No way mr. You didn’t come to see Ben at all. You came to sniff out the rest of us. All his questions had specifically been about her and Beth, so he wasn’t feeling out Joanna either. She’s been here before, so he’s probably sussed out my mother as being as pliable and obedient as a grown puppy already.
“Okay.” Emma walked around the large coffee table and put
her hands on her hips. This shift in her attention being intensely aimed at him
made Caleb’s back straighten and he looked down at her from his full height. Damn
he’s tall. Like, is he nearly 7ft? I’m tall for a woman at 6ft 3, but he’s
really looking down at me there. She shrugged off her momentary insecurity.
So what if he was the mayor of this middle of nowhere Oregon town? So what if
Beth was outside and she was a lone with the guy? So what if his smile was
starting to slip into a cold stare? Emma had never suffered fools, and refused
to be treated as one. “Firstly Mr Mayor, I’m no one’s Darling, and I’d
appreciate a little more respect. I told you my name is Emma, and I expect you
to use my name if you expect to have any sort of civil conversation with me.”
She pointed at him, close enough to poke his chest, but held back a good inch
as he looked to be coiled up way to tight for that level of rebuke. His inner
asshole was starting to show with every second that ticked by. “Secondly, the level of questions you are aiming
at me are intrusive and wholly inappropriate for you to be asking me on our
first meeting. Hell?” Emma folded her arms and regarded him with a coppery brow
raised. “I wouldn’t even tell a first date that sort of information, and you
sir are not my type.” He huffed a laugh, but was far from amused. “So
I’ll thank you to stay out of my business, and state yours?”
“My business?” Caleb smiled, but it was strained. His pale blue eyes were hyper
focused on her, and for some reason she felt like making any sudden moves would
be a bad idea. Is he on something? His pupils seem pretty wide… He
gestured with both palms up and looked around at no one. “This is a small town
of nice people. We’re like a family here in Glen Valley. As the mayor I like to
know everyone who lives here, and I wanted to meet the newest members of the
family.” He made her tense when he put his firm hands on her shoulders without
invitation. Again, he was smiling, but like a jackal. All teeth and no compassion.
“Beth seems a bit all over the place but nice enough.” Emma was sceptical of
how well he could possibly know her sister, as the most they’d interacted was
passing each other to and from the pickup. So consumed in her own world was the
youngest Carter, and more interested in her cameras and developer tools to say
more than ‘hi’ to the mayor. “You though…” The door opened and in a flurry of
footsteps her mother and Ben hurried into the living room. “You Miss Emma
Carter remind me of a cornered animal.” Emma shrugged him off and glared at the
nerve of this asshole. Who was he to walk in here, interrogate her, belittle
her, and declare he knew what kind of woman she was?! “Oh yeah.” He chuckled darkly at her furious
glare. “Teeth and claws bared and ready to bite anyone who gets too close. Even
if it’s someone trying to help you, I bet you bite.”
“N-no she’s a good girl!” Joanna came over to her side and threw an arm round her.
“She is Caleb. A bit prickly sure, but a good woman at heart.” Ben added, suddenly stood on her other side. Emma was very confused at how it suddenly felt like they were defending her to this jerk. But why? Why did his opinion matter so much? “Get to know her and you’ll see she’s the most hard working, loyal and compassionate woman you’ll ever meet.” Emma’s jaw dropped as she looked up at Ben. Is that what he really thought of her? two years of observation at her arm’s reach and he still thought highly of her? Emma felt a pang of guilt after how strongly she had resisted his every attempt to spend time with her…but soon put it aside when she recalled that she was only in this position because of Ben. “She’s just a bit frosty to newcomers and takes some time to thaw, is all.”
Caleb didn’t look all that impressed, but he listened and took in their plea on her behalf. “I’m sure she’ll fit the place like a glove in no time.”
“Oh yeah. Her placement with Deloris is a dream come true for Emma.”
“Oh it is?” Caleb seemed to brighten up a bit and smiled at her. “You don’t mind helping Del out here in town? Rather than up at the fancy hospital in Portland?” He relaxed his hands to hook his thumbs into his pockets again. “We really appreciate the extra help. Poor aunty Del is pushing 70 this year and should have retired already, but we don’t have anyone else in town qualified to deliver babies. Most folks around here prefer home births you see, and don’t want to drive all that way to a hospital. But she’s all alone and not as spry as she once was. But she’s all we have so we all make do.”
“…how…is a 70 year old midwife responsible for the pre and postnatal care of a whole town?!” Emma’s eyes were wide and massive alarm sirens were going off in her head. “What about gynaecologists and doctors?! Th-there should be a team of community midwifes who-”
“See!” Joanna loudly and dramatically laughed and pat her daughter’s back repeatedly with far more force than necessary. The silent message of ‘be quiet’ was received loud and clear. “She lives and breathes midwifery. Hell, she’s only just sat her final exams and already she’s chomping at the bit to help out.” Emma turned to give her mother a firm ‘we’re going to talk about this later’ look, but for now held her tongue.
“Really?” Caleb threw a thumb over his shoulder and looked at Emma like she was the one talking. Not gaping at the gall of them talking about her, when she was stood right there! “Because if you’re keen, poor Deloris is at the clinic right now. I bet she’s dying to meet her new protégé.”
“I-”
“I bet if we let her, she’d say absolutely. But.” Joanna gulped and hugged Emma to her side with both arms. She was smiling, as was Ben, but they both just felt off to Emma. Like they were anxious of Caleb’s disappointment. “Look at my girl? She’s beat. Just sat her finals and this morning we dropped the bombshell on her that she was picking up and moving out.”
“No even had a meal since breakfast, none of us.” Ben added, putting his hand on her head and patting it. Okay, if they don’t cut this routine out, I really am going to bite. Emma grit her teeth, but her mother was rubbing her back vigorously. Again she got the message to keep quiet.
“Ah, shame that.” Caleb took an oppressive step forward and leaned into her space. “Yeah, you do look worn out darlin’. I’ll tell Del to expect you once you’re feeling up to it. Ben can take you when you’re ready, ay Ben?”
“Yes sir.” He answered like a soldier before his general. Emma narrowed her eyes and cast her gaze between Caleb and Ben. Yet another red flag went up in her mind. Ben wasn’t a push over, and had always come across as an alpha male before…so why wouldn’t he meet Caleb’s gaze?
“Alright then.” Caleb clapped his hands and grinned at Emma. “I’ll leave that with you Ben.” He pulled Ben away from the ladies and hugged him with a friendly slap to the back. “Look at you, family man at last.” He leaned back and cupped Ben’s face over his beard. Caleb nodded with a warm smile. “I’m happy for you, and I really hope this all works out.”
Emma didn’t miss the dubious glance he gave her. “Is Beth still outside?”
“Yeah, looking through some of her supplies that just arrived with the movers.” Joanna answered and Emma bristled as her mother started to back them out of the living room. “I’m sure she’s still bouncing around the back of the van, if you want to say hi on your way?”
“I’ll be sure to say hi.” Caleb nodded at Ben, and the two men kept quiet until they had left the house. Emma held her tongue for as long as I took for Joanna to huddle her up the stairs and shut the door to the guest room she’d now claimed. Plain cream walls were stark against the dark wood furniture, but the double bed was comfortable enough. Right now though, Emma was more interested in grilling her mother than admiring the work station Ben had clearly set up in front of the window for her studies. You don’t normally see a desk, comfy chair on wheels with a computer set up ready to go in the average guest room. Especially not with a bookcase level with it fully stocked with books that she recognised from her advised reading list for her next year of midwifery studies... Yet more proof the pair of them had been planning this for a long time.
“Ma?” Emma’s tone meant business. “Why was mayor fruitcake in the house from the moment we arrived, like he wait waiting for us, interrogating me like he had some sort of say if I was allowed in his precious little town, and most of all?” Emma narrowed her eyes and folded her arms. “I want the truth. Why did you do everything in your power to keep this move a secret until it would be too late for me and Beth to object?”
“Because we didn’t want you to have any reason to object sweetie.” Joanna sighed and held her arms open. She rolled her wrists to beckon Emma to sit with her on the edge of the cream bed. Once they sat shoulder to shoulder, mother held daughter and Emma sensed a heart to heart coming. “You know I loved your father.” Emma tensed and swallowed. One thing Joanna very rarely did was talk of her first love, as the pain it brought her shimmered in her eyes as she did. “I loved him so much I thought that was it for me when he died.” Joanna took a moment and exhaled deeply. Even after so long her grief was still there. “I would never have another, and I had accepted that. But Ben?” Her smile brightened and she rubbed Emma’s back with her left hand and dropped the right onto Emma’s on her lap. “He taught me to love again. He makes me very happy, and he and I both want us all to be a family.” Her mother shrugged. “Ben never had anyone before me, or kids of his own, and we’re both past the age of having any together. So you and Beth are the closest he is ever gonna get to being a Dad.” Emma pressed her lips together but didn’t interrupt. She may not be interested in Ben wanting to play family, but this clearly meant a lot to Joanna, so she listened. “He’s a good man and really wants this to work. We both do. So when he proposed to me last year we both wanted to make sure that-”
“Wow!” Emma zeroed in on that straight away. “You mean you’ve been engaged a year!?! And didn’t wear the ring or tell anyone?” Joanna shrugged and smiled. “Why not?” Her mother seemed to hesitate and Emma felt a wave of sadness move through her and settle in her chest. “Why wouldn’t you want to tell me about your engagement Ma?” Joanna licked her lips and cleared her throat to stall. She held both Emma’s hands and gave her a very serious look. One her mother had only ever used a handful of times, and it usually involved very important or bad news.
“My strong Emma. You are independent and fierce my girl, but you also don’t trust easily. You clearly don’t like Ben very much-”
“Yes I do I-”
“Emma, honey, you make every excuse under the sun and moon to not spend time with us when Ben is here. You never gave him a chance.”
“Sure I did?” Emma huffed. “A total stranger ran you and
your bike over, put you in hospital, and then turned up every day until you
were let out. Then he turned up every weekend with flowers and chocolates until
you agreed to date him. I didn’t get in the way of that, no matter how weird it
was.” Emma folded her arms. “Even if I thought it was weird as hell, you said
he was romantic and he treated you right. I am happy for you Ma. You and
Ben are happy and as long as he’s good to you, I’ll continue to support you.
Even if you make me wear an awful bridesmaid dress in the process.”
“What makes you think it will be awful?” Her mother chuckled and got up from
the bed to fuss wither hair in front of the mirror on the opposite wall.
“If you’ve been engaged for a year, Ma, you’ll have planned the whole thing out already.” Emma leaned back on both hands and rolled her hazel eyes with a grin. “What shade of pink is it?”
“…taffy.” Emma flopped back onto the bed. “But they are super tasteful.”
“We’re redheads ma! Pink doesn’t suit-”
“See, that’s what I mean.” Emma turned onto her side and pouted up at her mother. Joanna put her hands on her hips and shook her head. “You are so reluctant to anything outside of your comfort zone. So uptight all the time. No wonder people get a bad impression of you.”
“You mean like the creepy mayor?” Emma countered, sliding off the bed and squaring up to her mother. It was time to get to the heart of this. “Who was that guy really? Why did you and Ben flounder around at the mere thought that he doesn’t think I’m fantastic for this town?”
“He is the mayor.” Joanna started to get a bit shifty as she subconsciously backed up towards the bedroom door. “He is a real father figure to everyone in town and everyone loves him. Everyone knows everyone here and Ben and I have been telling everyone about you girls for so long now, they probably feel like they know you already.”
“Ma?” her tone was sceptical as she chased her mother out her room and down the stairs. “How can that guy be a mayor and a father figure? He looks around my age, 30 at the oldest.”
“He beat all the other contenders for the position, of course. Small town, less opposition.” Emma followed her mother to her refuge, the kitchen.
“More like less options.” Emma chuntered under her breath and opened the fridge. A brand of beer she’d never heard of stared back at her, and she took one with a shrug. “Hund beer?”
“Ben’s favourite.” Emma held the bottle and raised a brow at her mother. The eldest Carter was opening cupboards and assembling baking supplies like she knew this kitchen inside out. This gave credence to her earlier claim of having been here before. Emma unscrewed the cap and took a swig of crisp beer. It was nice and light, for a dark looking beer. Being a student she had tried whatever was on offer when she did allow herself to socialise. Beer was usually going cheaper than wine and cocktails these days, so she’d tried a few different brands in her time. “I’m going to make some cookies. I like to have a batch warm and waiting for when Ben gets back. Joanna busied herself measuring out cups of colour and selecting eggs by the feel of their weight.
“Ma?”
Comments (4)
See all