his sister, Jack was more exhausted on his day off than when he’d worked a full day. He pulled into the downtown parking lot and got out of his truck, then walked toward the Sweetwater Café. He’d thought about texting Emma several times today, but one didn’t follow up one of the most amazing nights of his life with a text.
Jack needed to look Emma in the eye and see for himself how she felt about what had happened between them.
Was she happy? Did she have regrets? Was it one of the most amazing nights of her life too?
Jack breathed in deeply, pulling the fresh mountain air into his lungs and hoping for its calming effect. That’s one of the reasons he’d fallen in love with hiking in the foothills and down the trails of Evergreen Park. The exercise and increased elevation forced him to take deep breaths, and the physical effect on his body was the best medicine on earth. Nature’s prescription for stress.
Jack walked into the café and noticed Sam and Nina working behind the counter.
Sam looked slightly worried when he saw him. “Hey, Uncle Jack. How’s Mom?” he asked when Jack approached the counter.
“She’s doing amazing. I’ll fill you in when you get off shift,” he promised. “Maybe we can go to Joe’s Pizzeria. What do you say?”
Sam nodded. “Yeah. Sounds good.”
“Hey, Jack,” Nina said brightly. “Emma isn’t here, if you’re looking for her.”
“Oh?” he asked. “Do you know where I can find her?”
“She left about fifteen minutes ago. She said she had an appointment, but I don’t know with who or where or why.” Nina shrugged.
Jack didn’t remember Emma discussing any appointments with him, but it could be for anything. It might even be related to the event she was planning. He looked over at Nina, noticing the look she was giving him—like she knew all his secrets. Had Emma told her about last night?
He shifted uncomfortably and took a step backward. “When do you get off shift?” he asked Sam.
“He can leave now,” Nina said. “The café isn’t that busy, and I’m used to covering it on my own. Go ahead,” she told Sam. “When pizza calls, you have to answer. What can I say? Pizza makes me cheesy,” she added with a wink.
Sam grinned.
“Want us to bring you a slice back?” Jack asked.
Nina folded her arms across her chest. “So you have an excuse to stop back in and see Emma if she returns? Sure. That’d be great.”
Jack shook his head. “I was offering for you,” he clarified, but the added benefit was that he’d have a reason to see Emma. “It might be a couple of hours. We have a stop to make first.”
“Where?” Sam asked, coming around the counter to join him.
“I thought we’d go check on our illegal camper at the shelter. Maybe she needs a slice of pizza too.” And honestly, Jack wanted to make sure Diana was still there. She hadn’t seemed keen on staying at the shelter, but she couldn’t keep camping out at the park. “See you later, Nina.”
“I’ll let Emma know you stopped in,” she called back.
“Thanks.” Jack and Sam stepped onto the sidewalk and silently weaved between people. They didn’t talk until they were in his truck and driving toward the women’s shelter across town.
“So?” Sam prompted. “You told Mom I know where she really is. Does that mean I can go see her now?”
Jack needed a good gulp of that fresh mountain air in his lungs right about now. “She’s in a rehab facility because she needs to get clean. She needs space from her daily life, to give her a chance to regroup and figure out some things. She loves you, buddy, but I think we need to give her some time. I know you wouldn’t intentionally set her back, but the more she can focus while she’s there, the faster she’ll be ready to leave.”
From the corner of Jack’s eye, he saw Sam lower his head. He fidgeted with his hands in his lap. “She’s okay though?”
“Yeah. Better than okay,” Jack said, and he believed that to be true. “And I need you around here so…”
Sam returned to looking out the window. “Do you think Diana is still at the shelter?”
“I don’t know where else she would’ve gone,” Jack said, which he knew didn’t answer Sam’s question at all. “I guess we’ll see.”
A few minutes later, they parked and walked inside the women’s shelter. Jack spotted Trisha, the director, and headed her