What The Heart Wants

Chapter 8

When Emily woke up it was ten after eight on a Sunday morning and no one was crying. She put on her vintage chenille robe over her pajamas and looked across the hall.

Both cribs were empty.

Downstairs in the kitchen, she found two smiling angels eating cut-up pancakes off their high chair trays and both Alison and Hanna at the breakfast table, neither one scowling.

Yes. Life was good on this beautiful, foggy as usual Sunday morning in Rosewood. She poured herself coffee.

Hanna said, "I'm here till two, Emily, so if you need to run errands, go for it.

"Emmy!" crowed Jake, pounding on his tray.

"Kiss, kiss, Emmy!" Ellie pounded her tray, too, and smacked her rosebud lips.

Emily kissed her as well, and then returned to the stove where a stack of pancakes waited. She put a couple of them on a plate. "Thanks, Hanna. I'll run by Sand & Sea and stop in to check on Aunt Sinuhe."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The gallery opened daily at eleven. Emily arrived at nine thirty. Her top clerk Aria, promoted temporarily to manager, joined her five minutes later. They went though the books and discussed the schedule. Sand & Sea was a 3500 square feet of exhibit space on Main Street, in the heart of Rosewoods downtown historic district. With a focus on local artist, Emily offered contemporary work in just about every form imaginable, from painting to printmaking, sculpture to woodworking. She displayed and sold artisan jewelry, furniture, textiles and photography.

Sand & Sea also hosted receptions and special events, suck as weddings and corporations meetings. Every month or so, she featured an individual artist or a group of artists in themed joint show. The first Friday in April, she would be holding an opening for a new group show with several top Philadelphia artist working in various mediums on the theme of the ever-changing sea. Everything was on schedule for that one so far. Aria was knowledgeable, organized and more then competent, and they had almost three weeks until the opening. Emily needed to find help with Ellie and Jake for the opening-night reception party and the few days before it. But that should be doable, one way or another.

Feeling confident that Sand & Sea wouldn't suffer while she focused on Alison's twins, she left the gallery at eleven thirty to check in on her aunt.

Sinuhe still lived in the house she shared with her husband, the house where she'd raised her precious only child, Camila. Emily considered the four-bedroom craftsman-style bungalow her childhood home, too.

Yes, she'd spent most of her time growing-up years living on the tour bus. But now and then, Pam's career would get a boost and the tour schedule would get crazy. Those were the times that Pam took Emily to Rosewood to live temporarily with Aunt Sinuhe and her Uncle. Emily loved when that happened. She was constantly begging her mother to let her live with the Cabellos full-time.

When Emily was fifteen, Pam finally gave in. Emily moved in with her cousin. At last, she got the settled down life she'd always dreamed of in the town she considered her true home.

Emily knocked on the green front door, but only to be considerate. She had a key and she used it, sticking her head in the door, calling. "It's just me! Don't get up!"

"I'm in the kitchen!" Sinuhe called back.

Something smelled wonderful. Emily followed her nose to the back of the house. She found her aunt balanced on her good foot, one hand braced on the counter, as she pulled a tray of cookies for the oven.

Emily waited until Sinuhe had set the tray on top of the stove and shut the oven door to scold, "Your not supposed to be on that foot!"

"Sweetheart!" Sinuhe turned and hopped toward her, as happy as ever.