Page 120 of Drawing Home
“Emma…”
“I loved my job. It was my home away from home. I know I dropped the ball. I let the messiness of my personal life interfere with the hotel. And you had to put the hotel first. I get it. But I just wanted to let you know, all that’s behind me now. I’m really in control—”
Her phone buzzed with a text from Bea.Come back to the house. I need to talk to you.
“I’m sorry—I need to excuse myself,” Emma said, fishing the olive out of her drink and popping it into her mouth. She set her glass on the bar. “I’ll see you up there.”
Sunset was turning to dusk. The grounds hummed with crickets. She breathed deeply, wondering if she’d pushed too hard back there with Jack. She hadn’t planned to get into all that tonight, but the moment had presented itself, so she’d seized it. It was a relief to say what she’d been thinking for weeks.
“Emma.”
She looked sharply to the side, searching the shadowed path to the lawn, thinking she couldn’t have heard who she thought she’d heard. Her eyes, adjusting to the waning light, confirmed the worst. Mark.
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m here for the art auction. Just like everyone else.”
“The hell you are. I want you to leave,” she said.
“Well, that’s not going to happen.”
“Why are you still in town? You certainly haven’t made an effort to see Penny.”
“An effort to see Penny? I think you know I’m making an effort to be seeinga lotmore of Penny.”
“Oh, give it up, Mark! You’re pathetic.”
She brushed past him and hurried up to the house, her mind racing. He followed her and she stopped outside the sliding glass door leading to the kitchen. She didn’t want to cause a scene inside.
“I’m pathetic?” he said. “If you weren’t such a lousy mother I never would have had the grounds to take you to court in the first place.”
Standing underneath the porch light, moths fluttering overhead, she told herself to stay calm, not to let him get to her. In her heart, she knew she always put Penny’s needs first. Her efforts didn’t always fix everything, but she tried her best every day, month after month, year after year. What more could anyone do? “I don’t do everything perfectly, Mark. No mother does. No parent does. You would know this if you’d spent one day of the past decade being a real parent. But you haven’t. You’re incapable of it. On your best day, you’d be lucky to be the parent I am on my worst day.”
The glass door slid open and Bea emerged, followed by Diane Knight.
“Here he is, Diane. I just knew we’d find him skulking around somewhere. But it seems we’re interrupting something,” Bea said. She poked her head back inside and called out, “Kyle, look who I found.”
Why was Kyle in the house instead of helping out at the dock?
“You left Sean down there by himself?” Emma said when he appeared. He moved to her side and put his hand on the small of her back.
“Sean is fine. I’m concerned about you.”
“Mark, what are you doing out here?” Diane said.
“He’s just leaving,” Kyle said.
“Excuse me?” said Diane. “Who are you to be so rude?”
“Diane, you do know Mark is Emma’s ex-husband,” Bea said.
Diane folded her arms in front of her chest. “Yes. I’m aware. But that’s ancient history. Why is this somehow an issue?”
“It’s an issue because Mark is here in town fighting Emma for custody of Penny—after being an absentee father her entire life,” Bea said. “He just wants to get his hands on this house. Apparently, he’d do anything for money. Even sleep with you.”
“That’s out of line,” Mark said.
“What’s she talking about?” Diane said. “You never said anything about a custody fight.”
