Emma's Secret: A Novel

and watch them repeatedly, while Megan sat beside him reading a book. She wasn’t into golf like he was, but knew how special this would be.
    “All right, you two lovebirds, your guests should be arriving soon. How about we meet them at the front door and all wait on the steps for your daughter?”
    Megan lagged behind and looked out over the parking lot.
    “Where’s your sidekick?” Peter grabbed hold of her hand and tugged.
    “Laurie? I don’t know.” She pursed her lips. “Maybe something came up.” Megan muttered.
    Peter snorted. “Doubtful. You know Alexis is her favorite. Have you tried calling? Maybe she’s out shopping for the perfect gift andlost track of time.” He followed Wilma, pulling Megan along with him.
    She reached into her pocket as she stumbled up one step and pulled out her cell phone to check if Laurie had responded to any of her earlier messages. She knew they were going to have to deal with what happened, but they’d been friends forever. Surely, Laurie wouldn’t let a man come between them.
    Or would she? And if that’s what was happening, was Megan ready to accept it?

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
    T hat. Was. The. Best. Birthday. Ever!” Alexis flung her arms around Megan’s waist and squeezed tight.
    Megan squeezed back. From the moment Dan and Sheila drove into the parking lot and Alexis leaned out the window and screamed, she’d been hugging both Megan and Peter.
    After the party, they’d headed to the local pizza restaurant. They’d all eaten too much pizza, and the girls drank too much pop. Megan was wiped out, and other than Alexis, who was still bouncing off the walls with excitement from the day, she had a feeling everyone else was too.
    “All right, squirt.” Peter dropped her new golf bag and clubs and the container he carried onto the floor. “Why don’t you go put this away?”
    Alexis released Megan and high-fived Peter before lifting her new bag onto her shoulder and heading into the garage.
    Hannah trailed behind, holding Emma’s hand. The girls had all had a blast and were loaded up on more sugar than their bodies could handle. Looking at Emma, Megan thought for sure her youngest was about to crash. Her eyes were dull, her shoulders drooped, and her footsteps lagged. Hannah had been like a motherhen all day, watching over Emma even after Megan tried to convince her to do stuff with the other kids.
    Today, the focus was on Alexis, and it had seemed to do her good. Her middle daughter was on cloud nine. She had been awestruck when she met Stephen, and when he offered her three free golf lessons, she went through the roof, squealing like a piglet. Megan loved it.
    “Want to cuddle in bed, Em? I can read you a story until you fall asleep.” Hannah’s soft voice caught Megan’s attention. She turned to find Emma sitting on the bottom step while Hannah hovered over her, stroking her hair and rubbing her arm. Megan knelt down.
    “What’s wrong, honey?”
    Emma shook her head and didn’t look up. Instead, she dropped her head into the nook of her circled arms that rested on her knees and sighed.
    Megan felt her forehead. Emma had been out in the sun all day, and even though she’d worn a hat and kept a water bottle nearby, it wouldn’t be too surprising if she’d gotten a little bit of a sunburn.
    “I bet a nice cool bath would feel good right about now,” Peter said.
    Megan nodded. It was days like these when having a backyard pool would come in handy. A nice dip in the evening to cool off before bed—nothing could be better.
    “Come on, Emma. I’ll help get the bathwater ready. Is that okay, Mom?” Hannah held out her hands to help Emma up.
    Megan wrapped an arm around Hannah’s shoulders. “Sure thing, hon. Why don’t I grab you both a nice cold drink of water, too, and then come up to check on the bath.”
    Hannah pulled away. “I’ve got it.”
    Megan studied her eldest daughter. There’d been an authoritative tone to her voice that she didn’t like. Megan wasn’t blind to theways the older girls handled Emma. Hannah was protective, while Alexis was dismissive. She’d thought they would grow out of it until they were a cohesive group, or as cohesive as three sisters could be. Was she wrong?
    “You know what, Hannah? Let me take care of Emma, okay? Why don’t you go relax and see if that episode of
Heartland
taped.” Megan placed her foot on the bottom step and angled her knee in between her two daughters.
    Hannah shook her head.