back on his elbows and crossed
his legs. “I know she’ll be okay but…” he shrugged his shoulders and glanced
toward the carnival. Quiet stretched on though not completely uncomfortable. He
was suddenly at a loss for words. Without Miranda there he didn’t know how to
keep the conversation going. Plus the heat of Emily’s body and her sweet
vanilla scent mixed together to scramble his mind. He really felt like
he’d been going through a second turn as a teenager the last week or so. But
finally he thought of something to say, he just hoped it would make her laugh
so he could hear that sweet sound again. “Here I am making you talk about your
students again. I’m so sorry I keep being so rude.”
Emily laughed and smiled at him.
“I accept your apology. But you know, I really don’t mind talking with you
about Miranda. She is a wonderful little girl. If you need to talk to someone
about what you go through with her, you can always come to me. As a friend, not
a counselor.” Russell nodded his thanks and smiled at Emily. He suddenly felt
an almost overwhelming need to change the subject.
“You know, the other day you said you
would tell me about your reasons for coming back to Harper’s Rock. And well,
here we are, together with no one else around.”
“Ah, so you have a good memory. I was
kind of hoping you didn’t.” Emily looked down at her hands.
“I’m sorry, you don’t have to tell me if
you don’t want to,” he said, concerned that he was making her uncomfortable.
Emily smiled. “No that’s okay, I’ll tell
you. It really does help to talk about it sometimes. But remember this
isn’t a long and boring story. It is quite short and quite tragic,” she
practically whispered.
He sat up quickly to give her his full
attention. “That bad, huh?”
Emily just nodded and took a deep
breath.
“Remember, you don’t have to,” he
reminded her, but his eyes begged to hear it.
“I know, but I really should talk about
it more often. It’s good for the psyche,” she smiled.
The sadness he’d caught glimpses of
before was overwhelming this time. “Well then, whenever you’re ready, I would
love to hear your story. You know, to compare notes.”
Her smile brightened a bit, remembering
she’d said almost the same thing to him. Emily took a deep breath and started
“Well, as I told you before, I went to college in Seattle. It was a dream come
true.”
Russell saw just happiness in her eyes
for a moment and then it was gone. “Kind of like how I felt when I moved to
Denver and even more so when I moved to Vegas probably.”
“Probably,” Emily agreed. “Anyway, after
college, I couldn’t imagine coming back here. I was having a wonderful time in
the big city after growing up so sheltered here in Harper’s Rock.”
“Single in the big city. Ah, fun times,”
he said reminiscing about his own college days.
She laughed her magical laugh and it
affected him more than usual this time. Maybe because he was becoming
more in tune with the deep-rooted pain she was going to tell him about.
“Well, because of the inheritance that
my grandfather left me, I was able to start up my own counseling practice after
working in a clinic for only a year. I was over the moon with happiness,
yet another dream come true.” She paused, seeming in no hurry to continue
so Russell didn’t push her even though he was dying to hear more.
“I was building up a great clientele. I
saw individual kids, kids with siblings and parents, and I had a social skills
group, kind of like the one Miranda is in at school. It was everything I’d ever
wanted to do with my career.” A bitter laugh escaped from between her
lips and she was momentarily embarrassed by it. “And then all my dreams came
crashing down.” She paused again as if contemplating exactly how to say
the painful part to make it a bit less painful, if possible. Her voice lowered
when she continued. “I was going to take the
his legs. “I know she’ll be okay but…” he shrugged his shoulders and glanced
toward the carnival. Quiet stretched on though not completely uncomfortable. He
was suddenly at a loss for words. Without Miranda there he didn’t know how to
keep the conversation going. Plus the heat of Emily’s body and her sweet
vanilla scent mixed together to scramble his mind. He really felt like
he’d been going through a second turn as a teenager the last week or so. But
finally he thought of something to say, he just hoped it would make her laugh
so he could hear that sweet sound again. “Here I am making you talk about your
students again. I’m so sorry I keep being so rude.”
Emily laughed and smiled at him.
“I accept your apology. But you know, I really don’t mind talking with you
about Miranda. She is a wonderful little girl. If you need to talk to someone
about what you go through with her, you can always come to me. As a friend, not
a counselor.” Russell nodded his thanks and smiled at Emily. He suddenly felt
an almost overwhelming need to change the subject.
“You know, the other day you said you
would tell me about your reasons for coming back to Harper’s Rock. And well,
here we are, together with no one else around.”
“Ah, so you have a good memory. I was
kind of hoping you didn’t.” Emily looked down at her hands.
“I’m sorry, you don’t have to tell me if
you don’t want to,” he said, concerned that he was making her uncomfortable.
Emily smiled. “No that’s okay, I’ll tell
you. It really does help to talk about it sometimes. But remember this
isn’t a long and boring story. It is quite short and quite tragic,” she
practically whispered.
He sat up quickly to give her his full
attention. “That bad, huh?”
Emily just nodded and took a deep
breath.
“Remember, you don’t have to,” he
reminded her, but his eyes begged to hear it.
“I know, but I really should talk about
it more often. It’s good for the psyche,” she smiled.
The sadness he’d caught glimpses of
before was overwhelming this time. “Well then, whenever you’re ready, I would
love to hear your story. You know, to compare notes.”
Her smile brightened a bit, remembering
she’d said almost the same thing to him. Emily took a deep breath and started
“Well, as I told you before, I went to college in Seattle. It was a dream come
true.”
Russell saw just happiness in her eyes
for a moment and then it was gone. “Kind of like how I felt when I moved to
Denver and even more so when I moved to Vegas probably.”
“Probably,” Emily agreed. “Anyway, after
college, I couldn’t imagine coming back here. I was having a wonderful time in
the big city after growing up so sheltered here in Harper’s Rock.”
“Single in the big city. Ah, fun times,”
he said reminiscing about his own college days.
She laughed her magical laugh and it
affected him more than usual this time. Maybe because he was becoming
more in tune with the deep-rooted pain she was going to tell him about.
“Well, because of the inheritance that
my grandfather left me, I was able to start up my own counseling practice after
working in a clinic for only a year. I was over the moon with happiness,
yet another dream come true.” She paused, seeming in no hurry to continue
so Russell didn’t push her even though he was dying to hear more.
“I was building up a great clientele. I
saw individual kids, kids with siblings and parents, and I had a social skills
group, kind of like the one Miranda is in at school. It was everything I’d ever
wanted to do with my career.” A bitter laugh escaped from between her
lips and she was momentarily embarrassed by it. “And then all my dreams came
crashing down.” She paused again as if contemplating exactly how to say
the painful part to make it a bit less painful, if possible. Her voice lowered
when she continued. “I was going to take the
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