Page 138 of Engulfing Emma

I watch the booth out of the corner of my eye. Maybe he’ll go on a break before we make it up there.

He gets dunked one time before it’s Evelyn’s turn. His FDNY T-shirt is plastered to his skin, outlining his tight torso and sculpted abs. I try to look anywhere but at him, then mentally kick myself when I do it anyway.

“My turn!” Evelyn says excitedly.

She waves to Brett and steps up to the line marked on the ground. He waves back. He sees me and lifts his chin as if to say hello. I dip my chin in response to be polite.

“Hi, Ms. Lockhart,” says the boy holding the softballs.

“Hello, Jay.”

I was so focused on Brett that I didn’t notice Jay until he said my name. “This is my daughter, Evelyn.”

“You mean the famous Evie?” He hands her a ball. “It’s nice to meet you. Brett has told me a lot about you.”

Evelyn scowls at me. “Did he tell you my mother broke up with him?”

Jay looks surprised. “Uh, no. He didn’t tell me that. That sucks.”

“It sucks bad,” she says. “Did you hear that, Mom? Everyone thinks it sucks.”

“Just throw the ball, Evelyn.”

She winds up and makes her throw, missing the target by ten feet.

On her second attempt, she hits the front of the tank; closer to her goal but still laughably far off. Wow, she really is bad at this.

The last ball goes up and over the glass and right into the tank, where Brett snatches it. He smugly tosses it into the air and catches it.

“You should try, Mom. You’re on that softball team for teachers.”

“That’s okay. I’ll pass.”

“It’s for charity, you know,” Jay says.

Crap. I’m being bullied into this by my daughter and Brett’s little protégé.

I pull out another five-dollar bill and hand it to Jay. He tries to give me three balls. I push two away. “I only need one.”

I shake my head, not quite believing this whole situation. I wind up and zero in on the target. Then I release the ball and watch it slice through the air, hitting the bullseye only slightly off center. The seat falls, dropping Brett in the water.

“You did it!” Evelyn screams as spectators clap behind us.

“What’s next?” I ask, needing to get away from here as quickly as possible.

“Emma?” a man calls. “Emma Lockhart!”

A young man on crutches approaches us. He’s missing a leg. My heart melts and I break into a smile when I see Carter. I immediately walk over and pull him into a hug, careful not to throw him off balance.

“Carter, it’s so nice to see you.” His face is full of color, like he’s been out in the sun. “You look fantastic.”

“Thank you. It’s probably because I lost twenty pounds.”

I look at him, confused. He doesn’t seem any thinner.

“Amputee joke,” he says, laughing.

“Oh.” I laugh with him. “I’m glad to see you’re in such good spirits.”

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