Emma's Secret: A Novel

ever apologize.” Tears gathered in her eyes as she squeezed Sherri’s hand. She owed this woman the world.
    “The girls get along really well,” Sherri said. “You almost wouldn’t know they haven’t seen each other for a while.”
    Megan leaned back in her chair. “Did you spend much time with the family who took Emma?” She wasn’t sure if she reallywanted to know whether they were the monsters she’d made them out to be.
    Sherri scooted her chair back and crossed her legs. “Not much. I invited them over for some homemade iced tea once, but I don’t think it was one of Dorothy’s good days, and with all the kids running loose in my home, I’m afraid our visit was cut short.”
    “So you didn’t see them much?”
    “Oh, no, I saw them lots.” Sherri pulled her hair into a ponytail before taking another sip of her drink. “Dorothy was always out in her vegetable garden, and Jack could usually be found puttering around their yard. Emma was always outside, especially after Daisy arrived. I don’t think she watched much television at all.” She frowned. “Not like my own daughter.” Megan was startled by the intense look in Sherri’s eyes.
    “Megan,” she went on, “they loved her. You could see it. I rarely ever saw her cry, and I never heard a harsh word spoken to her or saw them discipline her. I know Jack…”
    Megan’s look silenced Sherri. She didn’t want to go there. She didn’t want to discuss those people with Sherri. All she cared about was Emma and whether she’d been okay.
    She took a deep sigh and let the tension in her shoulders release. The sounds of the girls’ laughter washed over her, and Megan realized that she needed to look beyond the last two years and toward the future. She had to stop holding on to the hurt she nursed deep in her heart.
    “Thank you.” Megan smiled at Sherri. “You brought my daughter back to me, and you…” Megan took a deep breath and let it out slowly, “you’ve eased my heart. My number-one concern has always been that she was unhappy or treated poorly. I might never forgive them for what they did, but I can be thankful that they loved her in their own way.”
    Sherri just smiled at her before leaning forward and resting her elbows on her knees. “I wonder what those two are whispering about.”
    Megan turned her attention back to the girls. They were huddled close together. Marie’s eyes were wide and a smile grew across her face moments before she reached out and swallowed Emma in a hug. The girls rocked back and forth for a few moments before Daisy got involved and jumped all over them.
    A sense of peace settled in Megan’s heart. Seeing her daughter act as any other little girl proved to her that despite everything, she really was okay. Inviting someone over from a past Megan knew nothing about was okay. It didn’t hurt and didn’t push her daughter back to a time she wished they could forget. Instead, there was laughter in her daughter’s voice and life in her eyes.
    If having secrets with her little friend was the result of this, then yes, it was okay.

CHAPTER NINETEEN
    S ome days, Megan wished Laurie lived closer. On hot days like today, it would be nice to just hop over the fence and take a dip in her pool without having to pack things up and drive everyone over in the car. A few weeks ago, Laurie suggested she leave towels, sunscreen, and pool toys in her deckhouse instead. It made sense, since Megan and the kids practically lived there during the summer days.
    Hannah sat in the front seat beside Megan, holding a tray of iced coffees and smoothies. The street Laurie lived on was full of potholes, forcing Megan to carefully weave her way. Laurie lived in the older section of Kinrich, where the Victorian homes were either falling apart or being renovated. Her street was scheduled to be repaved in the fall, but that didn’t help Megan much at the moment.
    “Does Laurie have visitors today?” Hannah asked.
    “I hope it’s someone with kids.” Alexis leaned forward and yanked on Megan’s seat.
    Megan pulled up to the curb and saw a two-door car in Laurie’s driveway that she didn’t recognize. She followed the girls up the walkway and to the side of the house; then she slipped the lock of the wooden gate open and let the girls pass her by as they headed toward the pool.
    Laurie’s backyard was gorgeous. If anyone had a green thumb, it was her best friend. Compared to her own house, where chaos reigned,