Always Emily by Mary Sullivan

Author:Mary Sullivan
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2014-10-15T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHT

SALEM DROVE THE GIRLS into Denver on Thursday evening after work. They found the music rental shop without a problem and spent a couple of hours trying out instruments.

In the end, Aiyana stuck with her original plan. No surprise there. She had a habit of knowing her own mind.

Mika chose the clarinet. Fine by Salem. He loved New Orleans jazz and envisioned his daughter belting out some lively stuff one of these days.

They left the store with their rented instruments. If the girls liked the music enough, and stuck with it, he would buy them their own.

Aiyana said, “I want to buy Emily and Cody gifts to thank them for helping me with the bullying, but I don’t know what to get.”

“I can help you. Let’s do it now.”

Aiyana’s lovely smile warmed his soul. “Thanks, Dad. I don’t have much money. Do you think they’d be okay with something small?”

“Yes. They’ll be touched by the sentiment—the cost doesn’t matter.”

“Okay,” Aiyana said. “I want to get something for you, too.”

“Me? What did I do? I was totally useless.”

“You got me the right help.”

He didn’t want to tell her how little he’d wanted to ask Emily because, in the end, his daughter’s needs had been more important than his own discomfort.

“One of my teachers once said that having a lot of knowledge is great,” Aiyana said, “but even more important is knowing where to look when you don’t have the answers. You knew where to look. Emily was perfect.”

If only Emily really were perfect. Sometimes, though, only Emily came close enough to that ideal to tempt him. If only she would stay put.

They found a gift shop where Aiyana bought her dad a journal. She chose a bright scarf for Emily and a black leather wristband for Cody. The band had a pair of silver hands that clasped together to keep it closed.

“This is so cool, Dad. It’s like jewelry, but it’s still really masculine. I’m not sure, though. Is it appropriate to give something like this to a guy I’m not dating?”

“Good question, Aiyana. On the one hand, it’s a nice thought and a generous way to thank him. On the other hand—”

Mika grabbed it from her sister. “Honestly, you guys think too much.” She plonked it on the counter beside the cash register. “You’re buying it, Aiyana. It’s perfect.”

Salem took his daughters out for dinner as a kind of celebration. Occasionally, he treated the family to dinner in Accord, but between working and studying so much and paying tuition for years, it hadn’t been a regular thing.

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d taken them out in Denver, even though it was only a little over an hour up the road from their hometown.

Over fish and chips, coleslaw and milk shakes, Salem broached the subject that had been troubling him. How was Aiyana doing now? As a parent he should know, but he’d never been one to open a can of worms if he didn’t have to, especially since he wasn’t sure how he would help her if she was still struggling.

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