During the twenty-minute drive back to Sapphire Bay, Mark told Emma about managing the cabins, about the characters who came to Evergreen, and the people who never left.
Anyone listening to them would think they were long-lost friends who were getting to know each other again. Maybe they were, but it didn’t make the knots in Emma’s stomach go away.
When they reached her house, she parked inside the garage and turned to Mark. “How are you feeling?”
“Nervous.”
“It will be all right. I’ve made dinner for all of us, but if you want to go back to your accommodation before then, just let me know.”
Mark rubbed his hands along his jeans. “I will.” He took off his seatbelt and picked up two gift-wrapped boxes from beside his feet. “I hope this goes well.”
So did Emma. When she’d brought the twins to Sapphire Bay, she’d wondered what they would think about their father when they were older. Now it was time to find out.
The door into the garage opened. Molly was staring at the truck, waiting to see her father.
“She looks so much like you,” Mark whispered.
“Except for the red hair.” Emma opened her door and forced a smile. “Hi, Molly. Come and meet your dad.”
Mark stepped out of the truck and walked across to his daughter. He must have realized how intimidating his six-foot plus frame could be to a child, because he knelt a short distance away from her.
“It’s nice to meet you, Molly. I’m sorry I haven’t spent any time with you since you were a baby.”
Molly’s big blue eyes were fixed on Mark’s face. “You’ve got red hair like me and Dylan.”
“My mom had red hair, too. I’ve got a present for you.” Mark handed her one of the boxes. “I made it from the wood behind my cabin.”
Molly sat on the garage floor and ripped the wrapping paper off the box. When she opened the lid, any worry about meeting Mark for the first time, disappeared. “She’s beautiful.”
Emma’s eyes widened. Molly was holding a sculpture of a ballerina. Standing en pointe, with her arms extended above her head, it was the most exquisite carving Emma had ever seen.
Mark smiled. “Your mom always wanted to be a ballerina.”
Molly looked up at Emma. “You did?”
Emma nodded. She was surprised Mark remembered. “When I was a little older than you, Grandma took me to ballet classes. I loved wearing my tutu and slippers, and dancing with my friends.”
“Can I do ballet classes?”
“We don’t have any in Sapphire Bay, but I could show you some of the steps.”
Molly hugged her sculpture to her chest. “Could you show me today?”
“We’ll see.” Emma ruffled Molly’s curls. “I might be able to find one of my leotards for you.”
Kylie and Dylan joined them in the garage.
If Mark saw the distrust in Kylie’s eyes, he didn’t show it. Instead, he said hello and shook her hand.
Dylan stood to the side of Kylie’s legs, looking unsure and worried.
Once again, Mark knelt on the floor. “Hi, Dylan. It’s good to see you.” When Dylan didn’t reply, Mark held the last gift-wrapped box toward him. “I made this for you. I hope you like it.”
Slowly, cautiously, Dylan took the box. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Molly stood beside her brother. “Are you going to open it?”
Dylan looked down at the gift-wrapped box, then at the ballerina in Molly’s hands.
“I could help you,” Molly offered.
He shook his head. “I can do it.” Slowly, he peeled back each piece of tape and handed Kylie the bright orange paper. When the lid was open, he took a beautiful star-shaped sculpture out of the box.
“When you were a baby, I used to sing, ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’ to you. I thought you might like having a star in your room.”
Dylan held up the sculpture, watching the three-dimensional sides slowly spin from beneath a red ribbon. “Did you make it all by yourself?” he asked shyly.
“I did. A man who lived close to my cabin at Evergreen Lodge was a master sculptor. He taught me everything I know.”
Molly’s fingertips brushed the edge of the wood. “It’s pretty.”
Tears stung Emma’s eyes. Now that the twins were older, they were even more like their dad. Seeing them talking with Mark, getting to know the man who had given them life, was something she never thought would happen.
And now that they were together, she was determined to do everything she could to make sure they never lost contact again.
As she prepared dinner, Emma watched Mark play basketball with the twins.
“At least he’s good with children,” Kylie said.
“He was always good with Molly and Dylan.” Emma turned from the kitchen window. “He isn’t a bad person.”
“Is he different from when you were married?”
“I don’t know. He seems more settled, but I’m the last person who should be judging his behavior. Before he left, I knew our relationship had a few problems, but I didn’t think he would leave.”
Kylie chopped a tomato into quarters and added it to the salad. “Dylan is more relaxed now that he’s met Mark.”
“Dylan has missed having his dad around. I think that’s why he likes Mr. Jessop’s company so much.”
“And Jack’s.”
Emma glanced at her friend. “This morning, Dylan asked when Jack is going home. He wants him to stay in Sapphire Bay.”
“I’m not surprised. They get along really well.”
A loud cheer rang out from the backyard. Molly had scored another goal.
Emma enjoyed spending time with Jack and she knew the twins did, too. After being on her own for so long, she never thought she’d meet another person who made her feel so alive.
She’d fallen in love with Jack, but finding Mark had changed everything.
Jack had said he was here for them all and that, no matter what, he would make sure they were okay. But she didn’t want him looking after them. She’d worked hard to provide for Dylan and Molly. Allowing someone to take care of them was as alien to her as meeting her ex-husband at the airport.
“I know finding Mark is a big deal,” Kylie said. “But you’re still the same person you were before he came here. You’re strong, brave, and courageous. You’re raising two beautiful children who know what it’s like to be loved. You don’t need to feel overwhelmed by what’s happening.”
Emma took a deep breath. If she weren’t careful, she’d start crying all over again. “I’m happy Dylan and Molly have met their dad, but I’m worried about what will happen next.”
“Have you talked to Mark about the future?”
“Not yet. Mom and Dad want me to contact my lawyer, but I don’t want to scare Mark away.”
Kylie wrapped her arm around Emma’s shoulders. “Don’t worry about him. He made the decision to stay out of your life. Your parents only want to protect the twins and make sure whatever happens is in everyone’s best interest.”
“You think I should call my lawyer?”
“I think you should do what’s best for you and your children. If that means talking to lawyers, counselors, or anyone else who has been in the same situation, then do it.”
Emma looked through the kitchen window.
Dylan high-fived Mark before throwing the basketball through the hoop.
Her worst fear was that Mark would become part of their children’s lives, then leave. If that happened, she’d need all the help she could get to make sure Molly and Dylan didn’t feel abandoned.
Kylie took an oven mitt off the counter. “Why don’t you play basketball with Mark and the twins? I can make sure everything’s ready for dinner.”
“Are you sure?”
Kylie grinned. “That’s what friends are for. Besides, you won’t know if Mark has changed unless you get to know him.”
Emma squeezed Kylie’s hand. “Thank you. I don’t know what I would do without you.”
“Don’t speak too soon. I might burn the garlic bread.”
“I have complete faith in you.”
Kylie smiled. “I could say the same about you. Now go and enjoy some fresh air.”
Emma wiped her hands on a dishtowel and headed outside. Today was the first day of a new relationship with her ex-husband. And, for everyone’s sake, she hoped it wasn’t the last.
Jack screwed another sheet of drywall onto the frame of a tiny home. After working alongside his brother for most of yesterday, he needed a change of scenery. And the workshop was the perfect distraction.
An hour ago, he’d joined his grandfather in the old steamboat museum, helping to finish the walls of two houses before the painters arrived.
“When we’re ready to plaster the walls, don’t be surprised if it looks as though we don’t have enough compound,” Patrick Devlin said from the front doorway. “Bob has ordered more from the suppliers but it hasn’t arrived.”
“Does that mean I can finish work early?”
Jack’s grandfather laughed. “You’ll be lucky. We’ve got a lot more work to do on the houses before Monday.”
Working in the old steamboat museum wasn’t as calming as Jack thought it would be. Screwing the drywall into place kept his hands busy, but it hadn’t stopped his brain from thinking about Emma and the twins. Even after speaking to her last night, he was still uneasy about her ex-husband.
“You’re not usually this quiet,” Patrick said. “What’s on your mind?”
Jack grabbed a handful of screws out of the bucket. “Emma is showing Mark around Sapphire Bay today.”
“And that worries you?”
It worried him more than he wanted to admit. “I care about Emma and the twins. I don’t want them to get hurt.”
Patrick looked around the tiny home. “We all get hurt. I can guarantee the person who lives here will have had their fair share of knocks and bruises. But, somehow, they found their way to Sapphire Bay and the beginning of a new life. Emma is no different. She rebuilt her life once. If inviting Mark back into her life doesn’t work out, it won’t be the end of the world.”
Jack thought about what his granddad had said. When he was growing up, his grandma had told him not to worry about the things he couldn’t change. He guessed this was one of those times.
“Before you give yourself ulcers,” Patrick said with a smile. “You can help me drywall the second story of this home before lunch.”
“Has anyone told you you’re bossy?”
Patrick laughed. “Your grandmother told me that all the time. But, even at my best, I wasn’t a match for her. Did I tell you about the time we flew to Vancouver for a friend’s wedding?”
Jack had heard the story many times, but he never got tired of it. His grandma was a sweet and kind woman. But if anyone upset her grandsons, she turned into a ferocious lion. “Go ahead. I’m listening.”
As Patrick retold the story of how an airline staff member thought he was abducting his grandsons, Jack smiled. Everyone needed someone to love them, and Jack and his brother had struck gold with their grandparents.
All he had to do was let Emma know that he was there for her, no matter what she decided to do. Or what Mark did.