never. “We should all get together for dinner again soon. You two and me and Jack. If I ever find him,” she added.
“Great idea. We’d love to,” her dad said.
“Well, enjoy the booths and tables set up,” Emma said. “There’s lots of great information out there, not just for women but for men too. And there’s food,” she added. Emma hugged him one more time and then, surprising herself, she hugged Angel too.
After saying goodbye, she headed off to visit the tables and booths, hoping she’d find Jack somewhere along the way. When she called him, it kept going straight to voicemail, which made her wonder if his phone ran out of charge or if he’d turned it off for some reason.
Music played softly in the air as she stopped at the first table. This one was a free blood pressure check. The nurse occupying this booth gave out handouts on heart health. The next booth was about healthy eating. A nutritionist gave out pamphlets on which foods to eat. She also had a few dishes to try and the recipes to take home if you liked them.
Emma kept walking. Eventually she stopped at a covered table where Ashley was sitting. Ashley was still dressed in her running clothes from earlier. She smiled up at Emma. “Emma, the race was fantastic. Don’t you think?”
Emma nodded. “It really was. And this Women’s Wellness Fair seems to be a success too. It looks like the whole town is here.”
“And then some,” Ashley agreed.
Ashley’s table was set up with a checklist of things that women needed to do for themselves, categorized by age. Things that Emma had been neglecting, out of fear. She’d done her checkup though, and everything was fine. She was worrying for nothing.
“Emma?” Ashley said, her smile wilting. She looked around at the crowd briefly and back at Emma. “Please make sure you come in on Monday. We need to discuss your genetic testing.”
Emma didn’t want to ask. She didn’t want to know. If she waited until Monday, she’d probably end up canceling the appointment. “I’m positive for the mutation, aren’t I?”
Ashley hesitated. “It would be better if we discussed this in my office when I can show the results in print.”
Emma shook her head. “Waiting for news is torture. I’ll come by on Monday, but can you please tell me so I know what I’m walking into? Please. Do I have the gene mutation?”
Ashley frowned, and then she looked around. There were no other people at her table right now. “I’m afraid so,” she said. “But I don’t want you to worry yourself over this too much. There are a lot of options for what you can do next. Come see me on Monday, and we’ll talk more in depth.”
Emma nodded as her knees threatened to collapse. She needed to be alone. “Thank you, Ashley. I’ll see you Monday.”
Emma left the booth as other people headed toward it. Then she changed directions and headed toward the parking lot, hoping this time that she didn’t run into Jack. He was the very last person she wanted to face right now.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Jack saw a lot of familiar faces in the crowd as the race died down and participants went to explore the educational booths set up by the Women’s Center. He was looking for one face in particular. Emma’s. He hadn’t seen her since she’d kicked the race off.
She’d done what she’d set out to do this summer. Emma had pulled an event together in honor of her mother. If he wasn’t in love with her before, he was now. And he admired the heck out of her.
As he looked around, he saw Amanda sitting on a nearby bench that lined one of the trails in the park. She was holding a bottle of water in one hand and an apple in another. He headed over.
“You okay?” he asked.
Amanda looked up, squinting at the sun behind him. “Better than okay. I just walked three miles. I should probably be tired, but I feel amazing. And hopeful.”
Jack sat down beside her. “Yeah? I just feel tired,” he teased. But he also felt hopeful as he looked at his sister.
She shoved her elbow into his side. “Liar. You walk this park all day every day. This was probably nothing for a big lug like you.”
“But I don’t run it.” He shrugged. “I think I’ll start though. Maybe I’ll begin training for next year’s race.”
Amanda grinned at him. “I bet you’re proud of Emma