a part-time job in high school?” She pulled me out of my thoughts.
“I worked for my dad during off seasons. What brought up that question?”
She smiled. “My brother worked at a pizza place kind of like this.”
“Oh yeah? Did he like it?”
“Not really, but it was a college hang-out and he made good tips especially his senior year when he looked older than he was.”
I laughed. “Charming the college girls out of their money, huh?”
“Exactly. He played football too. You remind me a little of him.”
“Yeah? Is that a good or bad thing?”
“Good.” She took a bite of her pizza. “This is exactly what I was in the mood for.”
“I’m glad.”
“Would you mind calling your mom? I don’t want to seem like the paranoid parent, but I’d love to check on Noah.”
I smiled. “I’m sure he’s fine, but I’ll call.”
I paid, and we walked outside. I called my parents, and they assured me they were having a great time. The squeals in the background confirmed it. Satisfied that Noah was in good hands, Emily walked with me over to Marney’s café to meet Gail. I had a feeling the two would hit it off. Emily was smiling the moment we walked into the quaint shop. There was just something about that place that everyone loved.
“Hi, Jake.” Gail greeted us from behind the counter. She looked exactly the same as she always did, a sweet old lady with long, silver-gray hair.
“Hey, Gail. You haven’t met my girlfriend, Emily, yet, have you?”
Gail’s eyes lit up as they moved to Emily. “No, I haven’t had the pleasure yet. It’s nice to meet you, Emily.”
“Same to you. You have a lovely place here.” Emily was looking around at all the photos on the wall. I’d have to tell her that Molly had taken them.
“Thank you. Can I get you two anything?”
“Two coffees and,” I turned to Emily, “what kind of pie is your favorite?”
“Anything with fruit.”
“How about peach?” Gail suggested.
“That’s perfect.”
Gail pulled out the peach pie from the display case. “One slice or two?”
Emily answered for us. “One, we can share.”
I’m sure I could have eaten my own slice, but I liked the idea of sharing.
“Jake, why don’t you go find a table.” Gail wasn’t really asking a question. I knew exactly what she was doing.
“Sure.” I grinned and carried our pie over to an empty table. There was only one other couple in the whole place, so it wasn’t hard to find one. I watched Emily break into a smile as she talked to Gail. I hoped Gail was putting in a good word for me.
A few minutes later, they both walked over with our coffees.
Gail patted me on the shoulder. “You’ve got the real deal here, Jake. Don’t let her go.”
I looked over my shoulder at her. “I don’t plan on it.”
Chapter Eighteen
Emily
After a few weeks, I was finally getting used to working days again. I preferred nights, loving the quieter feel of the hospital, but those shifts weren’t possible with Noah at home. Mel had offered to take Noah one night a week so I could get an extra shift in, but I hated putting her out. She would never accept money from me, and she already did plenty of free babysitting.
When I first met Mel, I never expected her to be such a huge part of my life. She was the fast talking girl that wanted to be anywhere but in class. For some reason, she decided to befriend the pregnant girl. My mom came down for a few weeks to help when Noah was born, but she couldn’t take too much time off. Tim’s parents only came down to meet their grandson for a few hours before leaving. I pushed myself through those early weeks, telling myself Tim wouldn’t have been any help anyway. A few months later, he was dead. I don’t think I would have survived without Mel. She picked me up off the floor, helped take care of Noah, and reminded me that life went on. I owed her more than I could ever hope to repay.
I’d just settled into a movie with Mel when Jake called on a Thursday night. I was thrilled to be done working for the week, and picked up the second I saw his name flash across the screen. “Hey!”
“Hey yourself. You sound chipper.” He sounded just as happy as I did.
“I’m just glad to be done with work for a few days.”
“Usually you sound exhausted after work.”
“Yeah, but Mel’s here