Escape from Mr. Whitman (Emma and Theodore) novel Chapter 519

The next few days were a whirlwind for Emma.

She never realized how vibrant her grandmother's life here was; she had truly found her element. The only real hurdle was the language barrier, but otherwise, she was living life to the fullest.

One day, Emma accompanied her grandmother to a product showcase for her aunt's company because one of Grandma's designs was being featured. Grandma wasn't a professionally trained designer, but her life in Cresthaven had given her a wealth of knowledge about embroidery and classic jewelry. Her aunt would help turn those rich ideas into reality.

Grandma was expected on stage, but with her aunt busy running the show, Emma was put in charge of her grandmother's styling for the day.

It was a full-time job. Emma helped her choose a gown, did her makeup, and styled her hair, all while getting herself ready. That afternoon, they attended the show, which was followed by a dinner banquet. Emma wore high heels until she could barely walk. Once again, she came home and fell into bed, asleep before her head hit the pillow.

Another time, her brother was hosting a product conference, but the scheduled host's flight was canceled at the last minute. Larson handed the job to her. Suddenly, she was memorizing lines and frantically looking up technical terms she didn't understand. Her brother was swamped, and she felt bad about calling him for every single word. That night, she dreamed of translating and memorizing jargon and scripts, the scent of gardenias filling the room. The stress was like cramming for her final exams. She didn't even hear the leaf-blowing sound. The next day on stage was nerve-wracking—she was a complete amateur and terrified of embarrassing her brother. And that night, she came home and, once again, passed out.

She even went with her grandmother to a ranch. It was then she learned that her brother's family owned it. Grandma wanted to see the cows being milked, so Emma spent a wild day on the ranch. That evening, her brother and aunt joined them for a barbecue under the stars. She ate until she was stuffed and fell asleep in the fresh country air, filled with the scent of earth and grass, sleeping straight through until dawn.

What she didn't know was that someone else had been there that night, ready to blow on his leaf, but his services weren't needed. She was sleeping too soundly, too peacefully.

She woke up early the next morning. Her grandmother, likely tired from the past few days, was still fast asleep, not even stirring when Emma got out of bed. Emma remembered a cow that was due to give birth the night before and decided to go check on it.

As she rounded the small cabin they were staying in, she heard her brother talking to someone with a surprisingly familiar voice.

"What's wrong with you? How did you get an upset stomach?"

"My stomach's just a little off…"

"It wasn't that cold meat I brought you last night, was it?"

"Probably… yeah."

"You certainly don't hold back, do you? How are you feeling? Do you need me to rush you to a hospital? How many times did you get up last night?"

Standing a short distance away, the three of them felt their eyes well up at the sight of her radiant smile.

Since they rarely got to visit the ranch, and seeing how happy she was, they unanimously decided to stay another night. Larson took her horseback riding in the morning, and in the afternoon, a worker showed her around the creamery, explaining how they made cheese and butter. That evening, an exhausted but happy Emma had another outdoor dinner with her family. With the bright moon hanging overhead, she leaned against her grandmother, sipping homemade chilled yogurt and eating savory barbecue, feeling a strange sense of dislocation, unsure if this was the dream or if all the days before had been.

Larson stood up, taking a plate of grilled meat toward the row of cabins behind them.

"Larson," she called out. "Who are you bringing that to?"

She watched as a streetlight cast someone's shadow on the ground, stretching it long and thin.

Larson knew. She knew.

He gave up on the pretense, setting the plate down. "You can come out."