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Hope you enjoy!
Emma expelled a long breath, as she looked around the small room, covered with slop from the papier mache masks her group of kids had been making all afternoon. This, unfortunately, was also part of Emma's summer job; cleaning up the mess after whatever craft the kids put together that day.
"Looks like you've got your work cut out for you," a voice came from behind.
Emma spun around to offer Jimmy a weak smile. She rolled her eyes. "I think if I had a giant fire hose it would be the easiest way to clean this mess. How was your day?"
"Not bad. I think I'm finally getting the hang of this whole tour thing," he admitted.
Jimmy's job was more about getting to know the art enough to be able to explain it to the tour groups he brought through the museum. It was the perfect job for him, especially given his love of art. Emma could tell just by the twinkle in his eye that he was loving his job, even if it was just for the summer.
"Well I'm glad that you're enjoying your job. Don't get me wrong, I love these kids. I just hate the cleaning up part," Emma laughed. "You really don't have to stick around. I think I'm going to be a while. Besides, Liberty's meeting me here later."
"You and Libs got some big plans for this lovely Friday night?" Jimmy asked, grabbing a wet cloth and wiping down one of the many tables filled with the sticky substance.
Emma smiled wide. "Oh yeah! You know me and Liberty! We are the epitome of party girls! I think we talked about doing dinner and maybe picking up a couple of movies to watch back at her place! Now tell me all about the exciting Friday night that is Jimmy Brooks."
Jimmy wheeled around to the other side of the table, continuing to wipe away the sticky grime that seemed to cover every inch of the room. "Trust me, it's not much more exciting than your plans with Liberty. I was hoping to maybe connect with Ashley."
Emma watched Jimmy lower his eyes as he said Ashley's name. Jimmy and Ashley had their share of ups and downs. They broke up last year, then got back together around graduation time. Then, nearing the end of summer, Ashley had decided to switch her plans for college, and opted to travel to Europe and spend the year with her father. That didn't leave much room for a relationship with a heartbroken Jimmy. But now Ashley was back, apparently for good, and Jimmy couldn't be happier.
"I think Ashley's really lucky," Emma commented with a smile. She touched Jimmy's shoulder as she passed by him to wash out her sticky cloth.
"I hope Ash feels the same way," Jimmy confessed, shyly. "I guess I'm a little scared, you know? To get too close."
"I completely get that."
"Because that's how you feel about Jay?"
Emma nodded her head slowly. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I hate that he can still get to me. It's like, why can't I just put him out of my mind and be done with it?"
"For the same reason I can't do that with Ash. I love her. I always have."
Emma stopped what she was doing and took a seat beside Jimmy, not wanting to tower over him any longer. "I don't want to love him," she whispered.
Jimmy swallowed the lump in his throat and tried to offer Emma a smile. "But you do."
She nodded and lowered her head. When she looked back up, she had tears in her eyes. "It's so painful, Jimmy. To be in love with someone you can't be with."
"So who says you can't be with him?" Jimmy asked, handing her a Kleenex.
"I say. I've tried to forget about what I saw, but I just can't. So I try to forget about all of the great times we had before that, but I can't. So what do I do? How do I move forward?" she asked, practically begging Jimmy to tell her what to do to make this pain go away.
Jimmy couldn't believe what he was about to say, but he said it just the same. It came, sincerely, from the bottom of his heart. "Jay loves you. If you think you're alone in your suffering, you're wrong. I've seen him and he's just as miserable as you. If he didn't care about you, he'd have moved on long ago. Maybe the secret to getting over all of this, is to forgive. We all make mistakes. Maybe Jay has made his and now's the time to move past it. Try to forgive him, Emma."
"Hard to believe you're coming to Jay's defence, although it seems to be going around lately," Emma admitted. "Tell me this, would you be able to forgive Ashley if she slept with Spinner?"
Jimmy shrugged. "I've forgiven Ash for a lot, Emma. And she's forgiven me for a lot too. Sometimes that's what love is all about. Forgiveness."
"And what if I can't find it in my heart to forgive?" she asked, raw emotion on her face.
"Have you tried? Have you tried to forgive as much as you've tried to forget?"
Emma knew that she'd spent her entire time away from here trying to forget all about her feelings for Jay. She'd never entertained the idea of forgiving him, mostly because she just didn't think he deserved it. But maybe Jimmy had a point. All this time, Emma had been torturing herself, trying to put the memories of Jay out of her mind, with very little success. Could forgiving him for his indiscretion be any harder?
"You have memories of good times with Jay, right?" Jimmy asked.
"More than I wish I had," Emma told him honestly. "All in all, Jay and I had a wonderful relationship. Sure, we bickered, but our banter was what brought us together in the first place."
FLASHBACK
Emma and Manny pulled into the garage slowly. Jay was ahead, leaning against some car, grease covering the overalls he was wearing, black hat turned backwards, as usual. Emma looked over at Manny and asked, "Are you sure about this?"
"Am I sure that I want to trust Jay Hogart? No. Am I sure I don't want my father to kill me? Yes. Come on and try to be nice," Manny warned her.
They got out of the car and Emma realized that since Sean had left town for basic training, she rarely ever saw Jay...not that she was complaining. When they were together, they were usually fighting; it was what they did best.
"Santos. Greenpeace. What brings you two to the grease pit?" Jay asked, heaving himself off the car and approaching them. He looked past the girls to the car. His face scrunched up as if he was suddenly in pain. "Vehicles like this shouldn't be driven by girls who obviously can't drive."
Manny frowned. "Listen, Scum..."
Emma stepped forward, dragging Jay to the other side of the garage and cutting Manny off. She spoke quietly to Jay. "This car is more important to Manny's father than Manny herself, okay? Can you fix it?"
Jay swallowed the lump lodged in his throat. He didn't mind being this close to Emma, close enough to smell her perfume and shampoo intermingling in the sweet way it did. It was no secret that Jay desired Emma. He probably always had. But she was the property of his best friend, and his friendship with Sean was the only lasting thing in his life. He couldn't ruin that for what would probably never happen with his dream girl.
"We could work something out," he smirked, wrapping an arm around Emma's shoulders. She shrugged it off and gave him her usual look. He stepped back, holding his hands up in surrender. "Relax, Nelson. I wasn't suggesting anything sordid...at least not with you. I was thinking you might set a little something up between Miss Santos and myself."
Emma didn't know why, but she suddenly felt upset. So Jay was interested in Manny. Wasn't everyone? But Jay was kind of hers. He was the guy who always had something to say to her. He was the guy who flashed her those looks that made her knees go weak. Sure, he wasn't someone she'd necessary be with, but she liked the idea that he, maybe, wanted to be with her.
END OF FLASHBACK
Emma had almost forgotten about that. Jay had wanted Manny even back then. Some surprise that he ended up getting exactly what he wanted in the end.
Jimmy's words of wisdom were lost as Emma succumbed to her painful memories. Forgive Jay? No way!
Sorry, but you have to wait a bit to find out just what happened that fateful night! Please R&R!
