A Rocker and a Hard Place Read Online Free Page A

open up to him, but it also occurred to me that since he was Emma’s neighbor, he might be able to give me some information. “Emma and I used to date in high school. We haven’t seen each other in a while.”
    “Ah. First love.” He smiled knowingly. “You picked a good girl for that. Emma’s just about the best person I’ve ever met.”
    “I remember.” I certainly hadn’t been in love with her all those years for no reason. “What’s her story these days? She’s a mom now, I saw.”
    “Yeah. Little T.J. is a clone of his mama. Sweet boy. I think he’s about eight? Goes to school with my nephew.”
    “Does his dad live in town? Are he and Emma married?”
    Okay, I was starting to sound like a stalker. I had no right to pry into Emma’s life like this, but Glenn didn’t seem to mind.
    “Nah, no one quite knows who the father is. Emma never talks about him. Rumor around town is that it was a guy from college who took off when she got pregnant.”
    “Is that why she moved home?”
    I hated to think about someone else treating Emma so terribly. It was bad enough that I had done it, but this other jerk had left her while she was pregnant with his kid. I wanted to punch him.
    “Actually, no. Her daddy got sick. She came home to take care of the store.”
    “That’s too bad.” It was such an Emma thing to do. She worshipped her father. “She ever get married?”
    “Not yet. I’m not sure there’s anyone in Salvation good enough for Emma. But that’s just my opinion. She has been dating some guy, though. He lives a couple towns over. Seems decent enough.” Glenn mopped sweat from his forehead with the sleeve of his shirt. “Sorry to take off, but I promised the wife I would be home for lunch.”
    “No worries, Glenn. I appreciate all the help.” And the intel on Emma’s life. “I need to pick up some supplies before I can start repairs anyway.”
    “You need any help, just give me a ring. Name’s in the book.”
    Glenn sauntered down the road, hands in pockets and whistling through his teeth. I was really starting to like him. Not only had he given me information I wanted about Emma, he’d also given me a good reason to see her again.
    After a quick shower and change of clothes, I was standing in front of Wellington Hardware for the second time in as many days. I smoothed down my hair with shaking hands, remembering the last time I had been this nervous to see her.
    We had been best friends for over a year. All through eighth grade, we’d formed a bond that baffled everyone around us. When freshman year rolled around, I was nervous everything would change. We were headed to a new school. Older boys would be in the picture now, and Emma would be a prime target for them. I didn’t have any claim on her- we were still just friends. But I wanted to be more.
    In the weeks before school started up again, I formed a plan. The high school was hosting a back-to-school dance the Friday before classes began. I convinced Emma that we should go, claiming that it would be a good chance for us to make new friends, or just make fun of our classmates’ lame attempts at dancing. Emma was always up for a good laugh, so she agreed.
    My hand shook when I knocked on her front door. My other hand, holding a bouquet of flowers, shook harder. Emma’s dad answered the door.
    “Hey, Tyler. Emma will be right down.” When he first opened the door, he barely glanced at me. He was used to me coming over to see his daughter. But then he noticed the flowers, and my new dress shirt.
    He let out a long sigh, then gave me a resolved smile. “Good luck, kid.”
    Just like that, I had his blessing. If his daughter was onboard with us becoming more than friends, James would accept it too. Half of the battle done, I waited anxiously for Emma to appear.
    When she skipped into the front hall, she took my breath away.
    She wasn’t usually very girly, preferring t-shirts and sports to dresses and makeup. But her aunt had come