"Good morning!" Taylor said cheerily as Frank shuffled into the kitchen. "What do you want for breakfast? Dan and I are having blueberry pancakes but I can whip up something up savoury if you'd prefer..."
"I'm not hungry," Frank muttered dully, as he poured himself a cup of coffee.
Taylor eyed him in concern.
Frank looked terrible. He had dark circles under his eyes and looked as though he hadn't slept in days. His hair appeared greasy and uncombed and he was wearing a ripped T-shirt and trackies – a far cry from the clean-cut look he'd sported when he'd first come to stay with them.
"Is everything alright...?" she started to ask, but it was too late. Frank had already grabbed his coffee and headed for the refuge of his room.
Taylor was left staring after him and wondering what was wrong.
"Morning, Tay," Daniel said with a smile as he entered the kitchen. "What's for breakfast?"
He peered over her shoulder and his eyes lit up. "Blueberry pancakes? Mmm!"
Taylor smiled. "Give me a couple more minutes and I'll have a stack ready for you."
After they had both finished a pancake each, Taylor finally brought up what was on her mind.
"Honey, have you noticed that something seems to be bothering Frank?"
"Not really," Dan said with a shrug. "I've hardly seen him lately, actually – but I just figured he must have a pretty active social life. You know how popular he is with the girls."
Taylor laughed. "I don't think so... not unless the girls he's hanging around like guys with unwashed hair and dark circles under their eyes!"
"Well, not everyone can be as good-looking and hygienic as me," Daniel teased as he devoured a second pancake.
"Modest too," Taylor said playfully.
Her husband nodded, keeping his countenance solemn. "Of course. That goes without saying."
"But seriously," Taylor persisted. "He just came in for coffee and he looked awful. Something's wrong – I just wish I knew what it was. Somehow I don't think he'd feel comfortable spilling his guts to me, though. Now if only he had a close male relative... perhaps someone living in the same house, even... who could talk to him and find out what was wrong..."
Daniel was already shaking his head. "No way, Taylor. He won't talk about anything serious with me. We just don't have that kind of relationship. You know who he probably would talk to, though?"
"I should've thought of that earlier," Taylor sighed. "I'll call right away."
She pulled out her phone and quickly dialled a familiar number.
"Hello, Emma?"
...
"I just don't understand!" Henrietta wailed in confusion. "I really thought Rob Martin liked me, but he told me he couldn't go out with me after all, because he likes another girl!"
Emma frowned, trying to make sense of her friend's story. "But aren't you dating that guy online?"
Henrietta's cheeks reddened. "Well, no, not exactly – I mean, he's very charming and intelligent but it's not like we've met in person or anything. And I was going to stop writing to him if something happened between me and Rob."
Her face crumpled. "And I guess that's not going to happen anymore. Why does this always happen to me? Why am I such a loser?"
"You're not a loser," Emma soothed, patting the distraught girl on the back. "The right guy for you will come along, you'll see. Just be patient!"
"I wish I was like you," Henrietta sniffed, accepting the box of tissues that Emma silently handed her. "You never seem to get worried about guys! And you're so happy being single. Why can't I be like you?"
Henrietta blew her nose noisily and Emma took advantage of the moment to turn away and busy herself with rearranging the flowers on the coffee table.
What would Henrietta think of her if she knew that Emma had stayed up until 3am that morning, hugging her childhood teddy bear and staring at a photo of Jake? She would lose her reputation as a happy single; that was for sure.
She had avoided him successfully for the past few days but seeing him would be inevitable tonight.
It was his farewell party, after all. How she wished that she didn't have to attend.
Her phone suddenly rang, interrupting Henrietta's monologue. She dove for it quickly, thankful for the interruption to her melancholy thoughts.
"Hey, Taylor!"
She listened for a moment and her brow furrowed. "OK. I'll be there as soon as I can."
...
"Apples," Izzy groaned. "We bought flour, sugar, butter, cinnamon... everything we need to bake apple pie... except the apples."
"Do we need to have apple pie?" John asked plaintively. "You could make cheesecake... or trifle... or just serve up some ice-cream! Ice-cream always works at a party."
"But it's Jake's farewell party," Izzy reminded her husband. "And you know how much he loves my apple pie. It's his last chance to have some before he goes to London. I have to make it tonight!"
"You could make it while he's in London and I could eat it for him," John suggested, not overly anxious to get up from his comfortable seat on the couch, where he was trying to watch TV.
His wife fixed with him a glare. "Jonathan Philip Knightley..."
John sighed. "OK, I know you're pulling out the big guns when you use my full name."
He reluctantly got to his feet. "Henry! Jacob! We have to pick up some apples at the shops while Mummy waits for EJ to wake up!"
Izzy smiled in triumph. "Who says husbands can't be trained?"
...
"Emma to the rescue!" Emma sang. "Where is my patient?"
"Thanks for coming, Em," Taylor said gratefully, giving her friend a huge hug. "He's in his room. Except for this morning, when he needed coffee, he's been in there all day."
"He might not even talk to me, you know," Emma pointed out. "I do have some delicious macarons which might entice him to talk, though." She held up a plastic container and rattled it temptingly.
"They look great!" Taylor marvelled. "I've never even tried to make macarons – they intimidate me too much."
"Adele taught me," Emma explained. "We can do a lesson sometime if you like."
Taylor grinned. "Thanks, but no thanks – I'll take the easy way out and buy them at Zumbo's instead."
"Your choice," Emma said with a shrug. "Anyway, wish me luck!"
"Good luck!" Taylor whispered. "Although I am sure he will open up to you. I know he thinks pretty highly of you."
"We'll see," Emma said with a smile.
She knocked gently on the door. "Frank? Can I come in?"
Emma assumed that the muffled grunt meant yes. She gingerly opened the door and poked her head in.
Taylor hadn't been kidding. Frank did look awful.
He smiled faintly at her. "Hi, Emma. What's up?"
"OK, I've got some salted caramel macarons here which will blow your mind," she announced, holding up the plastic container once again. "But you'll only get to try them if you explain to me exactly what's going on. You do realise Taylor and Dan are worried about you, right?"
Frank grimaced. "Are you sure you want to hear it?"
Emma sat down on Frank's swivelly desk chair and looked at him expectantly.
Seeing no way of escape, he sighed, and began, "Well, it all started last February..."
...
Author's Note: Aren't I nice? I actually gave you a chapter which doesn't end on a cliffhanger... for once! Although I guess I am taking my time on getting to that farewell party scene between Emma and Jake... Remember, all good things come to those who wait...
Thank you so very much to cartasdeamor, iambbq, Ami4, RhiannonAmidala, TheImaginationAddict, Stephy-Lou Clark-Weasley, cutelilmochi, BaliK, toffeema, .viola, EaF and MySarcasticGreenCrayon for your feedback! I love hearing your thoughts and words of encouragement. Keep 'em coming!