Emma's Secret: A Novel

counter. He caught the way she kept her head down. Jack grabbed a couple of napkins and laid them in her hands. Her sniffles broke his heart.
    “Em, honey, where is your daddy?” Jack gently touched her cheek and forced her to look at him. He kept his voice even, with a hint of authority so that she’d answer him.
    “At work,” she whispered through trembling lips.
    “And where is your mommy?”
    Em’s lips turned into a pout, and he caught the look of stubbornness in her eyes. She crossed her arms and stared at the ground. He wasn’t going to let her avoid his questions. This was too serious. It was a fine line he walked between coddling and remaining stern.
    “Princess, I need you to tell me. Please?”
    She glanced out the window behind him before turning her gaze to him.
    “She’s at home, Papa.”
    Jack sighed. “Does she know where you are?”
    She shook her head.
    Jack groaned and sat back in his chair. “Oh, honey, you can’t do that.” He could only imagine the fear and panic her poor mother must be feeling. He glanced at his watch and tried to judge how long she’d been missing. He didn’t know exactly where his little girl lived, but it couldn’t be too far, since the five-year-old girl had ridden her bike. Doug carried a tray with a powdered donut and a small chocolate milk and set it down in front of Emmie.
    “What are you going to do?” Doug sat down beside him. Kenny joined him but kept quiet.
    Jack tightened his lips. “There’s only one thing I can do. I have to take her home.”
    “Do you know where she lives?” Kenny asked.
    Jack shook his head. No, but she should.
    “This isn’t going to go over well, you know.” Doug shook his head. He heard the warning in his friend’s voice.
    “Eat your donut and drink your chocolate milk, sweetie. Then we’ll hop in the truck, and I’ll take you home, okay?” Jack glanced down at his girl before staring out the window. Cold fingers trailed down his spine as he thought about the next hour. He wouldn’t blame her mother if she called the cops on him. He almost expected to see the flashing lights pull up into the parking lot.
    Instead, what he saw was Peter pulling into the parking spot right across from where he sat. His eyes held a frantic look as he gazed inside. Jack lifted his arm in a wave, and Peter slammed his door shut and raced toward him. Jack pushed his chair back and stood, groaning at the ache in his knees from the sudden movement.
    “Em, your dad is here, honey,” Jack said when she looked at him.
    Her eyes grew round and her back straightened as she slowly turned in her seat to face her father.
    Jack was beyond thankful that it was Peter who now stood before him and not a police officer or Emmie’s mother. But his firstinstinct was to protect his little girl from whatever punishment her dad was about to inflict. She was only five years old. She didn’t need to be punished. So he was surprised when he noticed the tears in Peter’s eyes as he knelt down beside her chair and rested his hand on her arm.
    “You had us worried, pumpkin.” There was a roughness to Peter’s voice that Jack more than understood.
    “I’m sorry, Daddy,” Em whispered.
    Peter stood up and placed a kiss on her head before turning his attention to Jack.
    “Has she been here long?” There was a desperation in his voice that had Jack on edge.
    “Only a couple of minutes.” He needed—no, he wanted to soothe the man. “Her bike is in the back of my truck.”
    Peter closed his eyes for a split second before squatting down beside her again. “Honey, why did you sneak out of the house? Your mom is worried sick about you right now.”
    There was a look in Em’s eyes that Jack knew all too well. He placed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed lightly.
    “You left without me, and Papa was here waiting,” she said before taking a bite of her donut. She gave the impression that she didn’t understand what she’d done, but Jack knew otherwise. He’d seen the fear and worry in her eyes moments before she threw herself into his arms.
    “Oh, honey.” Jack sat back down in his chair and waited for her to look at him. “You know what you did, don’t you?”
    The donut dropped from her hand as she nodded.
    “I think you owe your daddy an apology, don’t you?”
    She nodded and lowered her gaze before jumping at the sound of her name being called from across the small store.

    “Emma!”
    Relief flooded through Megan’s body the