“I’m glad.”
“Would you mind calling your mom? I don’t want to seem like the paranoid parent, but I’d love to check on Noah.”
I smiled. “I’m sure he’s fine, but I’ll call.”
I paid, and we walked outside. I called my parents, and they assured me they were having a great time. The squeals in the background confirmed it. Satisfied that Noah was in good hands, Emily walked with me over to Marney’s café to meet Gail. I had a feeling the two would hit it off. Emily was smiling the moment we walked into the quaint shop. There was just something about that place that everyone loved.
“Hi, Jake.” Gail greeted us from behind the counter. She looked exactly the same as she always did, a sweet old lady with long, silver-gray hair.
“Hey, Gail. You haven’t met my girlfriend, Emily, yet, have you?”
Gail’s eyes lit up as they moved to Emily. “No, I haven’t had the pleasure yet. It’s nice to meet you, Emily.”
“Same to you. You have a lovely place here.” Emily was looking around at all the photos on the wall. I’d have to tell her that Molly had taken them.
“Thank you. Can I get you two anything?”
“Two coffees and,” I turned to Emily, “what kind of pie is your favorite?”
“Anything with fruit.”
“How about peach?” Gail suggested.
“That’s perfect.”
Gail pulled out the peach pie from the display case. “One slice or two?”
Emily answered for us. “One, we can share.”
I’m sure I could have eaten my own slice, but I liked the idea of sharing.
“Jake, why don’t you go find a table.” Gail wasn’t really asking a question. I knew exactly what she was doing.
“Sure.” I grinned and carried our pie over to an empty table. There was only one other couple in the whole place, so it wasn’t hard to find one. I watched Emily break into a smile as she talked to Gail. I hoped Gail was putting in a good word for me.
A few minutes later, they both walked over with our coffees.
Gail patted me on the shoulder. “You’ve got the real deal here, Jake. Don’t let her go.”
I looked over my shoulder at her. “I don’t plan on it.”
Chapter Eighteen
Emily
After a few weeks, I was finally getting used to working days again. I preferred nights, loving the quieter feel of the hospital, but those shifts weren’t possible with Noah at home. Mel had offered to take Noah one night a week so I could get an extra shift in, but I hated putting her out. She would never accept money from me, and she already did plenty of free babysitting.
When I first met Mel, I never expected her to be such a huge part of my life. She was the fast talking girl that wanted to be anywhere but in class. For some reason, she decided to befriend the pregnant girl. My mom came down for a few weeks to help when Noah was born, but she couldn’t take too much time off. Tim’s parents only came down to meet their grandson for a few hours before leaving. I pushed myself through those early weeks, telling myself Tim wouldn’t have been any help anyway. A few months later, he was dead. I don’t think I would have survived without Mel. She picked me up off the floor, helped take care of Noah, and reminded me that life went on. I owed her more than I could ever hope to repay.
I’d just settled into a movie with Mel when Jake called on a Thursday night. I was thrilled to be done working for the week, and picked up the second I saw his name flash across the screen. “Hey!”
“Hey yourself. You sound chipper.” He sounded just as happy as I did.
“I’m just glad to be done with work for a few days.”
“Usually you sound exhausted after work.”
“Yeah, but Mel’s here and we’re about to watch a girly movie.”
“Oh, I won’t interrupt the fun for too long then. I don’t have a game tomorrow night, and there’s something cool going on in town. Want to come down with Noah?”
“Sure. What time?”
“I’m running a practice until five. Would you rather come before or after dinner?”
“Maybe after. The sitter told me Noah’s been napping late all week, and then he wakes up really hungry.”
“Okay, that works. Just try to get here before seven.”
I laughed. “I think we can handle that. What’s going on tomorrow night exactly?”
“It’s a surprise. Have fun with Mel. I can’t wait to see you tomorrow.”
“Me either, I’m intrigued. Have a good night.” I placed my phone down on the coffee table.
“Heading to Clayton Falls tomorrow?” Mel asked, adjusting a throw blanket on her lap.
“Yeah. Jake says something’s going on in town, but it’s a surprise.”
“I thought you hated surprises.” She ate a handful of popcorn.
“I do.”
“You’re really into him. Like seriously into him.” She wasn’t asking a question.
“Yeah, I am.” If Mel only knew how hard I’d fallen. I could barely believe it myself.
***
“Are you guys ready for your surprise?” Jake picked Noah up and swung him around. It was fun watching them together. Jake seemed to be getting used to having a kid around, and Noah couldn’t get enough of him.
“Sure. You’ve had us in suspense for an entire day.” I slipped on a sweater and grabbed my bag.
“It’s a good surprise, I promise.” Jake carried Noah out to my car. I noticed he grabbed a few blankets on the way.
“Where am I heading?”
“Down toward the marina but then turn right.”
I followed his instructions until we pulled into a large field that was currently filling up with cars. A giant screen was set up a ways down.
“Is this a drive in?”
“They just reopened it. Tonight’s a special feature for kids.”
“What movie?”
“Finding Nemo.”
“Noah loves that movie.” It really was an awesome surprise.
“Great. Let’s grab some snacks and find a spot down front.”
“Yeah, I doubt Noah could see anything from the car.”
“If you want the real drive-in experience, we’ll have to come back alone.” He winked.
“I may take you up on that.”
“May? I promise I’d make it fun.”
Jake bought a huge tub of popcorn.
“Pop pop pop!” Noah bounced when he saw it. He’d been asking for it since Kelly gave him some at the football game.