Emma

Part 3

Emma woke up at 9:30 a.m., alone, in an unfamiliar house, shrouded in silence. A note sat on the kitchen bar.

"Hi, Emma, I hope you slept well. I'll be back around 12:30. Make yourself at home. I left my phone number below, don't hesitate if you need anything. Kisses. A"

She took her cell phone, noticed calls and SMS on hold, but decided to postpone going through them. She entered Alex's number in her contact list and typed a thank-you text message to her as a way to send her own. She made a cup of tea and went out on the terrace. September would end soon, but she had an immediate and comforting feeling of peace in the lingering warmth and the simply magnificent sight. The ocean receded far away before her; the sand stretched as far as the eye could see; the low tide displayed a landscape dear to her heart, yet overlooked in recent years. In a few hours, the water would rise, revealing a new panorama. Emma understood perfectly why Alex fell for this house. She breathed deeply and soaked in the unique location, her eyes wide open. At that very moment, she realized how much she had missed all this, the scenery, the climate, the smells. How could she forget all these sensations, and, most of all, how could she forget herself so much?

She took the time to walk along the water's edge and to sit on the sand to enjoy the peace and quiet. She returned to the house a good two hours later. Comforted, she felt now ready to consult her mobile phone and unfold the fourteen new notifications waiting for her. She read the SMS sent by her husband and tirelessly listened to all his messages, one after the other. She was once again overwhelmed by anguish when she heard his tone, full of annoyance, sometimes insulting her, sometimes begging. Her heart was pounding, a dull panic had invaded her. Emma closed her eyes for a moment to regain some sense of calm, then put her phone down and went back to the terrace.

She stood motionless and looked at the horizon, taking a few deep breaths and letting her heart rate drop slowly. Her thoughts turned to Alex, the only person who could calm her down. Alex had done so many things for her since the day before that she wondered why getting to know her had seemed so difficult in the past. Her jealousy had gotten the better of her judgment. Unfortunately blaming herself today would be useless, but she believed she could manage to correct her error. She replayed Alex's words about her brother and could not help but wonder, once again. How was it they weren't together? Her brother was quite good-looking in his own way and Alex was a pretty woman full of charm and sensitivity despite her slight masculine edge. She promised to solve this mystery and, when she got the chance, to have a word or two with the interested party ... if the situation called for it obviously!

Alex came back home and found her on the terrace, comfortably seated on the couch, with the ice pack beside her.

"Hi," said Emma, who had heard her enter.

"Hi. How are you? Did you get some sleep?"

"Yes, thanks to you. I fell asleep quickly and I'm fine, thank you. How about you? You look tired?"

"Um... Well, I slept a little and... I'm exhausted actually!"

"I'm really sorry. It's all my fault."

"Don't worry, it's not that bad. I'll take a nap and it'll be fine."

"I prepared a few things for lunch. Are you hungry?"

"Yes, I'm starving!"

Emma stood up, reached over to kiss her cheek, and pushed her toward the couch.

"Settle down. I won't be long. Would you like a beer?"

"Yes, thank you," Alex said, pleasantly surprised. "Did you decide to wait on me as a way of making amends?"

"It's the least I can do, I think." Emma smiled at her and replied in the same playful tone before going inside. "Or else my debt will be so huge that I'll never be able to pay it back."