saying goodbye to Davis forever. She didn’t want to think about how hard saying that goodbye would be, so instead she thought about what she would say to Tara.
Chapter 11
The drive to Hampton was a mostly silent one. Jemma was trying to prepare herself for the tornado that was Tara, and Davis seemed busy with his own thoughts. She kept glancing at his profile, but he looked straight ahead most of the time. She caught his eye a couple of times, but he just smiled at her and turned his attention back to the road when she did.
She wanted to know what was going on with him, but she was preoccupied with her own worries. Including whether or not Tara would let her through the door. She did have Davis with her, so maybe if Tara didn’t open the door for her, she would open it for Jemma plus Davis.
She didn’t have a plan for when she saw Tara. She just knew she had to get to Hampton. Tara had created the problem, and she could and would solve it. As much as Emily Rose hated to admit it, she still looked to Tara for approval. Not having Tara at her wedding, and on top of that having Tara show up to try and sabotage it, had likely hurt Emily Rose more than she’d ever say. And there was a good chance there really wouldn’t be a wedding if Tara didn’t fix the damage she’d done.
Tara had always been the perfect sister when the two of them were growing up. She was thinner, more popular, and Emily Rose thought their parents liked Tara better. Emily Rose had tried to deny she looked up to Tara, but everything Tara did mattered to her. All she’d ever wanted was Tara’s love and respect. Tara was never generous with either of those when it came to Emily Rose.
Jemma looked up as Davis slowed, turning off the main road into an apartment complex. The three-story buildings with white vinyl siding looked like skinny tract houses glued together. He pulled into a visitor’s spot and gestured to his left. “Over there. Apartment twenty-four.”
She reached up and kissed his cheek. “You coming in?” She let her fingers linger on his opposite cheek.
He shook his head. He didn’t move away from her touch, but wouldn’t look at her. “I don’t have anything to say to her. If you really need me, come get me. I wouldn’t abandon you to her.”
Jemma kissed his cheek again. “Thanks for doing this.” She got out of the car and leaned back in. “You okay?”
He nodded, still not looking at her. She closed the door and headed for apartment twenty-four.
Tara came to the front door with her hair in a messy ponytail and a screaming toddler on her hip. The toddler had a bright red face and bright yellow hair and was grabbing and smacking at Tara’s face.
Tara grabbed his hand and snapped at Jemma at the same time. “What do you want?”
“To talk to you.”
“Well I don’t wanna talk to you.”
“Same here, but this is for Emily Rose.”
“That Davis’s car out there?” Tara craned her neck out of the doorway, looking toward where Davis was parked.
“Yeah.”
“That mean he’s out there?”
“Yeah.”
After a pause in which she stared at the car with something close to sadness in her eyes, Tara walked toward the living room, calling over her shoulder, “Come in.”
Jemma walked into the cramped apartment, stumbling over a brightly colored plastic toy fire engine as she entered the living room. To the right was a small kitchen. Doors led off of either side of the back wall of the living room into what Jemma assumed were two bedrooms. She inhaled a blend of overcooked pasta and trash that needed to be taken out days ago.
“Is your husband here?” Jemma asked, remembering mention of this alleged man by both Emily Rose and Davis.
“Out to sea,” Tara said flatly. “What are you doing here?”
“I told you. I’m here for Emily Rose,” she said.
“What about her?” Tara set the toddler on the floor and he went to work throwing toys and generally destroying the living room. It seemed the only
Chapter 11
The drive to Hampton was a mostly silent one. Jemma was trying to prepare herself for the tornado that was Tara, and Davis seemed busy with his own thoughts. She kept glancing at his profile, but he looked straight ahead most of the time. She caught his eye a couple of times, but he just smiled at her and turned his attention back to the road when she did.
She wanted to know what was going on with him, but she was preoccupied with her own worries. Including whether or not Tara would let her through the door. She did have Davis with her, so maybe if Tara didn’t open the door for her, she would open it for Jemma plus Davis.
She didn’t have a plan for when she saw Tara. She just knew she had to get to Hampton. Tara had created the problem, and she could and would solve it. As much as Emily Rose hated to admit it, she still looked to Tara for approval. Not having Tara at her wedding, and on top of that having Tara show up to try and sabotage it, had likely hurt Emily Rose more than she’d ever say. And there was a good chance there really wouldn’t be a wedding if Tara didn’t fix the damage she’d done.
Tara had always been the perfect sister when the two of them were growing up. She was thinner, more popular, and Emily Rose thought their parents liked Tara better. Emily Rose had tried to deny she looked up to Tara, but everything Tara did mattered to her. All she’d ever wanted was Tara’s love and respect. Tara was never generous with either of those when it came to Emily Rose.
Jemma looked up as Davis slowed, turning off the main road into an apartment complex. The three-story buildings with white vinyl siding looked like skinny tract houses glued together. He pulled into a visitor’s spot and gestured to his left. “Over there. Apartment twenty-four.”
She reached up and kissed his cheek. “You coming in?” She let her fingers linger on his opposite cheek.
He shook his head. He didn’t move away from her touch, but wouldn’t look at her. “I don’t have anything to say to her. If you really need me, come get me. I wouldn’t abandon you to her.”
Jemma kissed his cheek again. “Thanks for doing this.” She got out of the car and leaned back in. “You okay?”
He nodded, still not looking at her. She closed the door and headed for apartment twenty-four.
Tara came to the front door with her hair in a messy ponytail and a screaming toddler on her hip. The toddler had a bright red face and bright yellow hair and was grabbing and smacking at Tara’s face.
Tara grabbed his hand and snapped at Jemma at the same time. “What do you want?”
“To talk to you.”
“Well I don’t wanna talk to you.”
“Same here, but this is for Emily Rose.”
“That Davis’s car out there?” Tara craned her neck out of the doorway, looking toward where Davis was parked.
“Yeah.”
“That mean he’s out there?”
“Yeah.”
After a pause in which she stared at the car with something close to sadness in her eyes, Tara walked toward the living room, calling over her shoulder, “Come in.”
Jemma walked into the cramped apartment, stumbling over a brightly colored plastic toy fire engine as she entered the living room. To the right was a small kitchen. Doors led off of either side of the back wall of the living room into what Jemma assumed were two bedrooms. She inhaled a blend of overcooked pasta and trash that needed to be taken out days ago.
“Is your husband here?” Jemma asked, remembering mention of this alleged man by both Emily Rose and Davis.
“Out to sea,” Tara said flatly. “What are you doing here?”
“I told you. I’m here for Emily Rose,” she said.
“What about her?” Tara set the toddler on the floor and he went to work throwing toys and generally destroying the living room. It seemed the only
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