Emmalee (26 page)

           
By the time I got home I knew my day was just beginning.  I
quickly baked up a batch of my mom’s famous cookies, grabbed my
coat, gloves and hat, and walked the three miles to the Hart house. 
I probably could’ve gotten my mom to take me—or at the
very least, relent and let me drive over there—but the new
Emmalee Glumm needed to walk. 
If Cassidy can do it, then so
can I.
 Besides, I really wanted to get my thoughts in
order before I apologized to Claire and her family.

           
Once there, I took another deep breath and rang the doorbell—my
cookies on a pretty plate wrapped in cellophane in front of me. 

           
Chloe answered—her friendly smile dying on her face as she
realized it was me.

           
Aww, man, this is going to be harder than I thought.
  I
hesitantly smiled back and asked, “Is Claire here?  I came
to apologize.”

           
She folded her arms and shifted uneasily, gauging how genuine I
really was.  I guess she liked what she saw, because she nodded
her head and bluntly said, “I don’t know if she wants to
see you, but I’ll ask, okay?”

           
“Okay.” 
It’s better than nothing.

           
“Wait here.”

           
I waited.  After a couple of minutes the door swung open and
Claire burst out of it—her arms surprisingly going round me.

           
“Emma!  I’m so sorry!” she exclaimed. 
“I’m so, so sorry!  Please say you’ll forgive
me!  Please say you don’t hate me anymore!  I promise
I’ll never, ever talk again!”

           
Oh my gosh!  I
am
a monster!  I’m a
terrible, horrible monster
!  Tears sprang to my eyes again,
as I wrapped my arms around her, dropping the forgotten cookies onto
the porch.  Claire was still apologizing, but I couldn’t
hear any of it—my ears were pounding so loudly from the sound
of my pleading heart.  It took a few minutes for me to compose
myself enough to stop Claire’s energetic monologue and to
really say what I needed to.

“No, Claire.  Stop,
sweetie.  Stop,” I whispered into her ear as I gently
dislodged myself from her grasp.  “You can’t
apologize anymore.  I won’t let you.”

           
That seemed to check her and she pulled farther back.  “I-I
can’t?”

           
“No.” I smiled at her expression and wiped the tears from
my cheeks.  “I’m here to beg your forgiveness—not
the other way around.”

           
“You-you are?”  She looked so stunned a new wave of
guilt washed over me.

           
“Yes, Claire.”  I held onto her shoulders and looked
right at her.  “I’m your friend.  I love you. 
You are a wonderful, amazing person.  And I was dreadfully wrong
last night.  I was evil and mean and spiteful and every other
horrible thing you can imagine.  I don’t know why I said
what I said, but believe me; I have felt miserable ever since. 
I mean, completely horrid.  I came here today expecting you to
never want to speak to me, but I never expected you to feel like
this.  Claire, please believe me when I say you did nothing
wrong.  It was all my fault. 

“If I can take back one moment
in time it would be then.  I don’t deserve your apology. 
I don’t even deserve your acceptance of mine, but I had to come
here today, anyway

“And just for the record,
you’re not bad, Claire.  Your energy and excitement are
completely contagious.  Do me a favor and don’t ever
change, okay?  Life wouldn’t be the same without your
eagerness and happiness around.”

           
For once she just nodded her head.  She didn’t say
anything.  She didn’t have to; her miraculous—most
unfair—smile said it all.  I was forgiven.  And right
then, there was nothing more valuable to me in all the world, than
the love and forgiveness of Claire Hart.    
       

Chapter 25

You are the reason men fall in love.

           
The Hart family wasn’t as forgiving as Claire was, but I could
tell my visit went a long way into smoothing things over for them. 
I repeatedly apologized until I was sure they were sick of hearing
me, but I wanted to let them know how sincere I was.  I had
changed.  I was different.  I wanted them to see that I
would never make the same mistake again. 

On my way home, I decided to take a
quick detour to Hannah’s house and apologize to her as well. 
If I needed any friend right now, she was it.  Plus, in case
she’d been trying to text me or email me, I wanted to let her
know I wasn’t ignoring her. 

           
By the time I got there it was almost two o’clock.

           
“Hey, Emma!  I was just getting ready to come to your
house,” exclaimed Hannah as she opened the door for me.

           
Relieved I smiled.  “You were?”  I walked in.

           
“Yeah!  You wouldn’t believe what just happened to
me—I mean, like
just
now!” She looked completely
freaked out.

           
All at once everything flew from my mind.  “What
happened?  Are you okay?”

           
“I’m wonderful!”  She twirled in front of me
and wrapped her arms around her waist.

           
“Hannah?”  I’d never seen her so happy before.

           
“You won’t believe it.  I mean, you’ll
probably be mad at me, but I don’t care.  I don’t
care what anyone says!  Because I just got off the phone with
Martin Roberts—and we’re going out!”

           
“Really?”  I was shocked.

           
“Yep.  And there is no way you’re going to ruin this
moment for me, so don’t even try.”

           
“I-no!  This is great news.  I’m so happy for
you.  Really.” 
Baffled actually.
 
“How-how did it happen?”

           
“Chase.”  She smiled and then began to giggle as she
waltzed into the living room.

           
“Chase?”  I followed.

           
“Yeah, he told Martin that if he really loved me then he
shouldn’t let me go without a fight.”

           
No way!
  “You’re kidding.”

           
“Nope.  So Martin called this morning to fight for me.” 
She sat down dreamily on couch.  “I decided to let him win
this time.”

           
 Once I got home I heard a deep voice as I walked in my house. 
It sounded like he was in the kitchen with my mom. 

           
“Hey, Emmalee.”  My mom was all smiles.  “Look
who came to see you.”

           
“Hey, Chase.”  Unhurriedly I took off my coat and
tossed it on the small breakfast table.  “I thought you’d
be home packing.” 
Great, Emmalee, just bring it up.

           
“I am, later.”

           
“I’ll leave you two alone.”  My mother smiled
up at Chase like he was the long lost ‘prodigal son.’ 
Apparently he was forgiven for kissing me—or maybe she
doesn’t blame Chase at all.  Ugh!  Figures. 

I waited until Mom left before I
casually asked, “So, did you need something?”

           
Chase got right to the point.  “When did you find out you
had to give up Clem?”

           
When do you think?
  “Today.”

           
He shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair.  “Are
you okay?  How do you feel?”

           
Like someone has just taken a knife and stabbed me in the heart
about thirty times.  You?
  “Fine.”

           
“Em-ma.”

           
“Emmalee, actually.”

           
“What?”

           
I walked over to the cupboard and pulled down a glass so I wouldn’t
have to look at him.  “I’ve decided to go by Emmalee
from here on out.”

           
“But, why?  I like Emma.”  He sounded confused.

           
I didn’t look up to see if he was.  Instead I leaned over
the sink and ran the cold water.  “Because I’m not
Emma anymore.  She’s gone.”  Once my glass was
full I turned toward him, but I still didn’t look up. 
Instead I studied the pretty way the sun shone through the tumbler
from the window above the sink.

           
“I don’t understand.  What happened?”

           
I lifted my head and stared right at Chase.  “It was
simple.  I thought about what you’d said last night and
you were right.”  Breaking the fragile eye contact, I
glanced down at my shoes.  I—uh, thought it was time to
grow up.  So I’m doing it.”  I smirked. “Well,
I’m gonna try at least.”  Shaking my head I willed
the memories away, but they flooded me.  “I was horrible
last night.  Completely the worst version of myself I have ever
had to face.  I didn’t like what I saw.  I’m
surprised you—uh, stuck around long enough to help me see what
an ogre I’ve become.”

           
“Emma,” Chase took a step toward me.  “I never
meant—I don’t know how you’ve even dealt with me. 
I have been awful—horrible to you.  Has there been a day
when I haven’t chewed you out for something?”

           
I chuckled. “I’m sure there has been, but I can’t
think of any.”

           
“Look, the reason why I was so mad was because I thought you
were actually turning into Ethan.  I thought you’d picked
up his habit of just saying what he wants to people—no matter
who’s around.”

           
“Oh no.  Last night was all me.  Unfortunately. 
I can’t blame Ethan for anything.”

           
“Yes, you can.”

           
I took a sip of my water and rolled my eyes.  “No I can’t,
Chase.  Look, do you want some hot chocolate, or something?” 

           
He walked over to the stool and sat down.  “Sure, I never
turn down chocolate.  But actually, I have news about Ethan—not
the best news.  And I—uh, don’t know how to say it.”

           
My hands froze mid-air as I lifted up the kettle.  “What
news?” 
Bad news about Ethan?  Could this day get
any worse?

“Well, Taylor was talking to
Chloe and Chloe had been talking to Cassidy and Cassidy said—“

           
Oh, for crying out loud.
  “Out with it already.” 
I marched to the faucet and began to fill the kettle.

           
Chase took a deep breath and blurted, “Ethan and Cassidy are
secretly going out.”

           
The kettle dropped with a bang into the sink.  “What?” 
I quickly picked it up.

           
“They’ve been going out for almost two years now.”

           
I whirled around. 
No way.
  “Two years? 
Ethan and Cassidy?  Are you messing with me?”

           
“No.”  He looked miserably down at his hands. 
“They’ve been secretly going with each other since
Ethan’s senior year when he took Cassidy to prom. 
Apparently she’s been grounded from dating anyone because my
reject cousin Blake tried to get with her.  So they’ve
been going behind her parents’ backs.  They have a
complete email, text, cell phone relationship.  It’s been
pretty hard on both of them, especially when he has to pretend to
like other people so no one figures it out.”

           
I gasped and Chase looked up and met my gaze.  “No wonder
why the dork couldn’t kiss me!”  I smiled.  “He
so could’ve said something, you know.  I would’ve
totally helped them.”

           
“As far as I know Chloe just found out herself.  I guess
Cassidy is really good at—wait!  You’re laughing?”
He looked completely shocked.  Like seeing me laugh in the
kitchen was a totally foreign thing to him.

           
It made me laugh harder.  In fact it felt wonderful to laugh. 
At least I had something to laugh at. 
To think all this
time I’d been basing my spinsterhood on a guy already taken. 
Figures. 
It was so my luck.

           
“So-so, you’re not mad?” Chase’s confusion
was cute.

           
“Why are you so puzzled by that?” I giggled.  “Why
would I be mad?” 
He’s such a weirdo.
 
Of all the things to be mad about Ethan and Cassidy was way off
my list.

           
“So you don’t have a thing for him?”

           
I snorted. “For Ethan?  What, are you high?  As if I
would have a thing for Ethan Franklin!”  I shook my head
and pulled the now overflowing kettle from the sink and turned off
the tap.  Pouring a bit off the top, I carefully carried it over
to the stove and set the lid on.  After I twisted the knob to
high, I turned around.  Chase was standing right in front of me.

           
“Oh—!” 

It was all I could get out before
Chase’s lips caught mine. 
Holy cow!
 
Instantly my hands clutched his elbows and then slowly wound their
way up his shoulders and around his neck.

He broke away and muttered, “Em?”

“Yeah?” 

“Ask me to stay—you
shouldn’t—”  He closed his eyes briefly. “—but
ask me to stay anyway, and I will.”

“Stay.”

When he opened them, Chase’s
eyes were the bluest I had ever seen them.  “Really? 
Just like that.  You don’t hate me?  You don’t
wish I was in Arizona, or back in Spain, or somewhere?”

Are you for real?
 
“No.”

“Why?”

You first
.  “Why
do you want to stay?”

“Let’s go for a walk.”

“Now?” 
I just
got back from a walk.
  But already I was turning off the
stove.

“Yeah.  Just out back,
come on.”  Chase headed over to the table and collected my
jacket.  He held it out for me as I slid my hands through. 
Once zipped, he offered his hand and I stared at it for a second. 

I can’t believe Chase is
here and holding his hand out for me
.  It was like I had
died and gone to heaven.  I knew then, that if I put my hand in
his, my life would never be the same.  Everything I had ever
thought, or planned, or dreamed up, until this moment was going to
change forever. 
I can’t wait! 
With a super
giddy grin on my face I stepped forward and slipped my small
manicured hand into his larger smooth one.  My eyes met his. 
Sheez.  How could I have been blind to how totally hot he
was?