Rise and Shine (Shine On Series, Book 2) (27 page)

E
mmie and Gabe sat in the room in silence for a while. Gabe paced the floors and Emmie rocked anxiously. Her mind kept clicking through the details she knew.

1. Revenuers had busted up two stills that Silas seemed upset over.

2. They were very large operations, judging the amount of barrels in the photos.

3. A tall thin man from the photos was involved in both.

4. Russeltown had a bust on a pig tonight.

5. Trick had said if they weren’t targeting stills, they were targeting them.

She stood and stretched her legs. It didn’t make sense. She understood the boys would be upset if one of their speaks had been raided. The implications could be dangerous, but why shut down Bowling Green? What made him assume the revenuers knew about their locations here? And more importantly, how was busting up the stills connected to busting up the speaks? Clearly, Silas thought it was connected. She stood and walked to the window. It was too dark to see outside but it didn’t matter, she wasn’t looking for anything. She just needed a place to stare while she thought.

“Did you ever call Ava?” Gabe asked.

“No. I haven’t had the chance yet.”

“Well, try to make some time for her ‘eh? I know you’re busy with your new shining endeavor but she could use a friend,” he snapped.

“Okay, groucho Gabe.” Emmie frowned.

When she turned around he had her baby picture in his hand. She walked over and took it from him.

“So, this is you and your ma?” he asked.

“Yeah.” She opened a drawer in the chest and put it inside.

“Must mean a lot to you, if you keep it shoved in drawers,” he said with a snarky tone.

She shrugged at his words. “You got a problem with me tonight, Gabe?”

“No, I just think you need to get yourself back in order.”

“What?”

“Well, I just think you’re having some issues,” Gabe said, staring down at her.

“By all means, enlighten me, Gabe. I think it’s funny you’re gonna act like you know me so well when we didn’t even like each other until a few months ago.”

“That’s true but I’ve been listening to Ava talk about you for years.”

Emmie put her hands up in a motion to pantomime that he could continue.

“Okay, well… I’m sure it’s hard on you to find out what your mom did with my dad. It’s hard on me too,” he said and then paused before continuing. “But you come back here and change everything about yourself.”

“What on earth are you talking about, Gabe? I haven’t changed. How much can a person change in a couple of weeks?” she spit at him.

“For one, you won’t call your best friend, the person who has been like a sister your whole life. I think you’re avoiding her because you’re mad about her family keeping this from you.” He pointed at her.

Emmie opened her mouth to respond but couldn’t find the words. She felt a gaping hole in her chest. She wasn’t doing that, was she? She had just been busy. Of course, she wouldn’t blame Ava for that. Emmie crossed her arms defensively over her chest.

“I told you, I’ve been busy.” She tried to keep the pain out of her voice.

“Yeah, that’s right. You’ve been busy making plans to get back into moonshining… with the roughest group of hillbillies in this town. Really… bootlegging, Emmie?” he shouted with his arms spread wide.

“It isn’t for me. I’m not taking the money. I just want to help Max.”

“Yeah, that’s what you say. But that doesn’t mean it’s not for you too.” He walked closer to her.

“How’s that?”

“It’s keeping your head buried in the sand, like some damn ostrich. You can focus on all the drama and not on the things actually bothering you in there.” He jabbed his index finger into her chest as he said the last words.

Her throat tightened and eyes began to burn. No, he wasn’t right. This was about Max, not her. He was making something out of nothing.

“Don’t pretend to know me.”

“Yeah, well you know the two things I knew about you? They were the same things everyone in this town knew about you: You loved your mom because she was the only family you had. And, you wanted to be a teacher.

“Now, you shove pictures of your mother in drawers, so you don’t have to see her or face the facts.” Each word he said got a little louder. She turned back to the window as he made his last point. “And Emmie, when’s the last time you mentioned being a teacher, hmm?”

Emmie felt the tears escaping her lidded eyes and quickly brushed them away. “I’ve been busy.”

“Yeah, hiding from things.”

Emmie re-opened the chest. “You wanna know why I hid it?” She flipped the photo over and handed it back to him. He looked at her confused. “Read the studio location.”

He nodded and bit his lip as he handed the photo back to her. “What do you know? I had my family pictures made there as a child.”

“Unlikely coincidence, I’m sure.” She rolled her eyes. “I didn’t want you to have to see that. But since you say I’m not facing anything, I figure I better let it all out,” she said, unsure if she was being sarcastic or truthful.

“So what, Emmie? You were in Chicago once when you were a baby. Do you not think it’s possible Dad wanted to see you when you were a child? Do you not think it is possible to love two people at once? Do you not think it is possible your mother wanted to be near my dad? Seriously Emmie, what does that change?”

“Well, for me it’s just another lie. My whole life was a lie.”

“You think mine wasn’t? I had a sister that I’d met hundreds of times and no one ever said a word,” he shouted.

“Finally, you see what I’m talking about.” She threw her hands up.

“Being mad about it… or hiding from it is not going to change the past. And you’re wrong about something. Your whole life wasn’t a lie. Your mama loved you. You have a best friend named Ava. The DeCarmillas love you like a daughter. You want to be a teacher. You have an odd friendship with an old moonshiner. I don’t know… you can sew things…”

“What’s that got to do with anything?”

“I’m just saying your life has not been a lie. Just that one part of it and sure some people made some shitty choices for us.” He ran his hands through his hair while trying to find the words. “But we make choices on what we do now… not then. And you’re not making great choices. You’re making really dumb ones.”

“Well, thank you for your opinion, Gabe. Anything else you’d like to share with me?” She jutted out her chin.

He sighed. “Just forget about it. Forget I said anything.” With that he walked out the room and slammed the door.

Emmie’s hands shook as she laid the photograph back on the chest. She wrapped her arms around herself and sat back in the rocking chair, attempting to find some comfort. Okay, so some of the things Gabe said might be true. But he was wrong about her motives for moonshining. It was a welcomed distraction, but she was doing it for Max… mostly doing it for Max, anyway.

Which reminded her, she had to meet Bo early in the morning. She thought of the horrible climb down the ridge she faced. Her only work dress was still in a state of disrepair from her last trip. As she glanced around the room she noticed the box of Ronnie’s clothes she had yet to drop off at the church. That gave her a good idea—if she was going to be climbing up and down hills and hollers tomorrow, she wasn’t going to be doing it in a dress.

She pulled out her mother’s sewing box and the smallest pair of work pants she could find and set to ripping and pinning the pants. It was a welcomed distraction.

Chapter Thirty-nine

E
mmie pulled the pants up over her legs. They were a little tighter than she’d meant to make them but she supposed that was a good thing considering that would mean less fabric to hang on rocks and sticks as she made her way down to the cabin. She’d done a pretty good job knowing her mind had been elsewhere the entire time she’d been sewing them. There was one thing Gabe said that she couldn’t get out of her mind, a seed he’d planted that made her think his words were true. A few months ago her only motivating factor for working with Mr. Thomas and helping Walter with his moonshine, was to go to school to teach. It was the dream her mom had passed on to her that she’d thought of nearly every day. Now, as she sat there staring at herself in the mirror in a pair of old work pants, boots, and an oversized flannel shirt, she couldn’t find the girl she was months ago. Emmie hadn’t thought about college the whole time she’d been back from Louisville. She guessed Gabe must be right. She had come back home and blocked out nearly everything that used to be important. Her heart sank with guilt when she realized it must have included Ava and her family too.

Smoothing a few wrinkles on her pants, she knew she was in too deep to back out now. Emmie sighed and took a breath to build up her courage. Maybe this was part of her journey too. She was doing this to help Max, even if it was a welcomed distraction. She would call Ava back tonight. And when this was over she would go to that school and find out how to enroll. She would finish this, but she’d work to get back to the person she wanted to be too. It didn’t have to be either or, this was her journey.

It was early morning; the sun hadn’t risen yet. She made a cup of coffee, staying quiet to not wake anyone. Emmie noticed the newspapers were on the table again. Taking a deep swallow of the warm liquid, she spread the newspapers out before her and took a closer look at the tall man. His smirk in both photos showed that he enjoyed his job. She wondered what his motivation was: pride, money, or fame. She guessed it was one of those or maybe some combination. Something about the man nearest him caught her eye. Oh my word. How had she missed this the last time she’d seen the photo? She reached across the table for the photographs, scanning the men in uniform. There he was again.

Will Thomas, Mr. Thomas’s brother. Why was he in those photos? She’d heard he had moved away, maybe even that he was training to be a police officer. She tried to wrack her brain for the details but couldn’t remember exactly what she’d been told. These papers hit too close to home. Was that why Silas was so worried? Why would Will be connected with this tall guy in the pictures? She had no idea but she knew someone to ask. Bo might have some answers, he knew Will had left the store and been replaced by his brother-in-law. She needed to tell Silas and talk to Bo. This wasn’t right, it gave her a sick feeling in her stomach.

Emmie walked in the den with the papers in hand but it was empty. She went upstairs to see if Silas was asleep but he was gone. Everyone had left before she even woke. It wasn’t until she brought the papers back into the kitchen that she found the note next to the phone.

Emmie, I hope to be back before you wake unless I get delayed. If you see this, just want you to know everything is okay. I’m in Russeltown but won’t be long. Gabe is in the B.G. office today, if you need anything call him. Stay home. Love, S.M.

Well that was a pickle, wasn’t it? Those two words. Stay home. She couldn’t do that. She had work to do and needed to find out why Will was in those pictures before she saw Silas tonight. When she told him, he would understand… or be too busy to care. It was worth the risk. Who knows, maybe she’d beat him back home tonight. She picked up the phone to call Gabe but she decided not to. He’d try to talk her out of going to see Bo. She didn’t need that. So instead, she called the Johnsons and was thankful when Bo answered.

**********

“Well, well, well. I didn’t expect to see you show up today.” Bo said with his arms crossed around his chest. “Nobody’s gonna come outta these woods and shoot at me are they?”

“Bo, I’m really sorry about that,” Emmie said.

“Yeah, yeah.” He threw his arms up and walked toward the ridge. Then he turned around and gave her a devilish grin. He wasn’t as mad as he made out.

“I did fuss at him though… and if it makes you feel better, I don’t think he was aiming to hit ya.” She skipped to catch up.

Bo grunted in reply like it wasn’t good enough for him.

“I see your shotgun-free today. Trust me better?”

She looked startled for a moment. “I actually never thought of it.”

They started down the holler. She jumped off a log. Pants were one hundred times better than dresses for exploring the woods. Men had it so easy. Bo grinned as she climbed over a rock rather than going around it.

“Nice pants,” he said with a laugh. “I ain’t never seen a woman in no pants.”

“Thanks. I just sewed up some of Ronnie’s old ones. Really makes much more sense to wear these out in the woods. It’ll be the way of the future,” she said, moving past him.

“Uh-huh…” he agreed.

They traveled a few yards in silence. As the sun rose higher the day grew warmer. It was still cold but nothing like the earlier frigid temperatures.

“Walter’s family make it outta town?” Bo asked.

“Yeah. They left early this morning. I told them bye last night.”

“This way,” he called as she turned the wrong direction at the creek. “Need me to carry you across again?”

“Nah. I’ll be able to do it better without all those layers of skirt in the way.”

He was surprised that she was right. She wasn’t as fast as he was but she wasn’t slow either. She grinned at him, looking for approval he gave her a mocking clap.