Saving Emily

7. Shells

Like it or not, I'm kind of a country boy. My parents were born and raised on two different farms in Georgia. We kind of got their southern accents. Our neighbors had a farm and I worked there as a kid. Our house was right on the great lakes. We had a country looking home and it was nice. We were raised to let the ladies be first. We held doors and if a lady needed a seat, we got up, even if the girl was two years old. That was just how it went. Now all the guys are bringing stuff into my parents old house (the one I grew up in) and we're unpacking everything, and all the ladies are having tea on the dock.

Living in Florida in a city with loud noises made me realize that I really don't like the city.

I bet Emmy wants to move in with her mother.

All I ever listen to music wise is country. I can sing country. I can play guitar. I know how to ride a horse. I can milk a cow. I can bail hay.

I know my stuff.

We finish unpacking the last box.

"Done?" I ask Dad.

"Yeah. You guys did good." He pats me and Jackson on the back.

"I'll collect the ladies." I say. I head out the back door and walk over to the docks.

"Yes?" Mom asks.

"We're done." I announce.

She looks at the time on her watch. "You did that whole house in two hours?"

I shrug. "There was a lot of us." I look at Emmy. She's so gorgeous. She's sitting in the sand with her legs tucked under her. She's digging with my two year old niece and my four year old nephew.

"Alright." Mom smiles. "Why don't you join us out here?"

I shrug and sit down on the dock, and then I lay on my back and eye the ceiling.

"Hey!" Emmy calls. "Look what I found!"

I sit up and everyone looks at her. She's holding a perfect shell with a hole at the top of it and a string that looks like strong seaweed through it. "Babe, come here!"

I smile because she looks so cute and excited. I walk over and sit down next to her. She places it in my hands.

"Isn't it pretty?" she asks.

"It's beautiful." I smile. I wipe some sand off of it. "It says something." I hand it to her. She frowns.

"I can't read it."

"Here, let me see."

She places the shell in my hand and I stand up and walk over to the water. I rinse off the shell and gasp in surprise. It's a clam shell and there's a pearl in it.

Emmy.

That's the name on the shell.

"Look!" I sit down next to her and she studies it carefully.

"It says Emmy!" she grins.

"That has to mean something." I say.

"Look! It has a pearl!"

"Yeah." I smile. "Are you going to take the pearl?"

She frowns and then shakes her head. "No. I'm going to keep it just like this." She puts the necklace around her neck and kisses my cheek.

"I thought you were bringing everyone inside, Danny!" Dad hollers.

"I told him to stay!" Mom yells back. "Come out here!"

Dad walks out here and all the guys follow.

"I dare you to jump off the dock into the water." Jackson says to me. Everyone looks at me.

"It snowed yesterday." I point out.

"Come on. Don't be a baby." He says.

I narrow my eyes.

"I'm not a baby." I mumble.

"If you do it I'll give you fifty bucks." He says.

"I don't need your money." I reply.

"Don't be a puss." He says.

I stand up. "Fine. I'll do it." I empty my pockets and hand my phone, keys, and wallet to Emmy. I pull off my shirt and drop it in the hand and then walk to the edge of the dock. Everyone watches.

"He won't do it!" Jackson says.

I glare at him.

I jump off the edge.

The water is cold as hell, but I suck it up.

I feel something brush against my leg and I gasp like an idiot and suck in water.

I start coughing down there and swim to the top, climbing onto the dock, coughing water out of my lungs.

"Why did you breathe in the water?" Jackson asks. he walks over and starts hitting my back until I've coughed up all the water.

That was not a fish!

I spin around and peer into the water.

"What's your problem?" he asks.

"Something touched me!" I say.

"Lies." He says.

"I'm serious!" I snap.

"it was probably a fish."

"No way. It was too big to be a fish." I say.

"Then it was a dolphin." He says.

"No because it had scales." I say.

"It was a fish." He says.

I give up and take my stuff from Emmy. I head in the house and she follows me up the stairs to my old room, which is the one I'm staying in.

"I um...I'm moving." She says.

I get out jeans and a long sleeve black tight shirt and a pair of boxer briefs.

"I know." I say.

"How did you know?" she frowns.

I shrug. "I just figured you would."

We're both quiet for a long time.

"So what happens now? Should we break up?"

My eyes snap up to hers.

"I don't want long distance."

I think for a long time.

I can stay in a stupid city that I don't like and lose Emmy and miss my new siblings, or I can move back home and be where I'm happy, I can see my parents and siblings, and I can keep my Emmy.

"I'll just move here." I shrug.

"I don't want you to do that." She whispers.

"Why?"

"Because I want you to move somewhere for you, not because of me."

"Baby, I've wanted you forever. Now I have you and I'm going to lose you again. That's not happening. I don't want to miss my new siblings and I don't even like where I live right now."

"But..." she trails off. "Are you sure it's not for me?"

"I'm positive." I hesitate. "I understand if it's a no but...you can keep living with me."

"Okay." She smiles.