. Done that.” Which she totally had. Emma had moved to River Rock from New York City after her grandmother passed away and left the farm to Emma. She had recently been faced with a fork-in-the-road moment, choosing between her life in River Rock and her life in New York City.
Harper began to frown, a tightness in her chest forming that hadn’t been there before. “You know, it’s so funny. My whole life I was surrounded by people who wanted to leave this small town. Then you come here, and you chose to stay. It’s like you always want what you don’t have. You know, the whole grass-is-always-greener thing.”
Emma piled up the salami. “Ain’t that the truth.” She glanced at the picture on the windowsill again. “It’s crazy how much Brody looks like your dad.”
“I know.” Harper could really only see her mother in Brody’s eyes, just like she could see her mom in hers too. “My parents would have been so happy for Brody today. They really liked Faith.”
“I’m sorry they’re not here for the wedding,” Emma said softly. “This must be hard for both you and Brody.” She paused. “Actually, if I’ve never said it before, I’m sorry that you lost them at all. It’s just so terrible.”
Harper inhaled deeply and blew it out slowly, picking up the salami and arranging the meat onto the platter. “It was a horrible time for both me and Brody. Now it’s more just sad when I think about it. Sad that my mom never got to see all these moments that would have made her so happy. It’s so tragic.”
“It really is.” Emma hesitated again. “Is that why you’ve seemed a little sad lately?”
Of course, Emma had noticed Harper hadn’t felt quite like herself lately. That’s what made Emma such a good friend. They were in tune in ways Harper never experienced with a friend before. “I’m okay. It’s just that everything is changing. It’s a bit hard to catch up.”
Emma began slicing again. “Are you having doubts about leaving?”
The hints of spice coming from the pork filled Harper’s nostrils as she inhaled another deep breath. “Not doubts, necessarily. I guess it’s just harder than I thought it was going to be.”
“Is that because of Chase and everything?”
Harper glanced up, finding Emma watching her intently. She shrugged. “Not only because of Chase. But now . . . with you, and our friendship . . . with Brody getting married, and maybe they’ll have kids soon . . . It’s so much harder to leave now than it was when I left for Denver before. Back then, I had nothing but Brody, and I wanted a little freedom. Now it’s different.”
Emma dropped the knife with a clang on the cutting board and turned to face Harper fully. “Listen, I have no idea if this is my p
lace, but I’m going to say it. I, out of anyone, understand how hard it is to move away from home. It’s a big deal and emotional and crazy. I love you, Harper. And I see that you’re struggling with this move to Vegas now, even if you’re not ready to talk about it yet.” She reached for her hand and squeezed it. “But please, whatever you do, make your choice for you. Not for Chase. Not for Brody. For you. Because this is a huge opportunity you have. It’s your shot at something you’ve worked incredibly hard for. You can’t forget about that.”
Harper shut her eyes a moment, absorbing everything Emma had said, knowing there was a lot of truth in her statement. When she reopened them, seeing the concern on Emma’s face, she said, “I won’t forget about me in all this. Promise.” In the comfort of her best friend, the woman who got Harper more than any other woman in the world, she added, “But what if what I wanted all along was the wrong dream?”
“Just be sure, Harper.” Emma’s hand squeezed hers tight. “A hundred percent sure.”
“But how do you do that?”
