Timing is Everything

EMMA

Emma rinsed her suit and showered in the luxurious room that was now her bathroom. She had never been in a shower where the water fell from the ceiling like rain, and it was awesome!

She got out of the shower, rubbing her favorite scented lotion on her body after she dried off. She looked in the mirror at herself with an artist’s eye.

As an artist would see it, her body was perfect to paint or sculpt. She had curves that many women would kill for.

She had full breasts that still held their shape and didn’t sag from age or from having a child, a small waist, and wide, soft hips.

That was what artists in the Romantic period relished, not the super skinny runway models with no curves. The woman in her hated those curves, sometimes, when she was swimming competitively or shopping.

The boobs got in the way for swimming and the curves made shopping difficult.

It seemed no matter how many squats or leg lifts she did or how many miles she ran, her butt was still there. Carol called it her “bubble butt,” but growing up, Emma hated it.

As she matured in college, she learned to love her body and accept it for what it was. She embraced the way men now admired her ass as she walked by in a dress or in a bathing suit.

The same went for her breasts. She knew Adam noticed them when they first met, and he liked to really grab them when they had sex, but not in any way that she enjoyed. It was for his enjoyment only.

“Ugh! I need to stop thinking about him! I hate him and am so glad to be rid of him!” she scolded herself as she quickly towel-dried her long auburn hair so it would dry in its natural waves.

She couldn’t help but feel a little ache in her heart that she didn’t have someone to love her again, but she told herself to be patient.

She quickly put on some face cream to help ward off wrinkles and kept the makeup minimal and natural, as she usually did. Despite being a redhead, she had golden skin and didn’t burn as quickly as most redheads.

She still wore sunscreen but had a wonderful bronze glow to her skin in the summers, and now would year-round since she was in Florida.

She put on a bright purple tank dress that fell mid-thigh and her favorite black wedge sandals. She put her phone, wallet, and lip gloss in a cute little sling purse and went downstairs.

Pops was sitting on the couch watching some baseball while he waited.

“Okay, Pops. I am ready to go.”

“Wonderful, let me grab my wallet and we can be off,” he said as he went into his office.

He came back out and tossed a little box to Emma, saying “Think fast!”

She jumped as the box flew toward her and she snatched it in her hands. She was confused as she looked at the little box with the red ribbon around it.

She looked at him with questioning eyes as he stood with his hands in his pockets, waiting for her to open it.

“Pops! You didn’t have to get me anything more! You already did so much with my room!”

He shrugged. “What good is being crazy rich—as your son says—if I can’t spend it on the people I love?”

Emma laughed, shaking her head as she took off the ribbon and opened the box. Inside was a key chain and a key. She lifted it up, realizing that he had bought her a car.

Her mouth dropped open as Pops motioned for her to go to the garage. She walked to the garage and opened the door, gasping as the light came on.

Next to Pops’s beloved ’66 Corvette and old ’65 Shelby Mustang was a gorgeous, bright-red Audi Convertible. She could tell it was fully loaded, with a tan leather interior.

She walked over to it and touched the soft, supple leather under her fingers.

“Oh Pops… It’s beautiful…I don’t know what to say!!”

“Say thank you, then let’s go. I’m hungry. You are driving!”

She ran up to him and hugged him again, whispering her thanks as she kissed his tanned cheek.

He pushed a button so the garage door went up, and then got in the car on the passenger side. Emma woke from her daze and got behind the wheel, slipping her sandals off and putting them in the back seat.

She started the car, listening to the hum of the powerful engine. She put on her sunglasses and grinned at her grandfather as she put the car in reverse and pulled out.

Emma drove through the streets of the town, loving the feel of her new car. The power the engine had was awesome and she loved the way it responded when she turned the wheel.

She took the long way to the restaurant and she and Pops enjoyed every second. They were only five minutes late when they pulled into the valet station.

The young college kid came out and opened the door for her. She took his hand and got out of the car, and she noticed as his eyes wandered over her figure in the dress.

Pops caught the hungry look in his eyes and barked, “It’s a brand-new car, don’t scratch it!!”

Emma smiled at the young man, who had jumped at hearing his words. As she went over to her grandfather and put her arm through his, she said, “You didn’t have to bark at him, Pops. I think you scared him!”

“When he was looking at you the way he was, I had to do something to get those thoughts out of his head! You are my granddaughter!”

“Pops, If I am going to start dating again—”

“I am not so out of it that I don’t know how a man thinks about a woman, Emma. I just don’t need to be reminded of it before I eat!!”

She giggled and kissed his cheek as the hostess took them to the table, where Jerry and Carol were already waiting. Jerry jumped up and hugged her as they came to the table.

He wasn’t able to fly up for Trevor’s graduation as one of his captains was out with the flu, so he’d had to cover the boat or lose money. Emma and Trevor understood, but Jerry still felt bad.

“So Emma, what about that new present you got? Carol and I thought for sure you would be more than five minutes late, out driving around,” Jerry grinned.

Pops and Carol laughed as Emma smirked at him. “Oh, just wait until the ride home! Pops better hold on!”

They had a wonderful evening catching up and laughing. She loved these people so much! They raised her and were basically just like parents.

They meant so much to her and she had missed them so much over the years. Coming back for holidays and vacations was never enough for Emma.

As Jerry and Pops planned a fishing trip for when Trevor and his friends came down in a few weeks, Carol asked Emma about her private life.

“I don’t want to be pushy, honey, but are you going to start dating?”

Emma sighed, “I have dated some over the years, but no one felt right. I will know it when I feel it. I just want someone to love me for me and not money or power or for what they can get.

“I want what you have and what Pops, Nan, and my parents had. What the Reynolds and the DeMarcos have…”

“Em, that man is out there for you. I know he is,” Carol said, squeezing her hand.

“Well, what about Lukas?” Jerry asked, and Pops nodded his head.

“What about Luke? We have always been just friends,” she lied. “Plus, he has a girlfriend. Don’t you think it would be weird for everyone seeing us together? I mean, we all grew up together!”

She chuckled, uncomfortable with the whole conversation and the stare that Pops was giving her, like he could see through everything she said and knew it was bullshit.

Emma sat for a minute as Carol drew the men into another conversation, taking the heat off of her. She thought about Luke and all the things they’d shared over the years and what she felt for him.

She chewed on her lip as she looked at each of them, tears forming in her eyes. No one in the family knew what she and Luke had shared.

And she still felt guilty that she had never told Pops what had happened. It was the only real secret that she’d kept from him, her best friends, and her family.

The other three adults looked at each other, then at the beautiful woman in front of them, wishing they could know what was going on in her head.

Pops had a feeling there were things he didn’t know about Emma’s relationship with Luke, but he was going to let her tell it when she was ready.

Carol whispered to her, “Just have some faith, sweet girl… Have some faith… It will happen when you least expect it.”

Emma took her napkin and dabbed her eyes. She smiled at them and demanded dessert. They laughed and Carol ordered four slices of Key lime pie, Emma’s favorite dessert.

Pops changed the subject to happier things as they finished dessert and drank coffee.

After kissing Carol and Jerry goodbye (Jerry had three excursions in the early morning) they all walked out together to their cars.

“Have a safe ride home, Spens! You will need it with Mario Andretti behind the wheel!” Jerry laughed as they shook hands.

“Don’t I know it!” Pops said.

Emma ignored them as she got in and waited for Pops to get in and buckle up. Once he was safely in, Emma pulled out and got on the highway. She drove them all over the county.

They listened to music and laughed, feeling the wind through their hair. They drove for over an hour before Emma headed back to the house, feeling the effects of her long day.

She pulled into the garage and turned the car off, then got out. She walked into the house with her grandfather and hugged him tightly.

“Thank you, Pops. I love you and I am so lucky to have you in my life and I love everything you did for me. Thank you again.”

He kissed her forehead and told her he was just glad she was back where she belonged. He bid her good night and went up to the master suite on the other side of the house to get ready for bed.

She grabbed a bottle of water and went up to her rooms. She closed the door and shed her clothes, throwing things in the hamper. She grabbed a brush and started brushing out the knots in her hair from their drive.

She winced as she got to a particularly stubborn knot of hair and vowed never to drive with both the top and her hair down again. It was too painful!

Fifteen minutes later, she had her pajama shirt on and climbed into the incredible four-poster canopy bed that she called her own now.

Pops had extremely particular taste, and the impossibly soft sheets that he had to have were now surrounding her.

She snuggled in, watching the lace curtains blowing in the light breeze that came in from the open windows. She heard soft waves and little frogs making noises in the dark night and smiled.

These were the sounds she grew up with and loved. She closed her eyes and listened to the natural music. She drifted off, thinking of Luke and what might have happened in her life.