picture of her mom, and a paragraph detailing her mom’s story. Then there was a sign-up page and a link to donate to the cause without signing up. If she could get at least a couple of hundred people to sign up, that would be a great first year.
Her cell phone buzzed on the nightstand. Emma eyed Barnaby sound asleep in his bed before glancing at the clock. Almost midnight. Who would be texting her at this hour?
She picked up the phone to check the screen, and her body received a little jolt when she saw Jack’s name. They’d been a pretend couple for just under two weeks now, which so far had amounted to Jack coming into the café every morning, offering her a Hershey Kiss, and winking at her on his way out. It was likely all show for his nephew, but sometimes Jack did those things when Sam wasn’t even around. There was also that very real kiss on the Fourth of July.
Emma tapped her phone’s screen and opened a text from Jack.
Is Sam with you?
Emma found the text concerning. No. Why would Sam be with me?
She waited anxiously, watching the dots bounce along her screen as Jack texted back.
He’s not here, and it’s an hour past his curfew.
Emma sat up in bed, clutching her phone and watching more dots bounce.
He’s not answering my calls either.
Where was he tonight? Emma texted back.
With friends. That’s all I know, which makes me an awful caregiver.
I know a couple of his friends. They’ve been to the café to see him, she texted. But it’s late.
She waited for her phone to buzz with another incoming text, but instead her phone began to ring.
“What do I do?” Jack asked as soon as she connected the call. “Do I go look for him? Wait here for when he comes home? I can’t call everyone I know and wake them up. Can I?”
Emma wasn’t sure what to tell him. “Sam is probably fine. And if he wasn’t, someone would contact you and let you know.”
“If he’s fine, he won’t be once he gets home,” Jack threatened.
Emma knew he wasn’t serious. She’d never known Jack to be aggressive in any way. He was just scared and with good reason.
“So this is what it feels like to be a parent, huh?” he muttered. “Absolutely terrifying. Remind me to never do it for real.”
She and Jack were pretend so his future and hers weren’t intertwined. Not that she allowed herself to envision a future with a family of her own either. “I’ll call Sam. He’s not answering for you, but he might for me.”
“Yeah. That’s a good idea. Okay,” Jack agreed.
“I’ll do it now. Talk to you in a minute.” Emma said goodbye and then pulled up Sam’s contact. She tapped the number, praying that Sam would answer.
“Hello,” Sam’s voice answered on the fifth ring.
“Sam.” Relief poured through her. “Where are you? Your uncle is worried sick.”
There was a hesitation on the other end of the line.
“Sam?”
“I don’t like being lied to,” Sam said. “You guys have been lying to me all along.”
Emma’s heart flew into her throat. “What?”
“You and Uncle Jack aren’t telling me the truth,” Sam reiterated. “And I don’t want anything to do with liars.”
Chapter Thirteen
Emma blinked, her hand aching from clutching the cell phone so tightly. “Wait a minute. What do you mean we’re liars?”
Emma never should have told anyone that her relationship with Jack was a farce. Telling one person was like telling the entire town, and now Sam was upset.
“You and Uncle Jack aren’t telling me the whole story. Or any of the story. My mom isn’t on vacation this summer with her boyfriend.”
Her phone buzzed with a second caller, probably Jack, wanting to know if she’d been able to reach Sam. “Your mom?” she repeated, processing what Sam was talking about.
“I went on her Facebook page and her Instagram. If she was on vacation, why wouldn’t she be posting pictures? My mom loves to post pictures. She’s always on her phone.”
Emma shook her head. This kid was too smart for his own good. “Maybe she’s just busy. Or having a screen-free summer.”
“Yeah, right. Like every adult, she pays more attention to her screen than she does to the people around her.”
“That’s not true. Your uncle Jack isn’t that way. Neither am I.” And from her point of view, it was teenagers who couldn’t be separated from their electronic devices. When they came into the café, that’s mostly what the younger