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Back Their Last Secret Save as PDF
Chapters (97)
  1. Cover
  2. Back Cover Text
  3. Praise
  4. Booklist
  5. Dedication
  6. Epigraph
  7. One
  8. Two
  9. Three
  10. Four
  11. Five
  12. Six
  13. Seven
  14. Eight
  15. Nine
  16. Ten
  17. Eleven
  18. Twelve
  19. Thirteen
  20. Fourteen
  21. Fifteen
  22. Sixteen
  23. Seventeen
  24. Eighteen
  25. Nineteen
  26. Twenty
  27. Twenty-One
  28. Twenty-Two
  29. Twenty-Three
  30. Twenty-Four
  31. Twenty-Five
  32. Twenty-Six
  33. Twenty-Seven
  34. Twenty-Eight
  35. Twenty-Nine
  36. Thirty
  37. Thirty-One
  38. Thirty-Two
  39. Thirty-Three
  40. Thirty-Four
  41. Thirty-Five
  42. Thirty-Six
  43. Thirty-Seven
  44. Thirty-Eight
  45. Thirty-Nine
  46. Forty
  47. Forty-One
  48. Forty-Two
  49. Forty-Three
  50. Forty-Four
  51. Forty-Five
  52. Forty-Six
  53. Forty-Seven
  54. Forty-Eight
  55. Forty-Nine
  56. Fifty
  57. Fifty-One
  58. Fifty-Two
  59. Fifty-Three
  60. Fifty-Four
  61. Fifty-Five
  62. Fifty-Six
  63. Fifty-Seven
  64. Fifty-Eight
  65. Fifty-Nine
  66. Sixty
  67. Sixty-One
  68. Sixty-Two
  69. Sixty-Three
  70. Sixty-Four
  71. Sixty-Five
  72. Sixty-Six
  73. Sixty-Seven
  74. Sixty-Eight
  75. Sixty-Nine
  76. Seventy
  77. Seventy-One
  78. Seventy-Two
  79. Seventy-Three
  80. Seventy-Four
  81. Seventy-Five
  82. Seventy-Six
  83. Seventy-Seven
  84. Seventy-Eight
  85. Seventy-Nine
  86. Eighty
  87. Eighty-One
  88. Eighty-Two
  89. Eighty-Three
  90. Eighty-Four
  91. Eighty-Five
  92. Eighty-Six
  93. Eighty-Seven
  94. Eighty-Eight
  95. Eighty-Nine
  96. Acknowledgments & A Personal Note
  97. Excerpt

“You’re full of questions today, aren’t you?”

Kayla shrugged.

“Tony’s was in Beltsville, a small town northeast of D.C.” Emma looked off and blinked away tears.

“I’m sorry, Emma. I was just curious.”

Emma slid her hands across the table and took Kayla’s in hers. “It’s okay, sweetheart.” Emma hesitated, deciding if this was the right time before continuing. “Honey, I know you’re having a hard time accepting me, having lost your mom. You and I are more alike than you realize. I mean, I lost my mom, too, when I was young, you know that.”

Kayla remained silent, letting Emma continue.

“My relationship with my mom was so complicated. Most of the time we didn’t speak. So many things went unsaid. Kayla, what I’m trying to say is that my heart is filled with understanding and love for you.” Emma squeezed Kayla’s hands. “I treasure the chance we have here because deep in my heart, I know we can help each other.”

Blinking back tears, Kayla nodded. A moment passed, filled with the sound of conversations spilling from other tables and the clink of cutlery. Then Kayla picked up her phone, smiling at messages from her friends, bringing their discussion to an end.

For now.

Their meals came. Lunch was punctuated with small talk about current songs, movies and celeb gossip. As they left the restaurant and walked through the parking lot to Emma’s SUV, a woman with a floppy sun hat rushed toward them.

“Emma!” The woman arrived breathless. She was in her late fifties. A man about the same age was catching up but walking. “Go get us a seat, Barry,” the woman said to him. “I’ll be there after I talk to Emma.” Then she turned to Emma. “I’m so glad to catch you. Clara Jean O’Connor from the community association.”

“Oh, Clara Jean, yes, of course. How are you?”

“Good.” Clara Jean nodded to Kayla. “This will just take a moment. I was going to send you an email, but in person’s better.”

Emma braced herself.

“You were so kind to volunteer and help us with last year’s charity drive, Emma. This year we’re uniting with associations across the county for a big three-day sale of donated books with donations going to literacy. It’s coming up fast, Jake Gyllenhaal agreed to come to the launch on day one to help draw attention. A friend of his lives around here and set it up.”

“That’s fantastic.”