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Emma laughed, never tiring of the kind yet fierce way the people of the south talked, and nodded her head.
“Well, thank you, ma’am, I appreciate that very much. Please feel free to let me know if you want me to alter it next year and I’ll be happy to.”
Brenna let out a single, high-pitched laugh as she put her wallet back into her purse.
“Alterations? Oh no, Miss Emma, we’re coming back for a new costume for every season!” She beamed at Emma as Sarah came out of the dressing room holding the pink bag with her old dress in it, proudly wearing the one Emma had just completed for her.
“Come on, baby,” Brenna encouraged, reaching her hand down to her daughter, “let’s go show Daddy how pretty your dress is. Say bye to Miss Emma.”
“Bye, Miss Emma!” Sarah called as she let her mother lead her out of the store. “Thanks for the dress!”
“You’re welcome!” Emma called back happily, waving at them as they left.
Once she saw them disappear down the boardwalk, Emma pulled out her appointment book and looked it over. She had an hour and a half before her next client−plenty of time to go across the street and check on Clarissa and Anthony.
As she predicted,The Rock Barwas still fairly packed after their usual lunch rush, but Emma found a few empty seats at the end of the bar and waited for either one of them to come out. It wasn’t long before Anthony appeared through the double doors, carrying a large tray on one hand full of plates. He noticed her as soon as he stepped out, and gave her a quick nod before he took the food to the hungry table. She waited patiently for him to finish attending to his customers, but when he returned, she felt surprised and happy to feel his arms wrap around her.
“What’s this for?” she asked, laughing lightly as she squeezed back. “Not that I mind.”
Anthony embraced her a moment longer, and when he pulled back, he gave her a tired smile. Emma felt her own slip away a little as she saw how exhausted he looked.
“For being the cool head of reason last night,” he told her, taking the bar stool next to her.
“Seriously, if you wouldn’t have stepped in, I don’t know how well it would have ended. We all owe you a huge thank you.”
Emma blushed as she reached out and squeezed Anthony’s hand.
“It’s no problem, honestly. I was just happy to have the space to provide. Enough about me. How are you? How’s Clarissa? You both seemed pretty upset after you left.”
“I’m fine,” he assured, though Emma knew he was lying.
“But Clarissa…”
Anthony let out a sound of exhaustion as he ran a tired hand through his hair.
“I honestly don’t know. She didn’t say a single word when I drove her back to the bar last night, and all day today she’s been cooking. Canceled our usual menu, and started making her own dishes. They’re all delicious and the customers don’t seem to mind a bit, but she only talks to give orders to the servers or the prep cooks. Won’t leave the kitchen at all either. I know she processes things in her own way and this is just one of ’em, but I’d wish she’d saysomethingabout what happened last night.”
Emma pressed her lips together as she chewed over her own thoughts. She knew she’d have to be gentle with her next few questions, and she definitely didn’t want to be too nosy.
“Has Clarissa ever gone into much detail about her past?” she asked, her voice low so only Anthony could hear. He shook his head.
“Not too much anyway. I little tidbit here and there slips out. Enough to paint a picture of whatcouldhave happened and how it could have led to the sudden need to relocate.”
Emma nodded slowly, her heart sinking.
“I was worried about that. Well, maybe I could go back and try to talk to her?”
Anthony smiled at her sincerely but shook his head.
“No, darlin’, it’s best you just let her be. She’ll come to you to talk when she’s ready, of that I’m certain. Just know she’s not mad at you, not mad at any of us probably. She’s just sortin’ her way through her head.”
Wanting to respect Clarissa’s boundaries, Emma nodded, and let it go. Changing the subject, she told Anthony about the talk she had with Jasper that morning.
“He was nice,” she said honestly. “He even brought me a coffee over this morning and was fixing up a couple of things in his cabin when I left. I think he’s here for good reasons, Anthony.”
She said the words gently, hoping it wouldn’t push him too far. Emma felt her shoulders relax when Anthony gave her a kind look and wrapped an arm around her.
“I’m glad he was polite to you and I expected no less. And it’s kind of you to see the good in him, but our stuff is a little deeper than that.”
