"Who was that woman you talked to earlier?" Kelly questioned Dani as soon as she entered the car. Earlier, he had picked up Dani and his nephew, Raymond, as she had claimed she was too tired to drive, and her husband, Robbie, was out of state.
"Who?" She feigned ignorance, strapping on her seatbelt.
"The stunning blonde woman," he clarified, raising a brow.
"She's nobody," Dani muttered, pulling her phone from her purse, clearly avoiding the subject.
He scoffed, steering the car out of the daycare's parking lot. "Nobody, huh? That's the same woman Treon went to the café with two weeks ago when I picked him up from the airport."
Dani's eyes widened briefly before she masked her reaction. "Treon met Emily?"
"Who is she, Dani?" Kelly pressed, glancing at her suspiciously. Her face had turned unreadable, a clear tell that she was hiding something.
"She's not important," Dani said curtly, turning on the radio in an obvious attempt to end the conversation.
Kelly opened his mouth to push further, but she cut him off, shifting topics effortlessly. "What are you doing today?" she asked, her attention now on her phone.
He rolled his eyes at her deflection but answered anyway. "I've got an interview with Laura and Lauren at ten, then I'm meeting Dean Parker at Cal U by two. After that, I have my therapy session with Dr. Johnson at four."
She nodded in acknowledgment, scrolling through her phone. "I see. I guess we're hanging out today then."
He side-eyed her, suspicious. "Don't you have, like, work to do or something?"
"I do," she admitted with a sigh, "but I'm tired."
He chuckled softly. "D & D Incorporations stressing you out, huh?"
"A lot. You'd think being the boss means less work, but I swear, I'm the busiest person in the whole company." She let out a laugh, shaking her head.
Kelly nodded knowingly. "Yeah, I get it. It's not easy being a celebrity chef either."
She smirked, leaning back in her seat. "I still can't believe you're a celebrity chef. Back in high school, all you ever talked about was being an artist. You were all like, 'I'm gonna own an art gallery, do art exhibitions,' and all that artsy shit."
Kelly laughed at her playful teasing. "Cooking is art too, Dani, so I didn't really stray far from the plan."
She rolled her eyes. "That's what you say in all the interviews you feature in."
He chuckled. "But it's the truth." He glanced at her briefly. "To me, cooking is a form of art. I mean, I created my own dish – Prelle. I've made recipes that people use – even you. So yeah, I'm still an artist."
Dani stared at her brother, a warm smile spreading across her face. She was proud of how far he had come in life.
Kelly opened his mouth to say something, but the sound of Dani's phone ringing interrupted him.
"Hello?" she said, answering the call and putting it on speaker.
"Dani, where are you? I'm currently at D & D, and you're not here," Treon's voice called out, slightly annoyed.
"I'm on my way to Anita's," Dani replied smoothly.
"Why are you going to Kelly's restaurant?" Treon's irritation was evident.
Dani rolled her eyes, even though he couldn't see her. "I have a business meeting there," she lied without hesitation.
"Oh. Is Kelly going to be there?" Treon asked, his tone cautious.
Kelly rolled his eyes dramatically.
"Nope. He has an interview with Laura and Lauren," Dani said, lying again.
"Okay, cool. I'll meet you there," Treon said, sounding relieved before hanging up.
As soon as the call ended, both siblings burst out laughing.
"Why'd you lie?" Kelly asked between laughs.
"Because he obviously wouldn't come to your restaurant if he knew you'd be there," Dani pointed out.
Kelly frowned, leaning back against the seat. "What did I even do to him, anyway? He's been so cold to me for three months now."
Dani glanced at him, her gaze softening. "I don't know, Kel. But I'm sure you two will work it out eventually."
As the siblings transitioned into another conversation, Kelly's mind wandered. He couldn't stop thinking about Treon's behavior—or the blonde woman whose name he now knew was Emily.
***
Emily sat at a café close to the university as she waited for Treon. He had texted her earlier to meet at noon, and she reluctantly agreed. After seeing Dani that morning, her mood had soured, and it showed during her lectures.
She sighed, trying to push thoughts of the Earnshaw family out of her mind. Looking around the café, she focused on her surroundings. The warm ambiance and the smell of coffee and freshly baked pastries filled the air. The café was bustling with customers, most of them students.
Her gaze landed on a young couple at a nearby table, laughing and talking animatedly. The sight triggered a memory of her and William, back when they were so deeply in love. She felt the familiar pang of loss—death, cruel as always, had taken him away too soon.
"Hey, sorry I'm late," Treon's voice broke through her thoughts. He approached the table, dressed in black pants and a blue vintage shirt. With a small smile, he looked as effortlessly handsome as ever.
"I got caught up with Dani and Kelly," he added with an exaggerated eye roll as he sat down across from her.
Emily returned a small smile. "It's okay. I wasn't here too long." She lied, hoping to ease the tension.
A waitress arrived and placed two cups of coffee in front of them.
"Thank you," Emily said, offering a polite smile. She turned to Treon. "I ordered for you already; hope you don't mind?"
"Nah, thanks." He smiled and took a sip of the coffee. "It tastes amazing."
She smiled softly. "I'm glad you like it."
"You look amazing, Em," he complimented, his tone genuine.
She blushed faintly. "You too," she replied, before taking a sip of her coffee. The warm liquid helped ease her nerves. Suddenly, she remembered something. "Oh, I still have your jacket! If you'd told me yesterday that we'd be meeting, I would've brought it along." She rambled, her words tumbling out in a rush.
Treon chuckled. "You can keep the jacket, Em."
She nodded with a faint smile. "Okay."
A small silence settled between them. Emily focused on her cup of coffee while Treon studied her closely. His eyes lingered on her features, noticing her finger absently tracing circles on the table—a habit he knew she only did when she was nervous.
"You look tense. What's up?" he asked, breaking the silence.
She looked at him, "I'm okay–"
He interrupted with a slight frown, "Do not lie to me, Em. I've known you for fourteen years."
She sighed, realizing there was no use hiding the truth. "I ran into Dani this morning at Wood-Shaw Daycare," she muttered.
His brows shot up in surprise. "Wood-Shaw Daycare? What were you doing there?"
"My daughter is enrolled there."
His eyes widened in shock. "You have a daughter?"
She nodded. "Ayla. She's three."
"Wow." He leaned back slightly, processing the revelation. "And your husband?" His eyes flicked to her hands, noticing the absence of a wedding ring. "Or boyfriend?"
"Husband," she said softly. "He's late."
His expression softened in sympathy. "Oh, Em. I'm sorry to hear that."
"He passed away when I was pregnant with Ayla," she explained before sipping her coffee, avoiding the wave of emotions that always followed mentioning her late husband.
"Damn, that's tough." His voice carried genuine pity.
"It's alright," she replied quickly, not wanting to linger on the painful memories.
He sipped his coffee, allowing a brief silence before speaking again. "So, I take it the meeting with Dani didn't go too well."
"It didn't not go well," she corrected. "It was just… unexpected. I was surprised to see her, and I think she felt the same way."
He nodded, mulling over her words. "Okay."
Silence fell between them again, but this time, Treon broke it with a question that made her heart drop.
"So, what happened nine years ago? You left without a goodbye. Why?"
She met his gaze, and the hurt in his eyes mirrored the guilt she'd carried for years. The question she'd been dreading had finally come.
"I'll start by apologizing for leaving without a goodbye," she said softly, her voice tinged with regret.
"Okay?" His brow furrowed, his frown deepening.
She inhaled deeply, steadying herself. "When my parents died, I felt like my world ended. Though you all were there for me, it was just too overwhelming. I couldn't take it anymore. And then my uncle… he said we should come to Canada."
Treon's eyes widened. "Y'all moved to Canada? Damn, Em. We looked everywhere for y'all. We were so scared. We even reported y'all missing, but no one knew where y'all went."
Tears welled in her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Treon." She wiped away a tear as it slipped down her cheek. "When my uncle offered to take us in, it felt like an opportunity to escape all the memories, all the pain. So my sister and I took it. We left Florida. My uncle even made arrangements for my graduation certificate to be mailed to me."
Her voice cracked as she added, "But I'm sorry for leaving like that."
Treon's jaw tightened, his anger barely contained. "Y'all could've said something, dammit! We wouldn't have stopped y'all if moving was what y'all needed."
Emily couldn't hold back the tears anymore. They fell freely, her guilt overwhelming her.
"You were Kelly's fucking girlfriend, Em!" Treon's voice rose slightly, his frustration clear. "And that boy loved you. He really did."
"I'm sorry," she sobbed, her voice barely audible.
Treon's expression darkened with memories. "He had an accident on y'all's graduation day. It caused him to have retrograde amnesia–"
Her hand flew to her mouth in shock. "That's why he didn't recognize me that day," she whispered, realization dawning on her.
He nodded grimly. "Yeah. He was hit by a speeding car while on his way to look for you at your house. The accident caused traumatic brain injury, leading to the amnesia."
"Fuck." Her voice trembled as her tears returned, this time falling harder. "I feel so guilty."
Treon's anger softened at her visible distress. "Em–"
"It's all my fault, Trey," she cried, her sobs growing louder.
"It's okay," he said gently, trying to comfort her. "You didn't know."
"I feel so bad," she wailed, her voice breaking.
People in the café began turning their heads toward them, some whispering and others casting disapproving looks. Treon shifted uncomfortably, unsure of how to handle the situation.
He finally stood and moved to sit beside her, wrapping his arms around her in a protective embrace. "Please stop crying," he said softly, his voice laced with concern.
"I just can't help it," she cried louder, drawing more stares.
Treon shot a frustrated glance at the onlookers but focused on calming her. "It's okay, Em. Just breathe. Please."
She buried her face in his chest, her sobs muffled but no less heart-wrenching as Treon gently stroked her back, silently willing her to calm down.
Two hours later
"I'm sorry for making a scene," Emily apologized softly as they sat in Treon's car. He had offered to drop her off at her place, sensing she wasn't in the right state to return to work.
"It's okay," Treon replied with a reassuring smile.
"I'm really sorry," she repeated, her voice tinged with guilt.
Treon shot her a stern look. "Stop apologizing, Em. I said it's okay."
"Okay," she murmured, falling silent as Treon started the car.
After a moment, he broke the quiet. "So, Dad's hosting a white party for me on Saturday to celebrate my book hitting the best-seller list."
Her brows rose in surprise. "You're a writer?"
"Yup," he said proudly. "I wrote Jamie's Diary. It's a best-seller."
Emily gasped, her eyes widening. "Oh my God, that's you?"
Treon chuckled, clearly enjoying her reaction. "Yes, that's me."
"I'm so in love with that book! I've been waiting for the sequel. There is going to be a sequel, right?" she asked, her enthusiasm making him laugh.
"Yes, there'll be a sequel," he assured her.
"I'm so proud of you, Trey," she said, her voice filled with genuine admiration.
He glanced at her briefly with a warm smile. "Thank you, Em."
She smirked playfully. "So… a white party, huh?"
"Yup. And I want you to be there."
Her heart skipped a beat at his words, and she immediately shook her head. "Treon, I can't."
"You have to, Em. You need to," he insisted, his tone leaving little room for argument.
"Tre—" she began, but he cut her off.
"Emily," he said firmly, "you're coming. Please." He gave her his best puppy-dog eyes, making her laugh despite herself.
She sighed, relenting slightly. "I'm not promising anything."
He grinned, satisfied with her answer. "Good enough for me. And I'm telling Cara too. She needs to come."
Emily smiled faintly. "Okay."
Their conversation shifted to lighter topics as Treon drove her home, the tension of earlier slowly fading. Yet, as they talked, Emily's mind wandered to the upcoming party. She couldn't help but wonder how the Earnshaw family would react to her presence—and to her daughter.
_N