Pathway to my Heart

Chapter 14

“Where did you two meet?”  Kayla asked Emma as the two of them were wading through the river that ran through the canyon by their house.  The part they were currently sloshing through was only a small trickle but some points in the river moved fast enough to wash a person away.

Emma glanced back at Kayla and looked as if the answer wasn’t a good one.  “At a bar.”  She finally mumbled.  Kayla guessed as much.  It wasn’t as if a bar was the worst way to meet a fiancé but both Emma and Kayla knew that their parents wouldn’t be too thrilled to hear it.  Both Joyce and Brian had taught their children to stay away from such places.

“He’s a great guy Kayla…really he is.  I love him.”  Emma said with such dedication that it was hard to think otherwise.

“When is the wedding?”  Kayla asked.  Ever since her Mr. Wrong had left her Kayla tried to avoid weddings as much as possible.  This would be the second wedding she’d attended since her own ruined one.  Sadly both were Emma’s.

“Has no one told you?”  Emma asked.  She seemed genuinely shocked.  Kayla shook her head.  “It’s in a month.”  Emma said.  “August 10th…right before Cody goes back to school.” 

“Has mom and dad said anything about me going home with you?”  Kayla suddenly changed the subject.

“Oh yeah.  Have you decided to?  They said you were still unsure about it.”  Emma didn’t seem put out by the idea but she didn’t seem thrilled either.

“If it’s okay with you.”  Kayla replied.  She was almost hoping Emma would turn her down but another part whispered that she really needed a vacation.

“I’d love to have you.  My place is a bit dingy but it’s a place.”  Emma answered.  She seemed happy about the arrangements. 

Silence fell between the two sisters as the wiggled their toes in the silt by the bank.  “So tell me about the guy.”  Emma suddenly said, breaking the silence.

Immediately and without warning Scott’s face flashed before Kayla’s eyes.  She had been trying so hard to forget but now his face seemed almost glued in her mind’s eye.  She pictured his brilliant blue eyes and the perfectly placed brown hair.  Her mind flipped through the memory of him rolling down the hill at the park and the little grass stain on his knee.  She briefly thought of him talking to her through the door of her store because he wasn’t aloud inside.  Then she remembered the moving truck, the house for sale, the broken heart.

“He was just an annoying rich man.”  Kayla settled on saying.

“Rich is the best part.  You should have married for the money and if you were totally unhappy you could have laced his drink with poison and then you’d have the money all for yourself.”  Emma said as she settled on a big rock in the middle of the slow running river.  Kayla reluctantly found herself sitting next to Emma and wishing the topic of Scott had not come up.

“I went on one date so he’d get out of my hair.”  Kayla mumbled.

“You didn’t like him at all?”  Emma asked in disbelief.  One thing hadn’t changed about Emma, she still spoke her mind and she still asked the hard questions.  Kayla was sure Emma would be able to tell if she was lying.

“No.”  Kayla blatantly lied while her heart throbbed with the word yes.

“Huh.”  Emma said as she stared out over the river.  She sat quietly as if she were debating whether or not to keep talking about men.

“You know…”  Emma finally said slowly.  “Todd was wrong for leaving you on your wedding day but…you shouldn’t let that ruin your life.  Every time I see you all I see is how Todd is still controlling you.  Are you thinking he will come back to you or something?”  Emma asked.