“Oh? What kind of adventures?”
“Anything outdoors. We love to hike, kayak, camp. He’s from Iowa and loves any opportunity to be close to the ocean.”
As she listened to her friends chat about some of their favorite recreational opportunities around the Oregon coast, Emma felt again the sense ofothernessthat had been simmering under her skin.
This whole situation was completely out of her comfort zone. The whole suburban block party was worlds away from the life she had been living since she left, trying mostly to survive in a world that too often felt dark and hard.
They chatted for a few more minutes, until Josie’s daughter started crying over by the swing set. Her husband wasn’t in sight, so she left them with an apology before heading over to deal with whatever was wrong.
“How are you really, girl?” Brooke asked after Josie left.
Emma sent her friend a swift look. “Fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I imagine this is a big culture shock to you, coming back to small-town Oregon after all the glamour and glitz of Las Vegas.”
Her life in Vegas had not been glitzy or glamorous in the slightest. She could tell her friends about the best place to grab a free meal and all the things she had learned about how to survive on the street without being forced to sell your body, but she had a feeling they didn’t want to hear about that.
“I’ve missed everyone,” she said. “It’s great for my daughter, too.”
“Oh, where is your daughter? I have to meet her!”
She pointed out Olive, busy playing on the swing set with Finn and Zara Morgan and some other children.
“She is adorable!” Brooke exclaimed.
“Thanks. She is a joy. She has definitely changed my life.”
She and Brooke chatted about her friend’s wedding plans and about other friends and where they were now.
“Are you dating anyone?” Brooke asked.
Emma quickly shook her head, though for some silly reason, Bryce’s image popped into her head. “No. That’s way down on the priority list right now. I have enough to do with the store and with Olive.”
“I get it. But when you’re ready to date, make sure you let me know. Ben knows everyone. He’s one of those guys who makes friends wherever he goes. You know the type.”
“I do.”
Her dad had been like that, gregarious and friendly to neighbors and strangers alike. One of the hundreds of things she missed about him.
“Most of the time, I love that he’s so social and so interested in other people,” Brooke went on. “But it’s not always easy. We went on a trip to Hawaii last year, and I wanted to spend the whole time at the beach with my book but when I looked up, Ben was in the middle of a crowd of a half-dozen people. He had all their names and addresses and was making plans to hang out with them later that night.”
She laughed. “Did you have fun with his new friends?”
Brooke made a face. “We had a great time and are even inviting a few of them to the wedding. My point is that we can totally find somebody for you, when you’re ready.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” she lied. She was relieved when Josie returned and the conversation could turn to other things.
Throughout the remainder of the evening as she chatted with neighbors and friends, she was aware of Bryce, who seemed to know everyone here.
She didn’t have a chance to talk to him until nearly the end of the evening, when she had retreated to one of the arbor swings her mother had set up around the yard. From here, she had a good view of Olive, who was trying to wring every last bit of fun from the party. The solitude gave Emma a chance to catch her breath and regather her composure.
“What are you doing over here by yourself?” a deep voice asked and she could feel her pulse jump when she recognized Bryce through the fading light.
“Hiding,” she admitted. The words spilled out, though she wasn’t sure why she was compelled to honesty with him, of all people.
“Hiding from what?” Chains rattled as he sat down beside her.
“It’s not easy meeting up with everyone in town after so many years away, especially considering... everything.”