Rise and Shine (Shine On Series, Book 2) (2 page)

Emmie walked over and picked up her purse from the coffee table, unzipped the side pocket and handed the photograph to Ava.

“What’s this?” Ava asked, taking it from her friend. When she got a good look at it her eyes widened and she put her hand on her heart. But for once the move was authentic rather than dramatic.

“Your mom. Oh Emmie, you look just like her.” Her eyes gazed down at Emmie and she gave a sad smile.

“Thanks.” That really did make Emmie smile.

Ava looked back at the photograph. Her brow creased as she took a closer look. “This man is so handsome. He looks familiar.”

“That’s because I think he is my dad. See the hair… and the shape of his eyes? It’s like me, isn’t it?” Emmie asked.

Ava held the photo closer to her eyes, bit her lower lip and nodded. “That’s true. You do favor him.”

“Yeah, and if you flip it over the date was 1902. It’s the year before I was born. So, the time makes sense,” Emmie said. She was surprised how strong her voice was.

Ava put the photograph on the coffee table and walked over to hug her friend. She cradled her head and spoke softly. “We’ve got his picture and we know he lives in Chicago from the bank address you found in the other letter. We will find him. I just know it.” She pulled back and held her friend at arm’s-length.

“Here.” She pulled out the flask again and poured another generous shot. “Sip that and…” she trailed off and moved back to the closet and returned with an enormous black box with an orange ribbon.

“What on earth is this? Don’t tell me you’ve already sent someone out shopping for you.” Emmie laughed.

“Not me. You’ve already had someone shopping. See?” Ava showed Emmie the tag with her name on it.

Emmie carefully pulled the ribbon and lifted the lid to the box. “Oh, my.” She covered her mouth with both hands.

“Told you he was carrying a torch for you. My family has great taste. I mean honestly, after seeing this dress, I have never been more proud to call him a cousin,” Ava rattled on and on.

Emmie had already tuned her out. She was lost in the beauty of the costume. She pulled it all the way out of the box and held it up to her body. The bodice was similar to the one she had made for Ava. Tight and fitted to her body. But it was a beautiful royal blue. The black underskirt wasn’t as full as Ava’s orange pumpkin but the soft peacock feathers that draped down from her waist made her costume just as showy. In the bottom of the box was a beautiful headband adorned with a few blue-green peacock feathers and a big silver gem where they crossed. It was the most beautiful costume she had ever seen.

“You think Silas did this?” Emmie asked, finally registering Ava’s ramblings.

“Look for yourself,” Ava said, pulling out a card from under the tissue paper.

Dear Emmie,

The blue made me think of your eyes. Ava mentioned (a few dozen times) that you didn’t have time to make a real costume for yourself. Hope this one is okay.

Love,

Silas

**********

The knock on the door came just as she put down her lipstick. She dropped the makeup in her clutch and headed to the door. She cautiously pulled it open. There he was. She was the one in the fancy headband, wearing a dress with feathers but he was the one that looked stunning. He was in a black three-piece suit with a hat pushed low on his forehead. She smiled up at him and her heart faltered when he didn’t immediately smile back. His eyes were wide and unblinking and his mouth was set in a straight line. She opened her mouth to suggest maybe she should change into the other dress but she didn’t get the chance.

In one quick motion he pulled her in for a kiss. His mouth was on hers before she could take a breath. She tasted tobacco on his mouth; his hands slid down her bare arms and he quickly pushed himself away. The kiss was over before she was even fully aware it had started. There was no reason to change. He liked the dress.

He held a hand up and stepped away from her. “Sorry,” he shook his head and leaned down to grab her clutch. She hadn’t even realized she had dropped it. “You are beautiful.”

Emmie smiled. “It’s lovely. Thank you.” She was surprised how quiet her voice had gotten.

“You’re lovely,” he said, passing her clutch back to her. “We better go.”

Her heartbeat sped up and she could feel her emotions warming her neck and chest. She grabbed her black wrap off the chair and yelled bye to Ava who was still working on her makeup.

“See you at the party,” Ava sang from the bathroom.

As Silas and Emmie were walking out, Gabe came to the door. “She still getting ready?” he asked.

Emmie nodded and waved goodbye as Silas put his hand on her back to lead her down the hall.

“Surprise, surprise,” Gabe said with a laugh as he entered the room.

“Oh, hush,” Ava, said, “I’m almost finished. Here.” She rolled the flask down the hall. “Have a drink.”

Gabe decided to forgo the glass and took his swig right from the flask. He sat down on the lush navy sofa and settled in for the wait. Ava’s
almost finished
usually meant another half an hour. He didn’t mind though. Gabe leaned forward and picked up an old photo lying on the coffee table. It was a picture of Emmie with another man.

“She better keep that away from Silas,” Gabe said with a laugh tossing the picture back onto the table.

“Keep what away?” Ava asked.

“That picture of her with another guy. Sort of weird that she brought it with her,” he mused.

“Oh, that’s not Emmie. They look alike though don’t they?” Ava shouted.

Gabe grabbed the photo again and looked at it a little more closely. Ava was right it wasn’t Emmie. “Who is it?” he called.

“It’s her mom and some mystery lover,” she said. “Emmie thinks that is her father but we don’t know for sure. The date on the back seems right though.”

For the first time Gabe turned his attention to the guy in the picture. He squinted and jerked the photo closer to his eyes. Ava walked out of the room just in time to see him turn the photo, look at the date on the back, and then drop it on the table like it was on fire. He stood and ran his hands over his face. Then he put the flask up to his lips and took another long swig with his eyes closed. He replaced the cap and put it in his pocket.

“What’s wrong?” Ava asked as he paced the floor.

“Just getting ready for tonight.” He tapped the flask he’d just put in his pocket. “You look beautiful, doll,” Gabe said then pulled her in for a long slow kiss. She seemed to buy the act. He was glad that she couldn’t tell what he was feeling right now. Anger, hurt, confusion. He didn’t want her to feel any of this tonight. He didn’t want her to question him about that picture, so he kissed her until he was sure the word photograph wasn’t even in her vocabulary. This was going to be her night. He refused to let some old photograph ruin what he’d worked months to plan.

Chapter Two

E
mmie closed her eyes and blinked a few times, then took another look around the room. Nope, she wasn’t dreaming. If she didn’t know better, she would swear she had been transported to a real European castle. The reception hall was amazing. The room was full of women in ornate costumes and men in well-tailored, three-piece suits. Save Silas at her side, she saw no one she knew. Everyone there seemed to be moving around her, engaged in conversation, dancing, or laughing without noticing their surroundings, like it was just another day. She couldn’t move in the beauty of the room that surrounded her. The entire ceiling billowed with arches. It was as if she was in a stone tent. Intricately decorated tiles covered the ceiling and floors. Gargoyles sat on the top of each marble pillar, watching the gluttony of the festivities below. Various types of pumpkins and candles decorated the tables that surrounded the room.

She was drawn from her gawking as Silas wrapped his hand around her waist and pulled her nearer to him. Emmie at first was startled by his spontaneous show of affection but then realized she had been blocking the main aisle and a server carrying a tray full of desserts moved around her in a hurry.

“Sorry,” she muttered to him but he was too far away to hear. She turned to face Silas. “I was just…” Emmie started but with wide eyes and a smile she opened her hands up to the room, “I’ve never been anywhere quite like this.”

Silas gave the room a glance. His face impassive, he shrugged in indifference.

Emmie rolled her eyes and laughed at him. “Oh, come on. This is beautiful. Surely, even you can admit that.”

A grin played at the corner of his mouth and he fought the show of emotion. He grabbed her by the elbow and pulled her even closer. She could feel his breath on her ear as he spoke, “It doesn’t compare to you.”

His eyes met hers for a moment. Then he looked up and nodded at someone across the room. Emmie followed his gaze. It was Trick and a group of guys she didn’t recognize. As they got closer she understood why. Their voices were thick with accent. One was Irish but the others were all from the north, Chicago she guessed by the familiarity they showed Silas and Trick. A few of the guys clasped Silas’s arm in what she could only assume was the manly version of a hug from an old friend. The guys became lost in a conversation about big city business.

Silas seemed to be the center of the conversation, although he didn’t talk as much as some of the other guys. They would say something, he would comment or give his opinion. She was surprised to see the way they all watched him, waiting for his reaction. For a while she smiled from person to person and pretended to be following along. But soon she became self-conscious as the conversation heated up. It also didn’t escape her notice that she was the only female in the group. A few of the guys would periodically glance over at her politely as they spoke and she could see the curiosity in each of their eyes. No one introduced her. She picked up a couple of their names—the Irishman was Willem and she thought there were a Michael and Peter in the mix. She gave up trying to learn their names when three or four more joined the group.

Emmie glanced between the shoulders of the men surrounding her in hopes of seeing Ava’s family but she had no such luck. She turned around and spied a waiter a few columns back handing out glasses of punch.

“Excuse me,” Emmie muttered quietly to no one in particular.

She slipped between two of the men standing behind her, barely brushing against their arms. They parted to let her by. When she reached the open space a few feet away she released a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. Emmie put her hands on her waist and ran her fingers down the length of her skirt. The peacock feathers were soft and light against her touch. The dress was beautiful. Ava was right; her black dress wouldn’t have held a candle to this one.

The waiter had one glass of punch left when she neared him. He turned away from her. “Hey, wait. That one is mine.” She skipped up to him.

“Sorry, miss. I didn’t see ya comin’,” he said.

She smiled and found a little bit of comfort in his country accent.

“It’s fine,” she smiled, “thank you.”

He stood there for a second watching her drink the first sip and then turned. She realized if he turned and walked away again, she would be alone in this crowded room again. “So,” she called after him, “where are ya from?”

He frowned at her and then answered, “South of here, miss. LaRue County.”

“LaRue County, I know that. My stepfather had an aunt that lived there. JoBerta Catrel,” Emmie said, leaning her back against the ornate stone column.

The man’s eyes lit up. “Yeah, I know the Catrel’s. Dairy farmers, right?”

“Yes,” she smiled and took another sip from the small glass. She’d half expected it to be spiked but it was just a normal fruity punch. The guy’s expression fell to a frown as he stared behind her.

“Looks like you’re out of drinks, maybe you should be making your way back to the kitchen to refill,” Silas’s voice drew near her.

“Yes, sir,” the guy nodded his head and headed back toward the kitchen without saying goodbye.

Emmie turned to face Silas with a smile. “It’s a small world.”

“Is that so?” he asked, his face indifferent.

“He knows Ronnie’s family,” she said, pointing at the guy as he walked away.

Silas frowned and nodded. It was obvious he wasn’t really listening. “Why did you leave?”

“I umm…” she couldn’t think of a good reason and laughed awkwardly, “just needed to take a breath, I guess.”

Silas nodded again then spoke looking straight ahead. “Well, I’d like you to meet my friends.”

“Sure, of course. I’d love to.” She finished the glass and put it down on the empty table nearest her. He picked up the glass, held it close to his body, pulled a silver flask and poured a small amount into the cup. He pushed the glass into her hand.

“To help you catch your breath.” He bit his lower lip and glanced around. “Go ahead, honey. Sip a little piece of home.”

The warm apple pie coated her throat and sent heat through her body. She licked the last drop of moisture off her mouth. She let out a breath and relaxed her shoulders. Looking down at her, Silas’s face had spread into a wide grin. When he smiled like this he really favored Trick. He took the glass from her and put it back on the table.