Emma's Secret: A Novel

over treats like chocolate croissants or almond scones, coaxing Megan back into the land of the living. Then, she started leaving pamphlets aboutorganizations for missing children in Megan’s mailbox. It took one brainstorming session over coffee and cookies to come up with a plan beyond the local authorities’ to ensure that Emma’s photo was plastered everywhere. Jan was the driving force, and set up the fund-raising barbecue in the town square. Megan would forever be in Jan’s debt.
    She dropped her purse at the corner table and headed to the counter. She smiled as she heard the slight shuffling behind her. On the corner of the counter, Jan kept a basket of homemade dog treats for Shelly Belle. She put out only a few each day, but it quickly became a favorite thing for customers to do. Megan picked out a flower-shaped treat, turned on her heels, and waited for Shelly to sit before offering her the treat.
    “Well, good morning, darlin’.” Jan pushed open the swinging door from the kitchen, holding a tray of fresh muffins. Megan leaned over the counter to see what type Jan had made. Today was her lucky day—banana nut, her favorite.
    “These look delicious.” She inhaled the sweet smell.
    Jan smiled as she set the tray down. “They taste good too.” She poured coffee into two mugs and placed a small plate on the counter.
    Megan picked a muffin and headed over to a table.
    “It’s been a long time since you joined me for morning coffee. I’ve missed you.” Jan lowered herself into a chair and sighed.
    Megan glanced around the bakery. The place was homey. The walls were lined with shelves of wooden birdhouses and pictures of people and events special to Jan. One of Megan’s favorite photos was a shot of a cloudy sky over the lake. The way the wind had blown the clouds and the way the light shone through them made it look like angels’ wings in the sky. Seeing it always calmed her.
    “I’ve missed you too.” Megan smiled and briefly touched Jan’s hand.
    The moment Megan had met Jan, there was a connection. It had been more than five years ago on a cold winter night in the town park. The locals had been putting on a nativity play, and Jan was passing out Styrofoam cups of hot chocolate. Seeing that she was shorthanded, Megan had offered to help. The day after the play, Jan showed up at Megan’s door with a basket full of freshly baked muffins as a thank-you. They’d been friends ever since.
    “Where’re the girls?”
    Megan leaned back in her chair. “I have the morning off. Hannah and Alexis are with friends for the day, and Peter took Emma out on a date.”
    Jean’s brow rose. “On a workday?”
    Megan nodded. “For breakfast and coffee before he heads in to work. He took her to the donut shop down the road. It’ll be good for them. Peter has had a hard time figuring out how to deal with Emma. She’s not the little girl we knew before everything happened.”
    Jan leaned forward and placed her elbows on the table. “Of course she’s not. She grew up without your influence in her life.”
    Megan shrugged. “Right. Someone else raised her, read her stories at night, and taught her how to bake.” She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment and shook her head. There was no sense dwelling on it. She couldn’t change things.
    Jan leaned back, her eyes full of pity. “You need to learn to forgive them, honey.”
    Megan shook her head. “No, I don’t. What I need to do is learn to let it go and move on. I know that. It’s just hard sometimes.”
    Jan snapped her fingers and waited as Shelly Belle trotted over and sat at her feet. “You know, when my other babies died, I wasmad. Mad at God for taking my babies away from me, even though I knew they were old and ready to rest. But that didn’t matter. What I knew in my head and what I felt in my heart were two very different things. I convinced myself that the only person my feelings were affecting was me. But I was wrong.” A low groan came from the floor. “Poor Shelly Belle was affected as well. She’d just lost her family, and instead of being there for her to help her deal with her loss, I took it out on her.” Jan shook her head as a tear welled in her eye. “Oh, I wasn’t mean or anything, but I didn’t show her as much love as I could have.”
    Megan broke off bits her muffin and cast her eyes downward, thinking about Jan’s words. “I do love my children.” Her voice lacked conviction, because she understood exactly what