Page 67 of Family Bonds- Emma & Warren

Warren had a bottle of water in front of him and she placed the food down, then went to the outdoor kitchen and got herself something to drink.

“Is Ashley coming today?” she asked Chelsea. “That’s Chelsea’s sister, by the way. But I told you that, Warren.”

“She’s working,” Chelsea said. “She tries to get in all the time she can over the summer working with Grace.”

“Ashley is going for culinary studies,” Emma said. “I love having another cook in the family. Since she’s on the island all summer, do you think she’d mind house-sitting for me if I go away for a few days?”

She boarded Lucky for the time in California and that hadn’t been fun when she returned. Her kitten wouldn’t even look at her for days.

It’s not like she left him alone for six days. She was smart enough to care for him. But he was upset when she returned and maybe it would be better to have a house sitter at the very least.

It’d be rude to bring her cat to Warren’s house and she didn’t want to ask.

By the sounds of it, the cat would get lost in the place anyway.

“Where are you going?” Warren asked.

“I thought I could visit you if you want, but that is your choice. Maybe you don’t want me at your house.”

“I want you there,” he said. “And it’s set up for Lucky.”

“What?” she asked.

“I bought the same litter box you have and the water and food bowls. Just bring him. I think he likes me better than you anyway.”

“Ahhhh,” she said again. “That’s better than the home gym I set up for you.”

“That’s it,” her mother said. “I’ll be right back.”

She watched her mother march out of the room and come back with a book in her hand. One of her books. The newest release.

There was a pen in the other and her mother opened it up and wrote in it and handed it over.

“What are you doing, Mom?”

“The same thing I did to your brother when I met Chelsea.”

Which meant her mother knew what Emma couldn’t figure out. That was the only reason she told Chelsea who she was.

“What’s going on?” Warren asked, reaching for the book. He flipped it open and his jaw dropped.

“What does it say?” Emma asked. “Read it?”

“To Warren, I guess you took it to heart and are giving more than one show. Take care of my daughter or you’ll find yourself in one of my books...not the hero either.”

“Oh wow,” Chelsea said, laughing. “She didn’t threaten me when she told me. This is serious.”

“Can someone tell me what is going on?” Warren asked.

“Well, you asked me if I ever met Steve Spencer,” Emma said. “The answer is yes. The day I was born. She birthed me. Now you know where I get my joking nature from. My mother has been punking the world for decades.”

20

THE REAL HER

“No problem finding it, I see?” Warren asked when he opened his door the following Sunday to see Emma standing on his doorstep with a backpack over her shoulder and a cat carrier in her hand.

“Nope,” she said. “Lucky doesn’t care for the car ride that much, but he finally stopped meowing and fell asleep. Could be the louder he got the higher I turned the music up. Otherwise I might have turned around and gone home. I didn’t think you’d like that.”