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Why does it feel like that?
I know why.
Emmy knew me better than anyone, even better than Lindsay, which is strange since Lindsay was the one I was going to marry. I never found talking to Emmy difficult. She never judged me.
These are the women I’ve been closest to in my entire life.
One I pulled from a fire, and the other is trying to drag me back into one.
Either way, I get burned.
“Can I help you?” Emmy asks Lindsay.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake, don’t be so formal, Emmy.” Lindsay laughs, like they’re old friends, which they aren’t. Lindsay wasn’t exactly a mean girl, but she never went out of her way to be nice.
Emmy’s face doesn’t move except for a quick fake smile. Lindsay won’t be able to tell, but I can.
Funny. I still know her smiles.
“You remember me, right?” Lindsay asks, sing-songy.
“Of course!” Emmy says, mimicking her tone. Her eyes bounce to mine, then back to Lindsay, then back to mine, almost like she wants to follow my lead on how to treat her.
I raise my eyebrows in a “heck if I know” look, hoping she gets it.
She does.
“Would you like some coffee?” Emmy switches into business mode, employing a cordial but reserved tone.
“Yes!” Lindsay smiles. “How about a pumpkin spice latte?”
Emmy tucks a pencil into her apron and her hair behind her ears. “Coming right up.”
She glances down at the girl who works behind the counter with a nod.
“Reagan can get that going for you,” Emmy says with a smile.
Straight-forward, to the point, take charge. Not the Emmy I remember.
“Great, that’ll give us time to talk.”
Emmy’s eyes find mine again, a quizzical look in them. As if I know what Lindsay is doing here.
“What could you possibly want to talk to me about?” Emmy half-laughs as she says this, and all at once, I see the awkward, shy girl who used to come around the house with Mack.
So, she hasn’t completely changed.
“Owen. . .? Grunt once if you’re still with me.” Lindsay teases, staring at me.
I have no idea what she’s playing at, and I neither have the time nor the patience for this.
“Can you just say what you want, please?”
She shakes her head and rolls her eyes. “Same old Owen.”
“It’s been a rough couple of days.”
Lindsay closes her eyes, like she’s resetting, and when she opens them, her face softens. “Right. Sorry. You two have been through a lot.”
