Emma's Secret: A Novel

talk to me.” At least, she prayed that was true.
    There was a slight rise in Laurie’s eyebrow. “I’m sure. And where is your husband anyway? If you cancel on me again, I’ll scream.”
    Before Megan could respond, the sound of the front door opening and then closing caught their attention. She cocked her head before looking past Laurie’s shoulder, and waited for Peter.
    There was a small thud of what she imagined to be Peter’s briefcase as it hit the floor, and they heard the jingle of keys dropped into the bowl on the front table. Within moments, her husband walked down the hallway and stood at the kitchen doorway.
    There were visible creases along his face, and a strain to his smile as he nodded to Laurie and then leaned down to brush his lips against Megan’s cheek. She smiled up at him before reaching for his hand. She needed to touch him, to feel a connection between them, but he only grazed her fingers before turning away. She could see the look on Laurie’s face out of the corner of her eye but refused to meet her gaze. Megan wasn’t in the mood for sympathy.
    “So you’re going on a girls’ date? What movie are you going to see?” Peter reached into the fridge and grabbed the water jug.
    “Some chick flick Laurie’s been wanting to see.” Megan smiled before narrowing her gaze. “Has Alex mentioned anything about her birthday to you?” She kept her voice down, just in case her daughter was eavesdropping.
    Peter only shook his head as he gulped down the glass of water. “No. I figured you were on top of that.” He reopened the fridge door and peered inside. “Did you leave me anything for supper?” He pulled open the oven door before reaching for the microwave and finding the plate of food in there for him.
    Megan’s heart sank. She had five days.
    “You forgot, didn’t you?”
    The look in his eyes said it all. Megan sighed.
    Peter shrugged it off. “I’ll talk to her tonight about it. Explain that we just lost track of time.” She noticed the thin crease around his mouth.
    “Or,” Laurie interrupted, “we could plan a surprise party. There’s that new go-kart track that opened just out of town. Theyhave miniature golf too. You could call and see if there is an opening. Invite some friends…”
    Megan smiled. “I like that idea.” She could ask her parents and some of Alexis’s friends to join them. A surprise party would be perfect. Then Alexis would never know Megan had completely forgotten her birthday.
    “That will work.” Peter nodded. The look he gave Megan told her he thought she should have come up with that idea rather than Laurie. Waves of his disappointment and disapproval washed over her as a glower settled on his face. Now that Emma was home, he thought she should be there 100 percent for Hannah and Alexis. And he was right. She should.
    “Did you at least remember to order that gift I wanted for her?” His brow rose as if he didn’t expect her to say yes.
    Megan stared at him blankly, trying to remember what gift he had wanted ordered. It sounded vaguely familiar.
    “The golf bag, Megan. I wanted to get her a new golf bag with her name on it to go with the golf clubs I ordered. Remember? You told me you’d take care of it.” Peter sighed as he laid his plate down on the kitchen counter.
    Right. She bit her lip while remembering the phone call she’d made. “They were out of the bag you wanted with the purple camouflage fabric, so they were going to see if they could locate one in their other store.” She caught the skepticism in his gaze. “I’ll give them a call tomorrow.” She made a mental note not to forget.
    Peter thought her lack of memory was due to laziness. Her counselor said it was because she didn’t view the small issues as important enough to remember. But Megan feared something different. For two years, she’d been so focused on finding Emma that she’d gotten in the habit of putting off everything else until the lastminute. She wasn’t lazy or forgetful. She had simply forgotten how to prioritize.
    The problem was that she needed to make her entire family a priority now. Not just Emma.
    The guilt she’d felt earlier intensified. She could tell Alexis until she was blue in the face that her birthday was more important to her than anything else, but they both knew Megan would be lying.

    There was nothing Jack loved more than being in his woodshed. Sure, the sawdust made his eyes water and he’d sneeze for the next day or