town’s here.”
“Not quite,” Emma reminded him. “Jenny and Alison are both at the hospital, holding down the fort. Darcy’s going to switch with Jenny in a few hours, and Alison’s coming out after she makes her rounds.”
“Alison?” I should know that name, but it wasn’t ringing a bell. Maybe I was more exhausted than I’d realized. Maybe none of this was real. It was possible that I’d actually nodded off in the car and was dreaming.
“Yes. Alison Wakely. She’s the one who the board hired to cover for you while you . . .” Her eyes narrowed, meeting mine with challenge. “While you were off saving the world.”
I might have been tired beyond the telling, but I still recognized that jab. The first time Emma and I had met, I’d just been back from a mission in Venezuela with No Hungry Child, and she had made an off-hand remark about me saving the world. Since her words had hit me in a sensitive spot—I knew I had a little bit of a savior complex—I’d reacted badly, setting us up for months of near-animosity before we’d managed a détente.
And then that détente had turned into friendship, which had morphed into something so much more.
I didn’t have the energy to spar with Emma right now. Any little bit of relief I’d experienced over Gram and Pop’s emotional welcome had evaporated in the face of Emma’s hostility and Noah’s handsy claiming of her.
So I only nodded in acknowledgement of Dr. Alison Wakely’s identity. “I’ll look forward to meeting her and thanking her for her work here. I appreciate it.” I yawned hugely. It was getting hard to keep my eyes open, which might have been more of a reaction to the tension of this conversation than to my actual fatigue. “I’m sorry. I was heading upstairs to clean up before I join the party. I better get to it.” I put one foot on the bottom step and then hesitated. “I’m sure I’ll see you both later.” I caught Emma’s eye. “Maybe we can talk a little bit if you’re staying for the whole afternoon. I’d really like to . . . catch up.” I flickered a glance at Noah, and by the way Emma’s cheek ticked, I knew she understood what I was saying.
“I promised Anna that I’d stay to help her clean up after everyone leaves, so I expect I’ll be here for quite a while. But it might be better all around if we wait to talk at the hospital on Monday.” Her chest rose as she took a deep breath. “I could use some time to get over the surprise. And you probably need quite a bit of sleep.”
“Okay. Sure.” I nodded. This wasn’t a hill I chose to die on. And it was possible that Emma had a point: I’d rather be alone with her when we discussed how the hell she’d ended up as Noah Spencer’s girlfriend.
Without saying anything else—because really, what else was there to say at this point?—I climbed the steps slowly and went directly into the bathroom. The shower felt amazing—I’d forgotten how good hot, clear water was—and I even managed to shave, although the razor in my bathroom was old and not that sharp.
Wrapping the towel around my waist, I stumbled toward my bedroom. It was the same as it had been when I’d left for college, and the familiarity was a solace to me, something I hadn’t realized I needed just now. The bed . . . it looked mighty inviting. I gave in to temptation and laid down for just a minute. I closed my eyes, promising myself that I’d get up and get on my clothes shortly, but there was nothing wrong with a few moments of blissful, encompassing peace.
The dark lured me down and held me for a long time.
6
Emma
“Well, that was an interesting party.” Noah kept his eyes on the road as we drove along the road that connected the farm with my cabin. “Lots of surprises.”
“Really?” I stared out my window. “I thought there was only the one.”
“You mean Deacon showing up, right?”
I made a small noise in the back of my throat. “Yeah.” I couldn’t manage any more words. I’d been holding myself together by the thinnest of threads for several hours, and it felt as though I was on the verge of shattering.
“That was the big one,” Noah agreed. “But I was also kind of shocked by how calmly Jimmy and Anna took the news.