Just Like Em. Marion Ekholm

      “WOULD YOU CARE for some iced tea?” Em stood before him holding two glasses.

      Roger accepted the offered glass. He hadn’t even realized he was thirsty. After a long swallow, he forced himself to look away. The boys had disappeared. He half stood, searching the pool for any sign of them.

      “They’re taking a break, playing in the sandbox with some trucks and action figures. Mind if I sit here? It’s the only shade left in the area.”

      “Go ahead,” he said as he pushed papers to one side.

      “I’ll try not to disturb you.”

      “That’s okay. It’s time for me to take a break.” Usually, when his children were around, one part of him was always tuned in to them. For some reason he had lost himself in his work, and left the supervision to Em. Was it instinct or something else that had trusted Em to watch out for them? The realization struck him as odd, considering how he felt about her potential influence. He looked around for his daughter.

      “Samantha’s playing cards with her friends in the other ramada.” Em nodded to the other side of the pool.

      “How did you know...?”

      “It’s the look you get. Sort of a fatherly, worried expression. I noticed it yesterday when you thought I was enticing her to smoke.”

      “Déjà vu. I remembered how you turned my sister into a smoker.”

      “I did what?” Her strident tone morphed into a long sigh. “Jodie Holden introduced me to every vice I ever had, including smoking.”

      “My sister?” Roger started to laugh at the absurdity. “She was a milquetoast until you came along and ruined her.”

      “You haven’t a clue what she was really into.” Em started to tap her fingers on the table. He glanced down to the movement and noticed that her nails, although polished in light pink, were short and practical, not the fake extensions in vivid colors Samantha often tried.

      “Oh, no? When you showed up that summer, she started to drink, swear, smoke and carry on with the opposite sex.”

      Em pierced him with her blue eyes. “Just like you were doing?”

      Roger paused. Just like him? “That’s different,” he said. “I was attending college at the time.”

      “No. What’s different is you’re male and we’re female.” Em sat straighter. Roger gave her his complete attention and doubted if anything other than a comet’s entry into the atmosphere could distract him. “And according to you, we’re supposed to abide by a stricter standard. Jodie chose not to, and I went along for the ride.”

      Roger placed his elbow on the table and braced his chin in his hand. Maybe Em was right. He’d never paid much attention to his sister until Em arrived on the scene. “Well, she never soaped my car.”

      A smile turned up the corners of Em’s mouth. Her cheek threatened to dimple. “You deserved that.”

      He leaned across the table. “Thanks to you and those little stunts, Karen nearly broke up with me. She had a driving test on one of the days you soaped the windows, and we couldn’t get it all off in time. She missed her appointment.” He leaned back. “And I don’t appreciate that self-satisfied smirk. You really created havoc with my love life.”

      “I was fourteen at the time. How old is Samantha?” Roger squinted at the ramada across the sun-drenched pool.

      “She’ll be fourteen in October, but she’s been acting like someone in her twenties for the past year.”

      “And she could easily pass for eighteen.” Em rose and took their empty glasses. “Looks like you’ve got your hands full.” She beamed a smile on him warmer than the Arizona sun. “Want some more tea?”

      He watched her walk away—the swing of her hips, the swish of that golden hair. Em had grown up into a very interesting woman. A very interesting woman, indeed.

      CHAPTER FOUR

      “THANKS FOR HELPING, Mom,” Em said as Doris finished washing the dishes. Roger and the twins had stayed for lunch, a macaroni-and-cheese creation of her mother’s that Sammy couldn’t get enough of. Everyone else seemed to enjoy it, as well. The kitchen was small, with dark cabinets and barely enough room for the two to work. Em wiped the last plate and planted a kiss on her mother’s cheek, a small thanks for all that she had done.

      “Once I finish up here, I’ll go back to my room and read,” Doris said. “You go entertain Roger.”

      “I don’t know.” Em glanced through the kitchen doorway. “He’s engrossed in some business he has to complete for tomorrow.”

      Doris placed a wet hand on her shoulder and pushed. “Go on. I remember when nothing could keep you from bugging him.”

      Em stayed put. “Was I that bad?” All those juvenile high jinks she had performed in an attempt to gain his attention. A tremble shook her head and shoulders. If only she could wash away her misguided antics.

      Doris flipped back a strand of hair and sighed. “As I recall, you thought he walked on water.”

      “Well, I know better now.” Another push from her mother sent her into the dining room. She had no desire to join the boys in the living room and watch another rerun of Star Wars, the video they had chosen. Samantha hadn’t returned from having lunch with a girlfriend, so Em couldn’t talk with her.

      Despite the relatively pleasant time she and Roger had shared today, Em felt ill at ease. Maybe it was that ridiculous shirt he was wearing. It belonged on a bonfire. She had changed into white shorts and a red T-shirt, but obviously Roger hadn’t bothered to bring anything extra.

      “Can I get you something? More iced tea? A beer?”

      Roger looked up from where he sat at the dining-room table and smiled. Except for one slightly protruding eyetooth, he had a perfect smile, one that made her feel all warm and cozy inside. “No thanks. Pull up a chair, unless you’d rather join the kids.”

      “I’d prefer adult company, if I’m not disturbing you.”

      Roger tilted his chair back and stretched his arms over his head. His Hawaiian shirt momentarily pulled tight across his chest before he dropped his hands back to the table. “Actually you might be able to give me some insight. I’m working on transfering work from my department at Metro to another office in Seattle. It means several people will be losing their jobs unless they can move to Seattle. I’d like some input from someone who’s been there. Your mother mentioned you’ve been laid off before.”

      “Twice.”

      “Two times? That’s got to be hell!”

      “More like an endless roller-coaster ride.” Em pulled out the wooden chair and sat next to him so she wouldn’t be forced to look at that shirt.

      “Tell me about it. The company’s providing us with an agency that deals with outplacements, but I’m interested in hearing firsthand what actually helped to get you back to full employment.”

      He moved his arm, so that the short hairs tickled hers, and Em shifted slightly to avoid the contact. It was too disconcerting and she was trying to keep her mind focused on their discussion.

      “The first time was the worst. About twenty of us were walked out of the building like criminals the day we received our notice. They gave us one month’s severance and a printed list of possible employers we could find on the internet.” She folded her hands on the table in front of her.

      “And the second time?”

      “Not so bad. I had learned there’s no such thing as job security. Besides, this company made the transition bearable.” She needed to do something with her hands. Em reached for a pen and inadvertently touched Roger’s arm again. She pulled her hands