Emma's Secret: A Novel

Sherri’s eyes and realized this woman understood. “That would be lovely.”
    “Ms. Sherri?” Emma had turned and was tugging on Sherri’s arm. Megan could see the questions in Emma’s eyes, and for a split second, she wished she could stop time. She wasn’t sure what Emma was going to say. “Ms. Sherri? Did you know my grandma is in heaven?”

    Megan listened to the quiet chatter coming from the family room while she wiped down her kitchen counters. Peter was outside cleaning up the barbecue from dinner, and Megan was just waiting for the coffee to finish before she joined him outside.
    She swirled the cloth in a circular motion on the counter, letting her thoughts drift back to this afternoon. Meeting Sherri had been a godsend. Sherri had managed to deflect Emma’s questions, and they scheduled a time to meet the next day. A bubble of excitement welled up inside Megan.
    The rest of their day at the beach had been relaxing. Peter stayed longer than he’d intended, and it was nice. He’d kicked off his shoes, rolled up his pants, and dug into the sand with the girls as they worked on their sand castle. Megan lay back on the towel and soaked in the sun, letting its warm rays seep into her bones. She even drowsed for a bit before Peter nudged her, needing to return to the office. They’d stayed at the beach for as long as they could before it was time to race home and start dinner.
    Emma had loved the beach. She asked the entire way home when they could go back. Megan couldn’t keep the smile off her face. There was a twinkle in her daughter’s eyes that she hadn’t seenbefore. She wanted to believe it was due only to her time at the beach, but deep down Megan knew it was also from seeing Sherri and her daughter again.
    The smell of coffee filled the air. Megan sniffed, loving the aroma. At the same time, Peter opened the screen door and poked his head inside. “Is the coffee done?”
    Just as she was filling their cups, a large crash sounded in the family room, followed by a sharp wail from Emma. Megan set the coffeepot down and rushed to see what was wrong.
    Alexis stood in the middle of the room with her hands on her hips. She was scowling at Emma, who sat huddled against the couch, her knees tight against her chest while she rocked back and forth. She raised her face, and Megan caught sight of the tears in her eyes. Emma pushed herself up from the floor, launched herself at Megan, and wound her arms tightly around Megan’s legs moments before she buried her head and sobbed.
    Bewildered, Megan automatically rubbed Emma’s back and stared at her middle daughter. “What’s going on?”
    Alexis shook her head, as if disgusted with what she just witnessed.
    On the floor at their feet were scattered toys. Little pony pieces and dollhouse furniture lay in disarray.
    “Alexis, I asked you a question.” Megan lowered her voice but continued to rub Emma’s back. Her youngest daughter’s sobs had quieted, but her strong grip remained.
    “Nothing.” Alexis lowered her head.
    Megan snorted. “Really? So why is your sister crying?”
    Alexis threw her arms up in the air. “Because that’s what she always does when she doesn’t get her way. She freaks out.”
    Megan’s brows rose. Since when did Emma freak out like this?
    “I knew you wouldn’t believe me.” Alexis dropped to her knees and began to pick up the scattered toys and toss them into a bin they had brought down from Emma’s room.
    “I never said I didn’t believe you. But what happened?” Megan reached for Emma’s hands and pulled them away from her body. She gently touched Emma’s chin and raised her face.
    “Emma?” It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out.
    Emma only shook her head. Megan brushed her fingertips across Emma’s cheeks.
    “She wanted to play a different game, and when I said no, she threw a fit and wrecked the house I’d built. She’s such a baby.” Alexis glared at her younger sister before picking up the now-filled toy bin and dropping it on the coffee table.
    “That’s not true.” Emma glared at her older sister.
    “Are you calling me a liar?” The shock on Alexis’s face almost seemed real.
    If there was one thing she knew about her daughters, it was that Alexis had a quick temper and was more prone than Emma to outbursts like what had just happened.
    “No one is calling anybody in this room a liar.” Megan planted a light kiss first on Emma’s forehead and then on Alexis’s.