more glad you brought company.” She stepped back. “Now what can I get you to drink? Georgie and I just opened a bottle of Pinot Noir from a Canadian winery in the Niagara region. Your father brought it back after his last fishing trip.” She turned to Emily expectantly. “You’re a red wine connoisseur, if I remember correctly. Can I pour you a glass?”
Emily was slow to react, and when she did, she stumbled over the question. “I ah… Thank you but I’m going to pass. I’ve a bit of a headache, so water is good.”
Concern immediately flashed across Simone’s face. “Can I get you anything? An aspirin?”
“I’m good. Water is fine.”
The five of them nibbled on appies of hot brie with red pepper jelly, smoked meats, grapes (thank God), and strawberries, and caught up on each other’s lives.
Recently retired from a long career in teaching and later on as a principal at the local high school, Frank kept busy volunteering and heading up the beautification committee of Crystal Lake. While Simone, who’d spent most of her life working as a hair stylist from a shop in the basement, now volunteered at the old folks’ home.
And Georgianna, well, she was punching the clock at the Coach House. “I’m still trying to figure out things, you know?” she said with a shrug.
“You will, pumpkin,” Frank responded, getting to his feet. He patted his daughter on the shoulder, and something about the simple act made Emily’s heart hurt.
I wonder where he is? she thought, glancing away. She had vague memories of her father, more like impressions really of a larger than life man with hair the color of the sun, a big laugh and an easy smile. One day, when she was seven, he’d dropped her off at school, and when she came home that afternoon, he was gone. Her mother had been on the front porch, furiously making her way through a pack of cigarettes. The smoke had circled her head like a halo.
“He’s not coming back, and I don’t want any simpering out of you,” her mother had said. “One thing you’d do well to learn right here and now is that there’s always something better. Don’t you dare settle for the first man to turn your head.”
“Dinner’s ready.” Startled from her memory, Emily got to her feet, Ethan at her side, and followed Georgianna and his father back to the kitchen.
Simone had just walked in from the back deck, a large platter in her hands. “Smoked salmon with lemon and garlic.”
The smell was strong, and Emily glanced up at Ethan, more than a little panicked. She shook her head and whispered, “I can’t eat fish.”
Ethan’s hand crept to hers, and he turned to face her. “Hey, you okay?”
Her eyes were closed, and she nodded slowly, waiting for her stomach to settle. Seemed as if her nausea was back with a vengeance.
She felt his hand on her cheek and leaned into his warmth, grateful to have him there. “I’m good,” she finally managed to say. She looked up at Ethan, and the two of them stood like that for the longest time. She gave a slight nod, and he squeezed her shoulder in return.
Emily turned to face his family. She offered a smile, felt it crack open her skin, then felt it fade as the heaviness of the moment pressed in.
It was now or never.
Ethan cleared his throat. “Guys, we’ve got something to share with you.”
Simone’s face was full of concern as she glanced at her husband. Their gazes lingered on Georgianna before settling back onto Ethan. “You sound so serious, Ethan.”
“I am.”
“Well,” she replied. “Don’t keep us waiting. Tell us.”
“I’m pregnant,” Emily said slowly, before Ethan could speak. She looked up at Ethan. “We’re pregnant.”
Silence. Big. Fat. Silence.
Emily watched Simone closely, looking for any sign that she’d read this all wrong. That maybe she should have kept quiet and given the Caldwells more time. But the woman’s face kind of softened as she clutched her husband.
“A baby.”
Ethan nodded, his voice rough and low. “Yes.”
“Your baby.” She focused on her son.
He didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”
“Oh.” Simone didn’t bother to stop the flow of tears that sprang to her eyes. She swiped at them and smiled. She didn’t ask questions. Didn’t wonder about the why of it or the potential consequences. She grabbed her husband’s hand and tugged on it. “We’re going to be grandparents.”
Frank Caldwell grinned. He walked over to his son and pulled him into the kind of bear hug