Sunshine on Silver Lake: Includes a bonus novella (Sweetwater Springs Book 5) Read online

“Good thing you reminded me, then,” he said.

  “Yes, it is. We don’t need a repeat of the whole prom night fiasco,” Halona pointed out. “I never thought she’d forgive you for standing her up the way you did.”

  Luckily, Emma was as forgiving as she was beautiful.

  “So you’re still taking Emma out tonight for her birthday, right?” Halona clarified on the phone now.

  “Yeah. Well, we’re staying in and celebrating at her house,” he said.

  There was another silence from Halona.

  “It’s not like that. I’m bringing over popcorn and a movie. Emma wants a quiet birthday this year.” And apparently, she wanted to be alone.

  Jack wasn’t going to grant that birthday wish though. Today of all days, Emma needed to have someone by her side, and he wanted to be that person.

  * * *

  After a long day at the café, Emma dragged herself up her porch steps, unlocked the door, and shut herself inside. This was what she’d been waiting for all day. She just wanted to be alone.

  Her dog, a West Highland Terrier named Barnaby, barked to remind her that she wasn’t exactly by herself. She dipped and ran a hand through his silky white locks, whispering hellos to him. Then she headed into the kitchen and put her purse on the counter before taking a seat on one of the stools and digging three Hershey’s Kisses out of her pocket. She’d been saving them since this morning. This would replace the birthday cake she didn’t have. She pinched their little paper flags between her fingers, making them stand upright and envisioning that they were candles. She supposed that would do.

  Now all she needed to do was decide on a wish. Several came to mind. She wished that the one-star review hadn’t happened and that she didn’t care so much. She wished she felt up to going out with Halona and Brenna tonight. Or Jack.

  Her cell phone rang inside her purse, making Barnaby stand at attention and bark ferociously. Emma grinned at her little guard dog, who was more likely to lick someone to death than bite them. “Thank you for alerting me,” she said as she reached for her phone and checked the caller ID. “Hi, Dad.”

  “Happy birthday, sweetheart,” he said. “How are you?”

  “Great.” It was just a little white lie.

  “I decided to call you early before you went out for any celebrations.”

  “Good idea,” Emma said. Her dad still lived in her childhood home and had remarried two years after Emma’s mother had passed. He’d carried on with life as best he could, and Emma had done the same.

  Emma chatted with her dad for a few more minutes, talking about his job and Emma’s stepmother’s newest cycling hobby.

  “You should join us,” he suggested.

  “Do I have to wear those tight spandex bike shorts?” Emma teased.

  “They’re actually kind of cool.”

  Emma laughed. “If you say so.”

  “Well, I just wanted to call and wish you a happy birthday, Emma Grace.”

  “Thanks, Dad.”

  “Come over for Sunday lunch?” he asked. “Angel will cook your favorite for the occasion.”

  Emma hesitated before answering. Angel was a nice woman. She was kind, thoughtful, and beautiful. And Emma’s dad deserved a second chance at love. Emma just didn’t like the fact that his second chance came by way of her mom’s hospice nurse. She didn’t think anything had happened between Angel and her dad while her mom was still alive, but it still felt wrong somehow. “It’s a holiday weekend, which means it’ll be extra busy at the café. I might have to work. I’ll let you know.”

  “Always working so hard. I’m proud of you,” he said. “Talk to you soon, sweetheart.”

  “Okay. Bye, Dad.” Emma disconnected the call. Then she sat on her barstool and stared at her Hershey’s Kisses, knowing exactly what she wanted. “I wish today would just be over.”

  Leaning forward, she prepared to blow her pretend candles out and then stopped short when her doorbell rang. Barnaby charged in that direction, making a lot of ruckus for such a little guy. She considered not answering the door, but her car was in the driveway so whoever was at the door would know she was home. A garage would be nice as well.

  With an exaggerated sigh, she followed Barnaby and lifted on her toes to look out the peephole. Her heart did a somersault. While she was listing her desires to her imaginary birthday genie, she really wished Jack Hershey wasn’t standing on her porch right now.

  Chapter Two

  Jack offered a small wave as he stood on Emma’s porch. “Hi, Em.”

  Her little dog came rushing toward him, barking wildly with his tail wagging. Jack moved a hand to pet Barnaby’s head but kept his eyes on Emma.

  “What are you doing here, Jack?” she asked.

  “Well”—he pulled his hand from Barnaby and shrugged—“it’s your birthday and someone should be here with you.” He glanced down at the dog. “No offense, Barn.”

  Her eyes narrowed as he met her gaze again. “You spoke to Brenna?”

  “Halona actually,” he confessed.

  She sighed and opened the door wider, gesturing for him to come inside.

  Jack stepped over the threshold, Barnaby at his heels, and shut the front door behind him. He followed Emma into the kitchen, where he noticed she had the Hershey’s Kisses he’d given her earlier on the counter. “You were supposed to eat those,” he said, taking a stool while she headed to the refrigerator. Barnaby huffed at the lack of attention and curled on the floor at his feet.

  Emma glanced over her shoulder. “I was just about to. It’s my birthday cake.” She opened the fridge and grabbed some juice from the side door. “Apple juice? It’s from the orchards at Merry Mountain Farms.”

  Jack’s jaw dropped. “Hey, how’d you get some of that? I’m friends with the owner, and I don’t have any in my fridge.” Granger sold a variety of apples and berries in addition to the Christmas trees on his farm. But the apple cider his mother made was in limited supply, and they only gave it out to family.

  “I babysat Abby and Willow last week,” Emma said, referring to Granger’s young daughters. “Granger paid me in juice.”

  Jack folded his arms over his chest. “If I’d have known it was that easy, I’d have offered to babysit a long time ago. Those girls love me. They call me Uncle Jack.”

  Emma grinned. “So your answer is yes to a glass of juice?”

  “Yes, I’d love some. Juice and a chocolate Kiss sound perfect.”

  Emma carried two glasses over to the counter beside him and poured a healthy serving. “I never said I was sharing my chocolate Kisses with you.”

  “Fair enough.” He gave her a long look, which was dangerous in his book because Emma had always stirred all kinds of desire inside him. It had nothing to do with her long blond hair and hazel eyes. It was something about the way she looked at him. The way her body responded to him being close. The way his body responded right back.

  Emma slid into the seat beside him and took a sip from her own glass of juice.

  “Wanna tell me why you lied to everyone?” he asked.

  Her eyes widened. “I didn’t lie.”

  He tilted his head and gave her a steady look. “You said you were going out with Brenna and Halona tonight for your birthday when I asked you to dinner. And Halona said you told her you had plans with me.”

  Emma’s shoulders rounded. “Okay, I lied. Is it such a crime to want to spend your birthday alone?”

  “No, but you don’t usually spend it alone. The Emma I know loves a good party.”

  She met his gaze, sitting close enough to touch. There was something sad in her eyes tonight. He’d seen it this morning too. That’s why he’d called Halona. He knew Emma so well. Well enough to know that something was weighing on her mind.

  “Maybe I don’t want to celebrate this time,” she said softly.

  “Because you’re thirty?” he asked. The Emma he knew wouldn’t care about leaving her twenties behind. Emma had never cared about spending the day a
t the salon or wearing designer clothes. She wasn’t one of those women who didn’t leave the house without makeup. He highly doubted she was troubled by getting a little older.

  She reached for one of the Kisses on the counter and started peeling off the wrapper. “My mom was only thirty when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. It feels…” Emma shrugged as she stared at the mound of chocolate in her palm. “I don’t know. Sad. I’m probably just being silly.”

  Without thinking, Jack reached over and placed his hand on her forearm. “You’re allowed to feel whatever you want. It’s your birthday.”

  “And I’ll cry if I want to?” There was a hint of a smile as she looked up at him. “Some part of me has been holding my breath. My grandmother died of breast cancer before she was thirty, and my mom died at thirty from the same thing. Now I’m here, relieved to have made it this far but also scared to death that I’m approaching a cliff and about to fall off.” She groaned in frustration. “I’m being really morbid on my birthday, aren’t I? It’s just, I’m not finished yet. There are still things I want to do.”

  Jack felt an ache in his chest as she spoke. “What things?”

  She shrugged, swiping a lock of hair behind her ear. “I don’t know. I haven’t traveled the world or climbed to the top of a mountain. I haven’t gone skinny-dipping in Silver Lake.” Her cheeks blushed lightly. “I don’t want to, that’s illegal. But my friends went in high school on a dare, and I was too chicken.”

  “I remember hearing about that,” he said with a grin.

  Something shifted in her gaze. “I also never went to prom.”

  Those words shot little barbs into his heart. He guessed that’s what she’d intended.

  Emma shook her head. “You see? I’m no fun to be around tonight, which is why I decided to spend my birthday alone. I sound like I’m whining into my drink completely sober. Can you imagine if I’d gone to the Tipsy Tavern with the girls?” Emma grabbed one of the chocolate Kisses and slid it in front of Jack.

  “Sharing your cake with me?” he teased, hoping to lighten the mood.

  “You’re listening to my sob story so you’ve earned it.”

  Instead of reaching for the Kiss, Jack reached for his glass of juice and held it up. “A toast.”

  Emma’s lips parted. She hesitated before lifting her glass to meet his. “Okay. To what?”

  “To you,” he said, tapping his glass against Emma’s. Barnaby rose for the occasion and offered a soft bark, adding to the toast. “I hope the next year brings all your heart’s desires, Em. You deserve the best of everything.”

  He held her gaze for a long moment, and then they both took a sip of their juice. Some part of him wished that he was on that list of her heart’s desires, but he’d messed up his chance with her. And he didn’t think he’d ever get another shot.

  * * *

  The next morning, Emma rolled toward her alarm clock as it shrieked just out of arm’s reach. With a groan, she lifted halfway off the bed and whacked the button before collapsing back against her mattress. She felt hungover, even though she’d only had apple juice last night.

  With Jack.

  Her eyes popped open as she remembered the details of what had happened hours before. She’d been whiny and silly and…he’d been understanding and sweet. They’d talked for at least an hour before he’d gotten up to leave. Then she’d walked him to the door and said good night within a breath of asking him to stay longer.

  Emma got up and headed down the hall to start the coffee maker. “Good morning, Barnaby,” she said as the coffee brewed. She freshened his food and water bowls and then hurried back down the hall to shower and get dressed. When she was done, she prepared her first cup of coffee to go, unlocked Barnaby’s doggie door so he could have free rein in her backyard during the day, and drove to the Sweetwater Café.

  When she finally reached the store’s front door to flip the OPEN sign, her first customer was already standing on the sidewalk outside.

  “Jack,” she said, opening the door for him.

  “Happy—”

  She held up a finger. Her birthday was over.

  “I was just going to wish you a happy July,” he said, giving her a wink.

  “Right.” She nodded. “What are you doing here?”

  He walked in, carrying a shoebox and wearing an olive-green baseball cap with an SS embroidered on the front for Sweetwater Springs. She had one in lavender in her own closet. “Looks like I’m the first one here.”

  “Looks like. Your usual?” she asked as she walked behind the counter.

  He grinned. “Back to normal, I see.”

  “Good thing you only turn thirty once.” She turned to prepare his coffee the way he liked it. Her mental Rolodex may have been off yesterday, but it was working just fine today. She added enough sweetener to his coffee to move it more to the category of dessert than a beverage. Then she pressed a lid on the top and slid it toward him.

  “Thanks.” He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. Then he handed over his debit card.

  “What’s in the box?” she asked as she zipped the card through the reader and handed it back.

  Jack shoved his wallet in his pocket and reached for his drink. “It’s for you. I stopped by my mom’s after I left your place last night. This box has been stashed in her closet forever. I asked her about it once, and she said these things were for you to have one day. Something told me that day had come.”

  Emma gave the box a curious look, aware that customers were starting to line up behind him. What on earth would Jack’s mom have in her closet that she thought Emma would want? “Okay. My curiosity is up.”

  “I’ll put it in the back, and you can take a look when things slow down.”

  “Thanks. And thank you for last night, Jack,” she said quietly.

  “Just being a friend,” he said, stepping away from the register with the shoebox under one arm and his drink in the opposite hand.

  None of Emma’s other friends gave her heart flutters though. Just Jack. Emma refocused on the customer who was behind him. “Good morning, Halona.”

  “Thank you for last night?” Halona repeated in a whisper as she approached the counter. “Sounds like someone had a good birthday.”

  Emma’s cheeks flared hot as she shook her head. “You know it’s not like that between me and Jack.” Emma grabbed a cup from the tall stack beside her. “Your usual?” she asked, moving the subject forward.

  “Yes, please. I have a busy day at the flower shop, and I’m going to need this.”

  “Is Brenna meeting you here this morning?” Emma asked as she prepared the drink.

  Halona shook her head. “No, she has the day off, and she’s spending it sleeping in.”

  “I’m jealous.” Emma placed a lid on Halona’s cup and slid it toward her.

  “Me too.” Halona paid and then tasted her coffee. “Best coffee in Sweetwater Springs. See you tomorrow, Em.”

  Emma greeted the next customer who stepped in front of her. From the corner of her eye, she saw Jack walk back around the counter. He waved as he walked toward the front door with his drink. Emma waved back, a hot flash rolling over her as she watched him exit. No, none of her other friends or customers did that to her.

  The rest of the morning went by in a blur as Emma served customers. By midmorning, all the seats at the café were full. The negative review on the A-List site was right in the sense that there was no room to take a seat with your breakfast.

  “I can handle the counter,” Nina offered. “If you want to take a break and go sit down. No napping on the job this time though.”

  Emma laughed. “Thanks.” She poured herself a cup of coffee, her second today, and beelined toward the box that Jack had left her. There was a Hershey’s Kiss lying on the top, which made her smile. She grabbed it, peeled off the wrapper, and popped it into her mouth, her gaze catching on the writing across the top of the box’s lid: JENNY’S THINGS.

  Emma’
s breath caught. Then she took a step backward, away from the box. Going through her mom’s belongings at work wasn’t a good idea. That was something that needed to be done alone.

  * * *

  Jack’s rain jacket wasn’t doing its job. He was drenched from head to toe, and even his boots were waterlogged as he walked along a trail in the park. A hiker had returned earlier, when the sky had just been gray and heavy with clouds, reporting evidence of a campfire near Blue Sky Point.

  The skies had broken as Jack drove uphill looking for it. He’d slowed and had gotten off his ATV when he saw the pile of sticks, charred in the middle. Whoever had made it was no doubt taking shelter somewhere now. If they were on foot, they’d have very few places to go, and Jack knew all the places to hide. This was his territory, and he didn’t appreciate someone putting the area and wildlife at risk.

  He shrugged deeper into the shelter of his raincoat as he climbed back on his ATV and checked a few locations that might provide a reprieve from the rain, finding nothing. Then he came across a young woman with a small child in tow. He didn’t think for a second that they were the culprit of the illegal campfire.

  Jack slowed his vehicle beside them. Both were completely soaked and had obviously gotten surprised by the summer showers. “It’s a good mile back to the parking lot. Want a lift?”

  The woman looked relieved. “Yes, thank goodness.” She hopped on his ATV beside him, pulling her young son close, and Jack took off down the trail, delivering her directly to her vehicle. Afterward, he headed back to the small ranger station where he kept an office—not that he was a desk kind of guy. The building was open to visitors and offered maps of the park, detailing the various hiking trails, kayak launches, and fishing sites. There was also a wall of pamphlets providing education on a variety of topics, including forest fire prevention and recycling, and there were nature-related handouts for identifying various plant life and birds that could be spotted in Evergreen Park.

  Jack grabbed a set of dry clothes and stepped into the restroom to change. When he came out, he walked over to the front window to watch the rain outside. At least there was no reason to worry about an illegal campfire sparking a forest fire with a downpour like this.