Page 9 of Ten Years Later
The door to the store opened. With pixie short blond hair, a tall and slender woman around fifty stepped in. She wore skinny faded jeans, a white scoop neck sleeveless blouse, and beige wedged sandals. She had an impatient look about her.
Emily let go of him. “Mom? What are you doing here?”
“What do you mean what am I doing here? Your orthodontic appointment. My God, Emily, I reminded you a zillion times. You drive me crazy. I even put it into your phone as a reminder.”
“Sorry,” Emily muttered. “Well, anyway, nice to meet you, Mr. Young. Good luck with the job thing. Maybe I’ll see you around.” She untied her apron and went to gather her things.
Keaton turned fully to face the mom who openly stared at him.
“Do I know you?” she asked.
“Zane Young.” He offered a hand.
Delicately, she shook it. “Mia Ferguson.”
Emily returned, her crossbody bag and art kit in tow. “Miss Sharon isn’t happy I’m leaving.”
“Well, that’s not my problem,” Mia snapped. “You should’ve told her about your appointment.”
Emily’s cheeks reddened in embarrassment.
“Miss Sharon?” Keaton asked Emily, trying to redirect things.
“The owner,” she told him, pointing to the woman in the green apron. Then with a wave to Keaton, Emily left the art studio with Mia.
Through the windows, he watched them walk across the lot and get into a white Lexus. After they drove away, Keaton went in search of Miss Sharon and, hopefully, a job.
4 /CURRENT DAY
Mia didn’t look back,but she got the unnerving sensation that that handsome yet odd man, Zane Young, was watching them.
In her Lexus, she cranked the engine.
“What’s wrong?” Emily asked. “You seem weird.”
“I didn’t mean to take it out on you. I lost a really big client today.”
“Oh…I’m sorry. Anything I can do?”
Mia’s irritability instantly faded. Emily had always been such a kind kid. “No. You being you is all I need. I’m sorry I snapped at you. I shouldn’t have.”
“That’s okay. Maybe out of the guilt,” she teased, “you’ll agree to the braces with purple bands?”
Mia groaned. “All the other kids are doing Invisalign.”
“No, they’re not. Plus Invisalign is boring.”
“Fine purple bands it is.”
Emily triumphantly grinned as Mia drove from the lot.
Mia said, “That man, he’s looking for a job?”
“Yeah. He’s got a daughter who goes to my school.”
“Which one?”
“Vivian Young. Do you know her?”
