Page 134 of Tasting Fire
“The poem said here.”
“Another one? Is her rhyming improving?”
“Not really,” Cash admitted. But he loved every word of it. Treasured that she was having fun and being playful and he was a part of that.
The band wound down from a pretty rockin’ rendition of “Pride and Joy,” and the lead singer said, “Hey, y’all. Thanks for inviting us all the way from Texas to North Carolina. Even though y’all don’t know a darn thing about barbecue, we’re glad to be here.”
The crowd chuckled at the reference to the beef versus pork debate that separated the Lone Star State from all the states in the Southeast. Well, that and the sauce, too.
“We’re gonna take a little break and let someone else come up on stage for a minute. But don’t wander off because you do not want to miss this.”
A ripple ran through Cash as if someone had whispered his name. It must’ve been a premonition, because Emmy climbed up on stage holding a piece of paper. Her dark hair was loose, and she wore a pretty green sundress that made him think of stripping it off in his greenhouse. Her arms and legs were strong and lightly tanned, but up on that platform with what had to be thousands of people looking up at her, she seemed tiny and somehow vulnerable.
The shy smile she gave the crowd only intensified that impression, reminding him of the picture on the honey jar. “Hey, y’all,” she said into the microphone that echoed her sweet voice down Main Street. “It’s great to see so many familiar faces. For those who don’t know me, I’m Emmy McKay, and I grew up here when Steele Ridge was Canyon Ridge. I left for a while to go to school and establish my medical career. Now I’m back working with St. Elizabeth’s and Steele Ridge’s tactical medical team, which supports the SWAT team that serves this part of North Carolina.”
That earned her cheers and whistles and claps. But she quickly waved them off. It looked as if she was no longer persona non grata, now that people knew Karen Southerland had been behind all the recent violence and the newspaper had issued a follow-up op-ed that refuted the professional accusations she’d waged against Emmy.
“Today, though, I’m standing up here as a woman who left behind so many important things when I moved away from this town. The people. The feeling of community. But more than that, I left behind a man. The man I didn’t realize was the one—the only one—for me.”
All the people who were familiar with Cash and Emmy’s history turned and looked directly at him. And he refused to rock from foot to foot even though having the limelight turned on him was awkward.
Was this the way she’d felt when he’d put her on the spot? Unsure, uncomfortable, totally out of control?
“Although I’m a doctor, and you know what that means about writing skills, I have something I wrote that I’d like to read.” She took a breath, glanced down at the paper she held, and when she looked back up, she wore confidence and certainty in every part of her body.
Sometimes being young
Doesn’t mean you’re dumb
The things you feel
Are just as real
But belief takes time
And often a difficult climb
But once you can clearly see,
You can embrace what’s meant to be
An elbow rammed into Cash’s rib cage, and he glanced over to find Way was saying something.
“What?”
“Get your ass up there. She’s asking for you.”
When he stumbled up the steps, his face hot, Emmy’s smile was wide but shaky, and he knew she was just as exposed as he was.
As a teenager, he hadn’t been able to see that they weren’t ready for a big public declaration of love and forever. But what about now?
All this time, he’d believed she’d once humiliated him. But had it really been humiliation? Or had what he felt at the time been embarrassment for backing Emmy into a corner that she’d had no choice but to run from?
He hadn’t given her room for anything but yes or no.
And when she’d said no, his only thought had been to protect himself. But what about her? He’d forced her to protect herself, too.
So it was time to step up. “Hey,” he said to her. “This is… um…”
