4 years later

            “That’s so pretty!” exclaimed the little brown haired girl happily giggling as she turned around in her pink polka dots dress in front of the full length mirror. The overly large red coneflowers attached to her small white derby Kentucky hat paired with her outfit and sweet smile really gave her the appearance of a classic southern princess.

            “Can I have it?” she turned to me with her full blown smile that made my heart swell. Kids always knew how to manipulate me.

            “I don’t think…” I started, I had no idea how to tell her no.

            “Please, please, pretty pretty please.” She pouted her mouth slightly while hugging her frail little body.

            I tried to hold on to my authority but it was slipping away at lightning speed. It was hard keeping up with the grown up charade when such an angel was tempting me. I was ready to crack and give her what she was pleading for when I heard the sound of hells clicking on the ceramic tiles.

            “Suzanne, what did I tell you about running off like this?” shouted the middle aged woman standing walking towards us with a scowl on her face. She looked absolutely irritated. “Sorry if she was bothering you but I can’t seem to keep her in one place.”

            “It’s alright, she was just helping me rearrange the shop.”

            The woman laughed heartily, “I see that my daughter have corrupted you too into disguising her mischievous ways.”

            “She’s a good kid, just a little…”

            “Persuasive” she finished for me. “I know, I nearly spent two hundred dollars on a doll she was not even going to keep for more than a week. She just think money grows on tree.”

            “It doesn’t?” Suzanne asked innocently.

            “No, it doesn’t.”

            “I thought you said money was just paper and you also said we get papers from trees.”

            I put my hand in front of my mouth to succumb the laugher in my throat.

            “Stop using my own words against me, young lady. We’re going now” she said, grabbed her small hands in hers.

            “Bye, Emma” she called out before leaving the store.

            I was about to clean the mess she had left on the floor when I heard a slightly familiar voice behind me.

            “Excuse me, do you work here?” he asked.

            I turned around to see none other than Kyle Angus standing in front of me in a pair of pale blue ripped jeans and a white sleeveless shirt with the inscription Artic Monkeys written in bold black.  He had let his ginger hair grow pass his shoulders. He was almost unrecognizable. This tall man with tattoos covering both of his arms barely looked like the teenage boy I saw at my father’s funeral.

            I cleared my throat, “Yes, may I help you with something?” I hoped he didn’t detect the panic in my voice.

            “Do you sell musical instruments?”

            “Yes, I believe you might find some if you keep going straight down this aisle, they are right after the women’s dresses.” I pointed in the direction flashing him a smile.

            He thanked me before going where I pointed. As soon as he was out of sight, I half ran out of the store and went in the garage across the streets.

            “Where is he?” I rushed out to the guy with half of his body under a car. It still puzzled me how carefree they were to trust their tools enough not to break under the vehicle’s weight and get crushed.

            “The back” he answered without bothering to slid out of under the car.

            “Running away from the little girl again?” Jake teased as soon as I entered the room.

            “Much worse” I felt the blood drained from my face.

            He instantly took me between his arms. I rested my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

            “What happened?” He asked softly.

            “I saw Kyle Angus” I breathed out.

I didn’t know why I was even freaking out. It didn’t seem like he recognized me. I doubt he will ever do. Since I ran away from Washington, I’ve gotten curvier and dyed my hair blonde. Thanks to Florida’s amazing climate, I was able to have the sun kissed skin I’ve always dreamed of. The one Ken tried to achieve by overusing the tanning bed. The probably biggest change was my name. Now, I was Emma Will but not for long. In less than a month I will officially be Emma Taylor When Jake, now known as Chris Taylor, and I exchanged our vows.

            “Who’s that?”

            “One of Roxie’s little brothers. Do you ever listen when I talk to you?”

            “Of course, I do…Sometimes.”

            I nudged him on his abdomen with my elbow.

            “Did he recognize you?”

            “No.”

            “Did he say or do anything that might suggest that he knows you?”

            “No, but…”

            “But nothing. You’re overreacting. Trust me, there’s nothing to worry about.” He dropped a loud smooch on my forehead and held me tighter.

            “I better go now or Jamie might kill me for leaving her alone at the store.” I said not wanting to leave his embrace.

            “Yeah, I have to go back to work also or else I won’t be able to make it to our wedding rehearsal.”

            “Try that and you’ll be sleeping on the couch for the rest of your life.” I shouted as I walked out of the door.

            I went directly behind the counter thinking he had already left but to my surprise he came up to me as soon as I was in place with a vintage 1960s black acoustic guitar in his hands.

            I flashed him my professional smile trying not to show the turmoil going on inside my head. “Did you find everything you needed?”

            “Yes, how much is this baby?”

            “That’s $300 plus tax.”

            He took a step back. “Wow, you guys are not cheap.”

            “This is an antique shop after all. You don’t come across these merchandise easily.”

            He handed me his credit card staring at me curiously. I looked down at the cash register avoiding his gaze at all cost but I could feel his eyes digging a hole in my head. I had to restart the process multiple times because I kept pressing the wrong buttons.

            “Have you ever been to Washington…?” He trailed off hinting for my name.

            “Emma, Emma Will. No, I’ve never left Orlando” I lied. Was I that transparent? Could he tell it was me?

            “You look like somebody that I used to know. She was more than somebody actually, she was my first crush.”

            Oh, that’s news to me. But why was he telling me all that? Who tell a complete stranger their life story?

            “Sorry for bothering you with all that but you just reminded me of her. It was weird how she just disappeared right after thanksgiving to go live with her grandparents who’ve never been involved in her life.”

I handed him the card back with a smile. I made sure I didn’t show how this news startled me. I didn’t know Jill had cover up for me.

“That’s a nice little shop, who’s the owner?”

“I am” I answered proudly. I loved my shop, it was what gave me a purpose to stay in a place and stop running. Well, that and Jake. I was so excited when I used the money that my father saved for my college tuition. It was a risky move but it paid off. I’ve never been happier about something in my entire life.

“Well, I’ll make sure to come back another time. I’m currently attending the University not too far from here, Full Sail University. So, you’ll probably see me pretty often. Bye.” He waved at me.

“Bye” I waved back.

“Who was that?” said Jamie coming next to me.

“Another college kid.” I said nonchalantly.

“He’s hot.”

“You have a husband.”

“So? Doesn’t mean I can’t look. Just like I’m looking at this fine specimen of men.” She hugged the magazine in her hands closer to her hear. “He’s bad boy attitude just make it even better.”

“I’m so calling Noah.” I picked up the phone looking at her.

“Fine, I’m going to clean the mess that little girl made while tricking you into selling her the entire store.”

As I watched her walked away, my eyes fell on the magazine sitting on the counter. There was a picture of Ken at the front page. I picked it up and opened the magazine to the page it said on the cover.

There, on page fifteen, Ken was looking at the camera rather aggravated. He didn’t look like the same one I left behind. His skin seemed like it was hanging on to just his bones, his usual mischievous smile was gone, and his eyes…they were empty. They were just a deep pit of hollowness. According to the article, he had dropped out of college and had fallen into the endless pool of drugs and alcohol. His parents had just threatened to disinherit him if he didn’t pick himself up and became the businessman they were expecting of him.

My soul ached for him, I didn’t want to think that I might have had a part in his horrible down fall. He had such a bright future. I guess the same thing that happened to all of us happened to him…life.