A California Christmas (Silver Springs #7) - Brenda Novak Page 0,29
maintenance here at New Horizons—and, apparently, the coaching, if necessary.”
“How is he related to Susan?”
“He’s not, technically. He’s Maddox’s brother—Maddox is the principal of the girls’ side of New Horizons—so there is that connection, I guess. She owns Sugar Mama, a cookie shop in town.”
“I’m familiar with it.”
“Sounds like, with Christmas coming up, she’s extra busy. So it’s a bad time for her to be sick.”
Emery poured the refried bean mixture she’d been making into a bowl and carried it to the table. “I hate to ask, but...she doesn’t have cancer or anything serious, does she?”
“Not cancer, no. Lupus. And she lost her husband a couple of years ago, if I remember right, so she’s on her own with the store. She has a son who helps out when he can, too, but Atticus has his own job and his own life, and I’m sure he can’t be there whenever she needs him. He’s in a wheelchair besides, so it’s hard for him to reach into the cooler to dish up the ice cream for the cookie sandwiches and other stuff she sells.”
Aiyana’s voice came down to them from upstairs. “Emery, would you mind if I asked Cal over to dinner?”
“Of course not! I would love to see him.”
“Great.”
As Emery dished up the Spanish rice she had waiting on a back burner, she lowered her voice. “I expected Aiyana and Cal to get married years ago. Why do you think they’ve waited so long?”
“That’s a mystery to me, too.” Dallas was so loyal to Aiyana that he almost left it at that, but he thought it might be encouraging for Emery to know the truth. “She’s hinted that, like me and the other boys she’s tried to help, she has a past and that past informs the present,” he added.
“Are you saying something happened in her childhood to make her reluctant to marry?”
“That’s my guess. But she won’t open up about it, so I don’t really know.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to be too nosy. My curiosity got the best of me, I guess.”
“No worries. I’m curious about it, too. She seems to have everything figured out, so it’s hard to imagine that she ever lost her way. But as she often says, anyone can make a tragic mistake.”
“That’s true.” Emery seemed thoughtful as she brought the rice and beans to the table. “How often do you think Susan needs help?”
“I couldn’t tell you.” He looked closer at her. “Why? You’re not considering offering to step in, are you?”
She lifted her hands palms up. “I’m available, right? I doubt I can get another job so close to Christmas, and I wouldn’t want to get one here, anyway, since I don’t plan on staying long-term. But I could help this Susan get through the Christmas rush.”
“That’s really nice of you,” he said. “But...it would mean facing the public on a daily basis.”
She suddenly seemed less certain. “I realize that. But someone told me I can’t let anyone or anything hold me back.” She offered him a half smile. “I have to get back out there at some point. And I would hate hiding here while someone is too sick to run their business, especially so close to the holidays.”
Lying low for a little longer would probably be more advisable. After running into the likes of Mrs. Seamus, Dallas understood that. But it was nice of Emery to care. “Maybe she’ll get back on her feet.”
“If she doesn’t, and she’s open to having me step in, at least I’ll be working in my hometown—a small community and one that’s slightly removed from LA. That wouldn’t be a bad place to start.”
“True...”
“And if she can afford to pay me, even if it’s only minimum wage, a paycheck would help shore up my dwindling savings. My mother’s going through a hard time, so it would be a boon to her, too.”
For all of his encouragement, Dallas wasn’t overly anxious to see Emery put herself out there when he wouldn’t be there to act as a buffer. “Well, take some time to think about it. Make sure it’s something you really want to do.”
“Okay,” she said, but he knew she was going to do it. She wanted to help Susan—and he could tell she needed the money.
8
Ethan’s answer came that night. Emery couldn’t help but wonder if he’d purposely waited until it was late in hopes of getting her to come over and, possibly, stay the night. But if that was his intention, if he imagined