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She was what I’d needed when my daughter died, but she’d only been a kid herself.
“About what Mom said—”
Nora waved a hand. Resignation filled her blue eyes. “Mom is Mom. I won’t change her, and I don’t want to be like her. Once I accepted that, life got easier.” She opened the door and slid out, hanging on to the oh-shit handle. “I packed some leftovers in case you stay there a while, and I packed some of every dessert in case you don’t like mine.” She had a knowing look on her face when she closed the door.
A smile ghosted over my lips. I’d eat every last crumb of her pumpkin pie.
There was almost no one on the highway, and town was quiet as I drove through.
Lynnie’s car was still in front of Emery’s house. I parked behind her, grabbed the food, and rushed to the door.
Emery let me in with a frown. Her eyes were red, and her face was pale. “Don’t you still have company? I didn’t run everyone off, did I?”
I gave her a kiss on the forehead. “No.” She didn’t need to know what went on after she left. “They were happy to clean everything up.”
Her mom rose from the couch. “I’ll head home.”
I didn’t want to chase her mom away. Emery needed to be surrounded by people who cared about her while her kids were with Henry. I lifted the food. “I’ve got pie. Might as well enjoy some.”
Emery didn’t give her mom a chance to argue. “I’ll get some plates. Do we want to eat at the table or in the living room?”
“I feel like it’s an eat-in-the-living-room kind of night,” Lynnie said.
Emery didn’t crack a smile but disappeared into the kitchen. Lynnie squeezed my arm as she passed. She stopped. “Henry never would’ve checked on her like this. He used school and work as an excuse to hide from his obligations.”
I wasn’t surprised. Henry and my mom were a lot alike.
Emery turned on the game as we ate. I didn’t pay attention. Stetson shot me a message.Don’t worry about anything here. I’ll make sure it’s all cleaned up. Nora and I will do your chores tonight and tomorrow morning.
Thanks.
When we were done eating, Lynnie left. Emery stared at the TV like an ambitionless zombie. I racked my brain for something to say to make her feel better, but there was nothing. Just a looming uncertainty that could change her life.
She didn’t look at me when she spoke. “You know when I confronted him about the affair, he called all over town for a lawyer.”
“He knew the divorce was coming?”
“Yes, I told him I couldn’t trust him anymore, that I realized that was where our marriage had been heading. And he’d called around so when I went looking for a lawyer, no one could work with me because they had prior knowledge of the case.”
That son of a bitch. I vaguely recalled hearing about people doing that. Holly had laughed about doing the same to her ex. Only he had deserved it. Emery hadn’t. “That’s fucked up.”
“Yeah.” Dejection hung heavy around her. “I doubt any offices will be open on Black Friday, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s already done the same thing.” She sighed and stretched across the couch. “I’ll make some calls tomorrow, then I’ll find out for sure.”
“You can’t use the same lawyer?”
“She didn’t do much for me. It’s like she went through the motions to get to the payday. She didn’t care about what kind of job she did.” Emery glanced around the house as if she was already cataloging all the tasks she’d have to do to break her rental agreement and move.
The thought of her moving was as heavy as an anvil on my chest, caving my ribs in until I couldn’t breathe. “Can I stay with you tonight? Until the kids come back?”
She blinked at me. The kids wouldn’t be back until Sunday, but I didn’t want to leave her alone for a minute. “Yeah, but you don’t have to.”
“I want to. I want to be with you as long as I can.”
Her expression wavered and she teared up. I hadn’t meant for that to come out sounding like this might be the last weekend we’d have together. I knew little about mediations or litigation or how long they took.
I gathered her into my arms and let her cry.
* * *
