Page 10 of Never Finished

I was struck by how much she resembled the Emma I knew, and yet she’d grown into this beautiful, successful woman I knew nothing about—it was a strange feeling.

She'd filled out since the last time I saw her, and her womanly curves made my cock stir behind my zipper. But there was something darker in her eyes, sadder than I remember.

"I heard about Lydia. I’m so sorry, Emma. I know how close you two were."

She swallowed hard. "Thank you, Jaime," and then asked, "So you're working here now?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I know it's crazy, but it's the best paying gig in town."

She shook her head. "I knew they'd hired a new mixologist, but I had no idea…" she said, trailing off again.

"Is that a problem for you?" I couldn't help but ask, although I immediately regretted it.

"Oh, no," she rushed to say, laughing, embarrassed.

"I'm just surprised. It's been such a long time." She glanced away again before she pressed forward, and I could see the determined set to her shoulders. This was the Emma I remembered. She would never let a situation stay awkward for too long.

"I wanted to talk to the head mixologist to compliment him."

I grinned stupidly at her. Goddamn, I felt like a kid talking to her, not a grown man having a conversation with another adult.

Except this wasn't just any adult. This was the woman who turned my world upside down, who had been haunting my every move for over a decade.

"I asked the server, Joey, for a drink to help me get through the evening and you delivered. Were you the one who made the Gin Fizz?"

I nodded, remembering that specific request from Joey. "Yep, that was me," I said proudly.

She beamed at me. "It was perfect. I mean it, I don't know why it’s such a hard one for bartenders to get, but it was just perfect, and exactly what I needed at that moment."

I nodded in understanding. "Rough crowd tonight?"

She laughed, shaking her head. "Hardly rough but… I don't know, I just wasn't in the right headspace to deal with them tonight, so I needed a little extra liquid courage, I guess. And your staff was wonderful. I know those folks aren't always the easiest to deal with, and they were so professional and good to them."

"Good, I will pass it on to my team tomorrow. I know they'll appreciate the compliments."

I couldn’t believe this was happening. Emma Carter was standing right in front of me. I could literally reach out and touch her—and there was absolutely nothing I wanted to do more.

There was another strained silence before she finally cleared her throat and asked point blank, "What are you doing back in Silverpine? I mean, I got the impression you didn't want to come back here ever again the last time I saw you," she said hastily.

"Your impression would be correct," I said, chuckling. "I'm back because of Mom. She's been battling dementia for a while now and over the last few months, it’s gotten worse. We have in-home care for her now."

"Oh, Jaime, I am so sorry to hear that."

I nodded and thanked her. "It's been rough. It's hard to watch her slowly disappear. She was such a force."

"I can understand that. Imagining Esmeralda as anything other than the fierce mama bear I knew has to be challenging. How are the girls handling it?" She asked, referring to my sisters, Sofia and Maria.

"It's been difficult for everyone. Sofia keeps her distance. Her and Mom had a falling out, so it's been awkward, but she tries to help in her own way, just quietly and behind the scenes. Maria practically lives there, but that will have to chance when the baby arrives."

Emma's eyebrows shot up. "Maria is having a baby?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I know it's hard for me to wrap my head around, too. When she told me I had to resist the urge to knock her husband's teeth out, he's a good guy though and they're happy."

“I guess a lot has changed since the last time I saw you,” she whispered, and there was that sadness again.

I smiled at her. “It’s been twelve years, Emma,” I reminded her.

“Yeah,” she breathed, sadness overtaking her once more.

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