Page 96 of Engulfing Emma

“You’re ditching me for a jam session?”

She looks guilty. “I have to practice, Brett.”

“I’m just kidding, Bria, go. I’ve got this.”

She kisses my cheek. “Thank you for dinner. You’re the best.”

“No,you’rethe best,” I say. “Just remember that when you’re singing for Adam Stuart.”

She blows me another kiss on her way out.

I finish the rest of my burger and go home, wondering if Bonnie and Leo are back yet. She takes him to a “Grandma and me” class twice a month.

I think of leaving Leo to go to Germany. I hate to do that. It kills me to be away from him when I work twenty-four-hour shifts. But there is no way he could come along. Taking a two-year-old on a plane for that long a flight would be pure torture for him and everyone else. And I wouldn’t want to do anything to take away from the real reason for the trip—to find Evie’s father.

I shake my head in disbelief once again. The woman I’m …fucking,for lack of a better term, wants me to go with her and the daughter whom she thinks I haven’t even met to find her ex-lover from high school.

“Brett!”

It's Emma. She’s is running to catch up with me. “Hey.”

“Hi,” I say, continuing to walk.

When I become silent, she asks, “Are you mad at me?”

“I’m not really sure what I am, Emma. Doyouknow what I am?”

It looks as though she’s having an internal battle in her head. “Listen, I didn’t want to get into a deep conversation right now. I just wanted to find out if you’ve given it any more thought.”

“About going to Germany?”

“Yes. Have you? Will you?”

I stop walking. “It’s complicated. And then there’s the planning.”

“There’s no planning,” she says. “It turns out Evelyn and my mom have been looking into going for a while now. They have all the flight schedules and have scoped out the best moderately-priced hotels. They’ve done all the legwork. Which is good since I have to go soon. Becca is getting married on the twenty-second, and I’m one of her bridesmaids, so I have to be back at least a week before that and then I have to report to work a week after her wedding. So, I’d pretty much have to leave two weeks from tomorrow.” Her face falls. “Oh, gosh. Can you even get time off on such short notice? I didn’t think this through. Do you have a passport? Oh, please say you have a passport. Go with me, Brett. I’m begging you.”

“What did you just say?”

She laughs. “Which part? I was kind of rambling.”

“About when you’d have to go. Two weeks?”

“Yes. Tomorrow is Saturday, we’d have to go no later than two weeks from then. I’m not sure we could leave any sooner than that.”

“Two weeks from Saturday,” I muse aloud, remembering my phone call with Amanda a few days ago. “I think I can make that work.”

“Really?” she says brightly. “You’ll go?”

“As long as it’s two weeks from Saturday, yes.”

She looks at me strangely. “Why that day?”

“Because Amanda just informed me she’s coming to town that week, and she thought staying at the house with Leo would be beneficial.”

“She wants to stay atyourhouse?” She puts her hands on her hips, a sure sign of jealousy. Then it dawns on her, and she laughs. “You want to leave town while your ex stays at your house? She’ll be livid.”

“That’s kind of the idea.”

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