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“I’ll tell people goodbye for you.” Quinn brings her niece in for a hug and shoots me a silent thank you. “Thanks for joining me tonight. I know that wasn’t easy.” Emery remains stiff as she nods.
“Ready to go?” I ask as Emery. She stands in place, holding her hand out to me. I watch Quinn’s eyebrows shoot up out of my peripheral. I step forward, reaching to take her hand, but she pulls it away and turns to walk down the long, sterile hallway. Guess I took a moment too long. Within a few strides, I catch up, lacing her fingers with mine. Her jaw is firmly set, and her chest heaves from her deep breathing. I want to take away her pain. Emery’s grip tightens as we near the front doors, her pace nearly dragging me out of the building.
I expect her to stop and catch her breath once we exit, but she bolts to the truck. The cool night air of fall creeping in blankets around us. She frees her hand from mine, but I stand in front of her.
“You showed up for people. I’m proud of you, Emery.” I gently tip her chin up and look into her eyes. “I’m proud of your generosity, your willingness to face this event that I know has your anxiety going haywire, and even though life has taken rough turns on you, you pull through every damn time.” Her eyes swing to the pond across the street.
“Let’s go,” she whispers, trying to fight emotion.
I open the door for her, and we make our way down the quiet road as the sun begins to set.
“You’re wrong, you know.” She breaks the silence. “When you said they’d be proud of me.” Her fingers twiddle, picking at her nail beds.
“I wouldn’t go that far.” Reaching over, I lace my fingers through hers.
“As far as my family history dates back, medical school has happened through generations. I’m the first to break that.” Her voice grows quiet. “They’d be disappointed with me if they were still alive.”
“You know they’d be happy to see how passionate you are with your job. Just like they were.”
Emery picks up our intertwined hands and places her free hand over ours as her laugh echoes through the car. “You really think you know me, don’t you?”
“Quite well.” I wink.
“You’re wrong again.” The humor drops from her voice, and she lets go of my hand. “As terrible as this sounds, their death gave me the freedom to pursue a career I actually enjoy.” I pause from her honesty and decide to drop it.
“Fine, I won’t ask any more questions.”
“Yeah, right.” Her tone bounces back to light as her arms cross. “You like to run that mouth of yours.” I debate how to handle the flirtiness in her response. She borders a fine line, and I’m trying to figure out how far to push her.
“Okay, last one.” I smirk as the light turns red, and we stop at the split in the road. “Do I turn left or right?”
She smiles inwardly at my semi-sly attempt to ask if I’m turning toward her place or mine. “Straight.” Emery points ahead. “I’m in the mood for good music and a country road sunset.”
“As you wish, Daisy Girl.” She doesn’t comment about the nickname like I expect, so I turn on the radio. “Better?”
“I saidgoodmusic.” She purses her lips as new age pop country song comes on. “Do you mind if I plug in my phone?”
“We’re in my dad’s old truck.”The sky burns a deep orange as I pull into a large field, letting us lose sight of civilization. “There’s just the radio.” I reach to change the station.
“Right.”She turns up the volume and smiles as “Forever and Ever, Amen”by Randy Travis plays. “I like this old truck. Why did you buy a second truck bigger than this?” Her eyes travel down to my lap, then back to meet my eyes. “I hope you’re not compensating.”
“You hope? You had a pretty good grip on it the other night.” It’s dark, but I can see the faint blush form on her cheeks and a smile reaches my eyes. “I haul a lot with construction, but it’s also just preference to be the bigger vehicle.”
“Always wanting the upper hand.” Her eyes roll, and I cut the ignition.
“Come on.” I open my door. “We have a few minutes left to enjoy this sunset.” Reaching behind my seat, I grab a blanket.
“We’re sitting outside to watch it?” Her surprised eyes brighten her smile as she hops out of the truck. We climb into the truck bed, and I hold her waist to lift her onto the flat rooftop of the truck. I follow behind and she settles between my legs. With the blanket wrapped around us, Emery leans back, resting her head on my shoulder as my arms circle her waist. I’m so grateful to spend this moment with her. I hope she can find some serenity to calm down after the evening she’s had.
“I can’t believe I have a beautiful girl and a beautiful sunset before my eyes.” I watch the burning glow over the trees.
“Cheesy much?” Her shoulders shake as a soft laugh flows through her. “How often did that line work on chicks?”
“This is the first time I’ve done this.” I feel her head tilt against me as she looks up. “I’m serious. I’ve never sat on top of here.”
“I’m surprised this oldy hasn’t dented.” Her giggle vibrates against me, and I wrap my arms tighter around her.
“My father used to talk about the days when him and mom would take a sunset drive and do this.” I had only found about it after my mother passed. “This was their truck. No backseats for us kids.” I find myself chuckling as I remember my father saying this truck was special and that maybe one day, I’d get to enjoy a country road drive with someone special. “They loved watching the sunset. Sometimes they’d hire a babysitter and mom would pack a picnic.” Emery stays quiet, but I feel her holding her breath a little too long. “He loved taking Mom out in this truck. I wonder if they parked here.”
