right now, her tone with him would be clipped too.
“Oh yes,” Angel said. “A wellness walk for women. That name just rolls off your tongue, don’t you think, Eddie?” She looked over at Emma’s dad.
“Yeah. Sounds like a great teaming for your mom’s event,” he agreed. “Jenny really loved that center. They took great care of her,” he said, his expression sentimental for a moment. “She even told me once that she wished there was a way to give back where they were concerned. To help them as much as they had helped her.”
Jack could practically feel the tension rolling off Emma as she sat stiffly beside him.
“Really?” she finally asked. “I didn’t know that.”
Angel continued to carry the conversation, which thankfully turned to her new bicycling hobby.
Finally, Ruby Jean returned with a cart full of plates. She took them one by one and slid them in front of her customers. “There you go…This one is for you…And you. A growing boy needs his nourishment. Don’t be afraid to ask for seconds,” she added when talking to Sam. “I always give the kids seconds.”
Sam’s mouth fell open. “I’m not really…a kid.”
Ruby Jean smiled widely. “Of course you are. When you’re old like me, even your uncle here is a kid.”
“I wouldn’t turn down someone calling me a kid or giving me seconds,” Jack advised Sam.
“And the birthday burger is for the birthday girl,” Ruby Jean said proudly, sliding a burger twice the size of the other burgers in front of Emma. Thankfully, there was only one candle burning in the middle instead of thirty.
“Wow. That is a sight to behold,” Emma said. “I’m not sure I can eat all of that.”
Ruby Jean grinned. “You have to if you want a slice of birthday cake. That’s the prize for eating the whole thing.”
Emma laughed. “If I eat all of this, I definitely won’t have room for cake.”
Ruby Jean shrugged. “You only get one birthday a year. Eat your burger and have your cake too.” She winked under her thick mascara. “And don’t let that one steal a bite,” she said, pointing a finger at Jack.
Jack’s jaw dropped. “I would never try to steal a bite of Emma’s birthday burger.”
“Just a kiss, huh?” Ruby Jean winked again. “I know how lovebirds do.” She laughed and then left them to their meals. The conversation fell quiet for a moment while everyone prepared to eat and took their first bites.
“So tell me again what brings the three of you together?” Edward asked. “Jack is helping you find a spot on the calendar, but that doesn’t explain why you’re seated at a restaurant with him.”
Emma reached for her drink, appearing to have difficulty washing down her bite of burger. “Well, Dad, Jack and Sam were kind enough to invite me out tonight. It was this or cold cereal alone at my place.”
“Oh, you’re always welcome for dinner with us,” Angel said. “I’ve been telling Eddie to invite you over for your birthday. At least we can celebrate tonight.”
Edward looked at Jack, his blue eyes hard and calculating. Jack didn’t blame him one bit for thinking poorly of him. He was holding a grudge over just that one night, but that one night could’ve put Emma’s life in danger. It was stupid, foolish, irresponsible, and unforgivable.
“Why wouldn’t Emma be with us tonight?” Sam asked. “I mean, she is Uncle Jack’s girlfriend.”
Jack didn’t breathe for a long moment. He looked at Sam and then Emma, but he didn’t look at Edward. No, that was the last face he wanted to look at right now.
* * *
Emma coughed. She reached for her soda again, trying to wash down her bite of food, but her throat was so tight it wouldn’t budge.
Jack patted her back, which was probably the last thing that needed to happen right now. Her father looked murderous at the moment. He’d loved Jack once upon a time. What had changed between them?
“You okay?” Jack asked.
No. No, she was nowhere in the vicinity of okay. She nodded. “My food just went down the wrong pipe.”
“So you two are dating?” Angel asked, her expression light and happy. Her eyes were even twinkling under the low-hanging lighting at their table. She was a hard woman to dislike, and Emma had really tried to do just that. She couldn’t though. Angel was in fact angelic.
“Well, um…” Emma picked up her burger, needing something to do with her hands. Taking another bite right now was risky business; she might choke