Emma's Secret: A Novel

up, balloons and streamers, and trays of pastries. “I hope you don’t mind about the sign and the little extras we did in here. We’ve been following the story of your family in the news and, well, we wanted to help make this birthday party as special as we could.” Wilma’s nonstop chatter continued as Peter set down the bin and glanced around in surprise.
    “You do realize this birthday isn’t for our youngest daughter?” The surprise in Peter’s voice was evident. Megan couldn’t believe all the work this woman had put into this room.
    Wilma waved her hand. “Oh, sugar, I know that. But that little girl has missed out on so many things with her family that, well, Bob and I just wanted to make this a little extra special.”
    Megan grabbed a cookie off a tray and knew right away from the design who’d baked it. “Jan helped, didn’t she?” She handed the cookie to Peter and went to give the woman a hug. “Thank you,” she whispered into her ear. She’d never met Wilma personally; she’d seen her at a few charity events and such around town, but she knew that today she’d made a new friend.
    “Now, let me take that cake, and I’ll put it over here along with the extra cupcakes.” Wilma reached her hands out for the cake Peter lifted out of the container. “Oh my, is this one of Sheila’s?”
    Megan smiled. “Doesn’t it look amazing? My mom outdid herself this time.” Sheila had created a putting green cake, complete with a fairway and a girl swinging a golf club. It looked fabulous. Sheila liked to make feature cakes, but Megan hadn’t been expecting something this elaborate.
    “It looks like you’re ready to feed a classroom full of kids in here!” Megan couldn’t get over the amount of cookies, bars, cupcakes, jars of Twizzlers, suckers, and bubble gum.
    A large smile bloomed across Wilma’s face. “Once I got started, I just couldn’t stop! I saw a page in a magazine where there was a table full of baked goods and jars full of candy, and I wanted to try it out.”
    “Well, it looks amazing.” Peter placed his arm around Megan’s shoulders as he gave the room a once-over. “How many kids are coming?”
    Megan pulled out a list she’d stuffed in her pocket and showed it to him. “I had ten confirm and four I couldn’t get hold of.”
    Lifting a cookie to her mouth, Wilma nodded her head. “Even if they all come, we’ll have enough. I made extra goodie bags as well, just in case. There’s nothing worse than finding yourself unprepared.”
    When she’d called Wilma to make the arrangements, the woman had promised that it would be a carefree day and that she’d look after all the details—goodie bags, setup, and teardown included.
    “What about that special surprise?” Megan checked her watch. The kids were due to arrive shortly. Sheila said they’d come a bit late to make sure everyone was there ahead of time.
    “All covered,” Wilma confirmed.
    Peter cocked his head. “Surprise?”
    Megan’s face grew warm. This was as much a surprise for Peter as it was for Alexis. “Wilma mentioned their son is a pro, and…”
    “Our son Stevie, why, he’s been playing golf all his life. He just finished qualifying for the Q-School for the PGA Tour and will be starting in November. He’s home for a few months to visit,” Wilma remarked. “When your wife mentioned that your daughter loves to golf, I thought it would be nice to have Stevie come by and give hera lesson or two.” Wilma shrugged her shoulders, but she couldn’t hide the pride in her eyes.
    Megan watched Peter closely. His brows rose as he turned his attention from Megan to Wilma.
    “You don’t mean Stephen Brown, do you?” he asked.
    Wilma’s head bobbed up and down. “I sure do.” Peter’s jaw dropped. “We’ve set it up so that miniature golf is the last game you’ll play, and he’ll be there to meet Alexis.”
    The look Peter gave Megan made her heart quicken. It had been a while since she’d done something for him. She only hoped he understood this was her way of showing him he was still important to her. Sometimes, the words were harder to say.
    “Thank you,” Peter said, before leaning down and giving her a quick peck on the lips. She shrugged her shoulders as if to indicate it was nothing, but they both knew it was something. Peter had been watching Stephen on the news. He’d first seen him on a television show for golfers who were trying to become known. Peter would tape the shows