Page 49 of Ten Christmases Without You
“She and Charlie are going to the symphony.” She set the fork next to her plate, then used her napkin to wipe the mug and her hand.
Madison made a face. “Charlie? Symphony? I didn’t think I’d ever hear those two words in the same sentence.”
Madison’s assessment was a relief. But Emmy was still bothered by the idea that Charlie would find Amelia his type atall. She was more buttoned-up and refined than Emmy would’ve thought for his choice of date. Or was that only her wishful thinking? She smoothed out her tracksuit and then picked up her coffee, focusing on the cup instead of his hand on Amelia’s back out of the corner of her eye.
CHAPTER TWENTY
After the trolley tour around Nashville, Emmy and Madison visited the Country Music Hall of Fame and then the Grand Ole Opry—just as Madison had planned. The day out was doing Emmy good. She was glad her sister had come with her. She didn’t know how she’d have gotten through the wedding and Charlie’s date without her.
She and Madison strolled along Broadway, the thumping sound of all the bands, one after another, pouring through the open bar doors. Even in the winter, the sidewalk was packed with tourists there for a holiday getaway. Christmas trees dotted the street corners, and a few patrons had swapped their cowboy attire for Santa hats.
Emmy checked the time on her phone. “We still have some time before we have to get ready for the wedding. What do you want to do?”
“Want to go to the Goo Goo Cluster Chocolate Company?” Madison asked. “I need chocolate.”
“Absolutely. Chocolate sounds amazing.”
Even though they’d both agreed on the premise of a chocolate fix, the nostalgia of their mom’s favorite treat was theundercurrent. As girls, they’d giggled at the kitchen table while they nibbled the chocolate clusters with their mom.
Madison and Emmy walked along in the winter sunshine. The sky was an electric blue, and Emmy was thankful for the mild temperatures. Her coat and beanie kept her warm enough that they could make the few blocks’ walk to the chocolate company. Nashville’s busy streets were different from New York’s. The people here were more relaxed, more jovial. Their energy and excitement seeped into her.
When they arrived, the place was like something out of Willy Wonka with floor-to-ceiling vats of marshmallow nougat, chocolate, and caramel. There were large windows with a view into the stark white preparatory kitchen where spinning cylinders of milky chocolate swirled and rows upon rows of containers sat, full of decadent ingredients.
“Oh, look.” Madison pointed to a wall of gray kiosks. “You can design your own chocolate.”
“I’d like to find the regular ones that we ate as girls,” Emmy said, feeling homesick for those days of her childhood before the world turned upside down.
“Yeah, you’re right.” Madison linked her arm through Emmy’s.
Around the corner, they stumbled upon the gift shop and each settled on a white package with a single chocolate cluster inside: their mom’s favorite. They paid for them and took a seat at one of the tables. Emmy draped her coat on the chair and set her phone and clutch on the table. She pulled the clusters from the carrier bag and handed one to her sister.
Emmy ran her finger over the red and baby-blue typography on the package. “I haven’t seen one of these in ages. Not since Mom had them.”
“Remember we got them every year for our birthday?” Madison said as she pulled at the outer edges of the packaging.She pinched the nutty cluster and held it up, inspecting it. “I’ll bet Mom got them for us as a reason to indulge herself.”
Emmy grinned. “I wonder if she can see us right now.”
“I don’t know.”
Emmy’s phone screen lit up with a push notification, diverting their attention. She gasped.
Madison leaned forward. “What?”
She held up the phone. “Mitchell Augustine emailed me back.”
“Stop it.” Madison’s eyes rounded. “We were just talking about Mom. What are the odds?”
Emmy set down her chocolate, opened the email, and scanned the message. She clapped a hand over her mouth.
“What?” Madison whined.
Through her fingers, she said, “He wants to get coffee.”
“Oh my gosh. When?”
“He didn’t say. He told me to email him with some times and dates.”
When she looked up at her sister, Madison alternated between rapid blinking and wide-eyed surprise.
