V.C. Andrews - Wildflowers 03 by Jade

Author:Jade
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2012-01-17T01:36:04+00:00

5

"It's probably a good time to break for lunch,"

Dr. Marlowe said.

"I'd rather hear Jade's story," Misty whined.

"Speak for yourself, girl. My stomach's rumbling and her story will still be here when we get back," Star told her.

"Jade could use the rest, I'm sure," Dr. Marlowe said.

I wasn't hungry, but it was a good idea to stop for a while. When I rose, I felt as if I had been running, not sitting. Riding a roller coaster of emotions, even only in memory, was exhausting.

On a table on the closed-in patio, Emma had set up a buffet of cold cuts, cheeses, some salad, bread and rolls. There was a variety of cookies, too.

"I changed my mind," Misty said when she set eyes on it all, "I'm glad we stopped for lunch."

Star grunted, but Cat actually broke out in a wide smile. I say broke out because for her a smile was something smothered beneath shyness and fear most of the time I had been with her. Whenever she did smile, I felt as if it had escaped from under the weight of sadness that usually soaked her face like ink in a blotter.

"Just dig in, girls," Dr. Marlowe said.

We filled our dishes and sat at the table, Dr.

Marlowe joining us last. Emma rushed in and out, re-plenishing meats and cheeses as if she had three times the number of people for lunch than were actually here.

"Thank you, Emma," Dr. Marlowe called to her as she hurried back to the kitchen.

"Why doesn't Emma eat with us?" Misty asked.

"Maybe she's afraid she'll catch something," Star said.

"What could she catch, a bad attitude?" I said.

Star looked at me for a moment and then shook her head and bit into her sandwich.

"Emma has always been very shy," Dr.

Marlowe offered. "And she likes to think the best of people, look harder for the good in everyone."

"That's why she's the way she is," Star muttered.

"What do you mean? You don't know how she is:' I said. She smirked as if I had said something stupid. "Well, do you?"

"She's living here with her sister like some maid. What has she got for herself? I'm not blind and I don't look at the world through . . . what did you call them?" she asked Dr. Marlowe. "Rosy-colored glasses?"

"Rose-colored. That's what Emma wears," Dr.

Marlowe said, nodding with a smile. "She's not as unhappy as you might imagine, Star. She's comfortable, safe and she's home. She knows I'll do whatever I can for her and she would do the same for me. The way the world seems sometimes, that's a lot."

"Amen to that," Star said, yet I could still see skepticism lurking in her eyes.

After having heard Star's story, I couldn't fault her for doubting Emma's happiness. I just hoped like Dr. Marlowe that we could have a positive effect on each other.

"Do you counsel her too?" Star asked the question we'd all wondered about.

"Not formally, but we talk a lot. You'd be surprised at how much she helps me."

"Were you close when you were younger?"

Misty asked.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.