Page 123 of The Snowball Effect

“So?” Gram nudged Emma once more. “Go and talk to her! I promise you, I’m just fine sitting here without you for a while. In fact, I think I’ll wave Eva over to keep me company.”

“No,” Emma quickly refused. “No, that’s – I’m fine here. She’s busy.”

Unerringly, Emma’s gaze slid back to Regan. Whowasbusy.

Even more parents had amassed around her, and…

And Regan’s eyes met hers across the lawn, as she lifted her eyebrows and jerked her head, mouthinghelp me!

Beside her, Gram chuckled. “Oh, I think she’d appreciate you right about now.”

Emma couldn’t disagree, obviously.

“Um… right. Then, I’ll go over there,” she murmured to both herself and her grandmother, gearing herself up.

“Yes, you will go over there. I’d like to think that I didn’t raise you to throw your girlfriend to the wolves.”

“No, you didn’t,” she agreed, because her grandmother had very much raised her to show up for the people she cared about.

And even if she and Regan weren’t under the guise of being in a relationship, the reality was that Regan had slid in some side door Emma didn’t even know existed and had become someone Emma cared about. A lot.

She stood, aiming a look at Gram. “I’ll be back. If you need me for anything, just text.”

Gram leveled her with a look. “I can walk on my own, Emma. My god, I don’t think I’ve ever hovered over you like this.”

“It’s incredibly humid today, the UV index is high, and your doctor’s orders are to take it easy in the heat,” she reminded, citing from her gram’s paperwork from her last appointment.

“Fine,” her gram relented with an aggrieved sigh. “If necessary, I will call you over.”

“Good.”

“Now, go rescue your girlfriend.” Gram lifted her hand, shooing Emma away.

She obliged, throwing her grandmother one final look over her shoulder. By the time she was only ten feet away, Eva had slid into Emma’s chair, talking animatedly with Gram, which Emma supposed was a relief.

At least, it meant she could focus her attention on rescuing Regan from… whatever situation it was she needed help with.

The closer she walked to Regan, the more the pit of her stomach erupted with tiny butterflies. No, she forcefully corrected. She wouldn’t classify these arebutterflies. Maybe just… flies?

She pulled a face, nixing the thought.

The point was, she wasn’t nervous around Regan; Regan Gallagher didn’t make her nervous.

After all, Emma had been able to act totally normal post-kiss. Sometimes she hadn’t always felt completely normal, but she had an iron will. She could act totally normal post-cuddle, as well.

The moment she was in the vicinity, Regan ducked out from the middle of the group of parents surrounding her. “I’d really like to chat more, later, but my gorgeous girlfriend is here, and I really have to talk to her. Enjoy!”

She called her final words over her shoulder as she essentially sprung herself at Emma, hooking her arm through Emma’s with a force that nearly spun her off of her feet.

Stumbling for a moment to keep pace despite her height advantage, Emma stared between Regan and the group they were quickly leaving behind in the dust. “Is everything all right? Were they trying to cannibalize you or something?”

“Basically!” Regan hissed, resolutely staring forward, as she led Emma around the corner of the house to the smaller side yard. Finally, she let out a deep sigh of relief. “Wherewereyou?! I was drowning there!”

“I was sitting where I’d been the entire time!” Emma defended, even though she couldn’t help but laugh at the exaggeratedly distressed expression Regan wore. Because if she didn’t make herself find amusement in it, then Regan’s big, puppy-dog eyes and pouty mouth would drive her to distraction. “I figured when you wanted to join me, you would.”

“I wanted to join you forever ago, as soon as I set up the dessert table. But I was accosted by PTA parents!” Regan whisper-hissed.

“I assumed you were more than capable of handling yourself in any crowd.” Emma was being entirely honest; she genuinely had no concerns about Regan talking to anyone, at any time, about anything.

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