𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫, 𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘀

𝟏𝟏𝟐

"𝙽𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚘𝚞𝚜"
ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ
𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘴' 𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵

     "SO, TELL ME," Emily says as she takes a sip of her coffee. "What happened while I was gone?"

"You remember how I told you about the school dance?" Noah asks as she takes a bite of her pancakes.

"Mhm."

"Well, I asked Jess."

"What?!" Emily shrieks with a wide smile. "And she said yes?"

"Of course she did—why? Did you think she'd say no?" Noah questions her mother with a worried expression.

"No, I just can't really see you being like that," Emily replies.

"Like what?"

"Romantic," Emily chuckles.

"Ew," Noah mumbles as she hides her blushing cheeks behind her coffee mug. "And for the record, most of it was Penelope's idea."

"Yeah because Penelope knows Jess so well that she tied a bunch of book pages to the ceiling and knew she'd love it," Emily says with a smirk.

"What?!" Noah gasps. "She told you?"

"Just a little—"

"Only every detail," Noah says under her breath.

"You know how Penelope is," Emily giggles as she takes another bite. "So, what else? I promise she didn't tell me any more updates."

"We saw her show," Noah mentions. "She was good, she played Juliet's nurse."

"I wish I had a hobby," Emily says honestly.

"You do," Noah mentions. "It's called being my mother."

"I can be more than that—"

"What's that thing you once told me?" Noah asks sarcastically. "Oh, 'mothers will always say that being a mother is their hobby.' Something like that, right?"

"When did I ever say that?" Emily questions her.

"When I told you what Haley told me..." Noah says with a smile, but it slowly fades as she remembers. "She said her job in life was to be Jack's mother. I guess that really was her ultimate fate."

"It was what she loved doing, honey," Emily reminds her daughter. "There was nothing and no one she loved more than Jack. Just like how I love you, huh?" She giggles as she ruffles Noah's hair.

The teen fixes her hair with a frown, "Yeah, but you have other things. You don't love me more than your job."

"Are you kidding?"

"If I asked you to quit your job, you would?"

"It's a little more complicated than that," Emily says. "If it was hurting you or taking me away from you, then I would leave. But we make it work."

"Okay, you love me a little more than your job—"

"A lot more than my job," Emily says. "I'm serious, Noah. You always come first."

The girl smiles as she looks into her mother's eyes, "Speaking of," She says as she looks away and down at her plate. "How was the case?"

"It was good," Emily shrugs. "Another one solved."

"That's it?"

"You know I can't really tell you anything—"

"But you always do anyways," Noah says, using her profiling skills. "You're hiding something. Why're you being suspicious?"