The Davis Years (Indigo) Read Online Free PDF

be able to make any more of them,” Emily Rose said.
    Jemma looked around and saw tea light holders in many different colors strewn across the floor. There were also several sheets of adhesive, clear labels lying around with Emily Rose and Michael’s names and date printed on them in black letters. Plastic bags full of tea lights lay on the sofa against which Carolina and Emily Rose rested their backs. There were paper lanterns on the floor in colors matching the tea light holders. Jemma spotted several boxes and more plastic bags across the room from them. In the corner to her left, Jemma saw a white archway that was only partially assembled. Next to it lay piles of silk and plastic flowers.
    “Yeah. The reception hall decorations. The one thing she let me have control over,” Emily Rose muttered.
    “Em Rose, don’t even think about that bitter hag. She’s trying to get to you. Don’t let her.” Carolina rubbed Emily Rose’s shoulder. “You got your man. Nothing else matters.”
    The more Jemma saw Carolina with Emily Rose, the more she felt like the past six years had put up a wall between herself and Emily Rose that she didn’t know how to take down. She was good at lots of things, but apparently fixing friendships wasn’t one of them.
    Jemma reached for a bag of tea lights just as Mrs. Braden walked into the family room.
    “Jemma!” she cried. “I thought I heard you in here.” She looked just as perfectly put together as she always had. She’d cut her blonde hair into a short bob and not a hair was out of place. She wore brown slacks and a sleeveless sweater. Mrs. Braden had always seemed so perfect and glamorous. She cooked, cleaned, worked all day, and actually raised her kids, unlike Lynette. And she wore a smile the whole time she did all of it.
    Jemma stood and Mrs. Braden wrapped her into a hug.
    She held Jemma at arm’s length and looked her over. “Look at you. You’re beautiful. I’m happy to see you. And proud of you. Emily Rose told me about your job in Florida.”
    “Thanks.” Jemma smiled. Mrs. Braden had always made Jemma feel like a member of the family.
    “I just wanted to say hello. I can’t chat right now, I’m in the middle of making dinner for you all, but we’ll eat together, okay, and after dinner I’ll get right back to helping you all with this.”
    “Amanda, you are amazing. Nothing like our friend, Ms. F,” Carolina said. Mrs. Braden had always encouraged Jemma to call her by her first name, but she never felt comfortable doing it.
    Mrs. Braden wrinkled her small nose. “That woman. I can’t believe she stole my Emily Rose’s wedding away from us. I think she insisted we split the costs just so she could have all the control. The more you try to make her see reason, the more stubborn she gets.”
    “Tell me about it.” Emily Rose rolled her eyes.
    “I know, Em. Remember, you’re to let me know if she gets too bad—well, worse than usual. But ladies, I really must get back to this roast.”
    Mrs. Braden headed back to the kitchen. Jemma turned back to the tea lights and glass lotus flowers.
    “So, Jemma, you guys were best friends in high school?” Carolina asked, pulling her long legs to her chest.
    “Yeah.” Jemma knew she sounded rude, but she didn’t really care. She wondered what it was about just being in Derring again that made her feel so snappy and insecure.
    For a moment, all conversation shut down. Then, Carolina turned back to Emily Rose and they started talking about the honeymoon trip to Milan Michael had planned for that Christmas.
    She had to remember that she’d had good reasons for what she’d done. She’d cut Derring out of her life completely because it’d been necessary. The only way to be successful was to put everything behind her that could cripple her.
    Jemma had worked her fingers to the bone ever since she’d been old enough to do so. First to support her family when Lynette refused to do so, and then to save what she’d