Razorblade Kisses(105)
“Sure,” he said and watched her pull out glasses and horseradish. “So Rachel wanted me to come because she thought you might listen to me for a few minutes.”
Emery didn’t look up from her task. “’Bout what?”
“Well, she and Derrick have been very busy the last six months.”
“Doing what? Other than the obvious, of course.” She finally looked at him again and blushed.
“Well, it seems a cop in Savannah donated a piece of land for a foster home and they built it with the money you inherited.”
Emery’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “What?”
“Yep, they started the Ashley Shaw Foundation. They want you to come back and run it. You need to come home.”
She set his drink in front of him at the bar. “I don’t have a home.”
“Yeah, Em, I think you do. You just have to head back.” He took a sip and sighed, looking out the windows at Duval Street. A few tourists peppered the legendary street, but they were bright-eyed and obviously hadn’t stayed out until five in the morning, which was closing time for most of the bars.
She shook her head and finished the rest of her drink in two gulps, hoping the vodka would do its job and numb everything.
He looked back at her. “So, I’m leaving in two days to head back to Atlanta. I have a ticket for you. Rachel said you’re going by Ericka now.”
She closed her eyes. Emery couldn’t do it. She couldn’t face it. “Yeah, that’s me. Ericka. I look like an Ericka, don’t I?”
“You’ll always be Emily to me,” he answered softly.
“Noah, I’m so sorry, I—”
“Em, he wants you back,” he interrupted. “That cop. He poured his heart and soul into that foundation. I think he’d build the house with his bare hands if he could.”
“He shouldn’t have,” she said bitterly.
“But he did,” Noah confirmed.
“Noah, I don’t think I can.”
“Don’t you think Ashley would be happy that you did this? You can save kids. You’ll have the funds to do whatever you want.”
“You don’t know…” Her voice broke. It’d been six months and three days and she still couldn’t fathom that her sister was dead, and her mother, and then what happened to Lucas…she couldn’t forgive herself that his last minutes on earth were full of hurt, pain, and betrayal.
“No, Em. I won’t ever know how bad you hurt because you don’t let anyone see that. That’s not my fault, that’s yours.” With that, Noah set his glass down and walked out the door.
The next morning, Emery was sitting on the steps of the bar when Noah strolled up the sidewalk with a smirk.
“Do you always work?” he asked when he stopped in front of her, smiling ear to ear.
“Yes,” she answered simply and realized it was the truth. That’s all she had now. It was a sad existence, to be alone every morning and every night.
“And that’s enough?” Noah was still standing over her, his eyes full of concern.
“It’s all I have. All I can have.”
Noah put his hand out. “Come on, let’s take a walk.”
Emery took his hand and walked with him toward Key West Bight, where the yachts docked and benches overlooked the water. She tried to ignore how it felt to be touched again. It made her miss Tim even more. She could feel his hands, still smell him. She missed everything about him.
The walk was quiet, neither one of them saying the thoughts swimming between them. They passed The Bull and Whistle, one of the oldest bars on the island. Taking Caroline Street toward the Bight, she turned to say something to Noah, to thank him for coming. She opened her mouth and looked at his dark shaggy hair and day old stubble, and then she shut it without a word.
Noah pulled her toward a bench that overlooked many of the boats tourists take for deep sea fishing. They sat and both gazed in the direction of the ships.
“Here,” he said and handed her an old folded piece of paper.
Emery took it and unfolded the paper, the realization of what it was causing a warm sensation to fill every pore of her body, like someone had poured hot wax all over her. “Noah, I…” Her voice dropped out of her mouth and fell into the ocean when she read her words.
Noah,
He found me.
I love you.
Em
A tear fell out of her eye as she saw the words she left him. She’d disappeared from his life with six words. That was it. And she never looked back.
“Noah,” Emery’s words swam on the page as her tears filled her eyes, “I’m so sorry.”
“You had no problem just leaving me, after everything?”