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  Emmalee

  Jenni James copyright(c)2011

  Hey guys, this is book third of The Austen Diaries--a modern retelling of Jane Austen's Emma. You'll see some of your favorite characters as well as some great new ones--like Taylor Anderson's (pride & popularity) older brother. I hope you enjoy. :)

  PS As always don't forget to fan me so you can receive all my story updates.

  I love you guys!

  Chapter One:

  “Never fear, milady, your knight has returned!

  Which of these villains shall I behead first?”

  “Emmalee!” Mom’s voice brought me out of my reverie.

  “What?” I hollered back. Our house was pretty large. Okay it was huge. And trying to talk to people was nearly impossible. Especially since I refused to use the intercom system my stepdad had installed. Talk about so nineteen-sixties and totally embarrassing.

  “Come here,” was Mom’s answering call. “I have some news for you.”

  News? Hmm. News is good. “Okay!” I answered, while I logged out of Facebook. No reason my friends should think I was a total Facebook junkie. I tried to log out all the time, just in case they thought it was all I did, sit in my room and surf Facebook. Pathetic I know, but ever since my best friend went away to college four weeks ago it’s all I have been doing. I sighed. Senior year looked like it was going to be a little bleak. I was the only one left at home now. Sometimes it stinks being the youngest.

  I turned off the lights as I headed out of my bedroom. Yes, it’s better to conserve energy than waste it.

  “Where are you?” I hollered into the corridor while I waited by my door for her answer. Briefly I glanced at some of the family portraits that lined the wide hallway. My mom had them commissioned to be painted from old photographs.

  One day I was determined to be good enough in my artwork to be able to actually paint portraits myself. Of course my favorite portrait was of me sitting on a fluffy white rug –slash—blanket thing, with a gorgeous ruffled yellow dress and grinning adorably at my audience. How much cuter could I have gotten with that huge bow over my forehead? Mom had also commissioned a doll made to look just like the portrait. She called it her Emma Doll. It was still sitting on a shelf right behind me in my bedroom.

  “I’m in the upstairs parlor, dear,” she answered.

  Upstairs parlor. Good grief. I turned left and followed the portraits of my ancestors –mostly from the thirties and forties-- that led to the room. Mom read a lot of regency romance novels and still liked to believe we lived in Jane Austen’s time. Hence the portrait “gallery” –as she calls it-- and upstairs “parlor.” She originally wanted to call it the “green room” or “blue room” like they did back in the eighteen hundreds. But, since she was constantly redecorating and changing its color theme, my stepdad thankfully demanded that she stuck to calling it the upstairs parlor instead of changing its name every year or so.

  This year the upstairs parlor would’ve been called the “pink room.” Shades of every color of pink ranging from the palest blush to the darkest burgundy were tastefully scattered and splashed around the ivory room. With plush silk accent pillows, elegant curtains, organza covered lampshades and artfully arranged pink knickknacks it looked like it had come to life straight from the pages of House Beautiful. Knowing my mom, it probably did.

  Briefly, I paused in the doorway. I was always stunned a little when I saw my mom. She was so beautiful. Strikingly so. Right then she had one perfectly manicured diamond-ringed finger held up for me while she talked on her old fashioned ivory and brass French phone. I watched as she laughed and flipped her long smooth blonde hair. She moved the exaggerated curved phone handle to the other ear and crossed one long slim leg while she lounged on her antique cream and gold-leafed lounge chair. –With fuchsia accent pillows of course.

  Quietly, I walked into the room and set down on my favorite overstuffed chair. This year it was upholstered in a wide cream and rose striped fabric. I waited a moment to see if Mom was watching before I curled my feet –shoes and all-- underneath me.

  “Okay, Grace. I’ll let her know.” Mom smiled into the phone.

  Grace? She’s talking to Mrs. Anderson. Hmm… I wonder what Taylor’s mom wants? I hadn’t seen Taylor since last Thanksgiving. He’d been living in Arizona the past two years while he went to college. I wonder if he and Chloe are planning to get married or something? How long has he been going with that girl now? One year? No wait, it’s been two years, hasn’t it?

  “Yes. She’s right here. She’s going to be so happy. I can’t wait to tell her.” Mom’s smile turned to me and then slightly frowned with a pointed look at my feet.

  Grudgingly, I rolled my eyes and brought my legs down to the floor. She’s such an Austenite!

  “Thank you so much! Tell Lionel we said hello, okay? Yes. Yes. Thanks again. Ba-bye!” She set the phone in its cradle. Her smile was more than its normal radiant when she looked over. “Guess what?” Mom’s pedicured sandaled feet gracefully slid to the floor as she sat properly up to talk to me.

  I debated if I should really guess or if it was a rhetorical question.

  “So are you going to guess?” Mom flashed her rings as she patted her knees.

  Rhetorical question is out. “Taylor and Chloe Hart are finally getting married?”

  “What?” Mom’s confused stare blew that one out of the water. “No, no.” She shook her head. “You can do better than that. Think Emmalee.”

  Something that will make me happy? “Can you give me a clue?”

  “Fine,” Mom mumbled. “I’ll give you one. And I swear if you don’t figure it out, I may change my mind completely and not let you--”

  No way! “Lady’s had her puppies!”

  “Yes!” She laughed as I ran over and threw my arms around her.

  “When did she have them? Can I see them?” I was so excited I couldn’t help it. I’d been waiting for Georgia’s dog to deliver her puppies for forever now.

  “Yes. You can go see them. The Andersons wanted you to have first pick.” Mom chuckled. “Now, let go, before you strangle me.”

  I let go. Then threw my arms around her again, “Thank you, Mom!”

  This time she removed my limbs and held my hands in front of her. I looked down into her cheerful brown eyes and watched as they saddened for a moment. “No more moping around, okay?”

  I nodded my head like I was eight instead of my newly acquired eighteen.

  “I can’t take it anymore. It’s the one reason your dad –Mom always called my stepfather “Dad”—and I agreed to allow you to have a puppy. We’re hoping you can be a little more pleasant around the house now that your best friend has left too. It’s almost the end of September and already one full month into your senior year. I want you to make the most of it, okay?”

  Again I nodded, then matched Mom’s rueful smile before apologizing, “Sorry. Have I really been that bad?”

  Her grin caused me to chuckle, “Maybe not that bad,” she said, “Just not that good either.”

  “Okay. I promise to be happier. And I promise to find a new friend,” I decided to add for good measure.

  It worked. Mom’s full brilliant smile returned. “Good. You’re my princess. I want you to be happy.” She gave my hands a squeeze. “So what are you waiting here for? Go pick out which puppy you want.”

  “Yes!” With another exuberant hug and a, “Thank you!” I was out of the parlor and charging down the stairs. Turning left I jogged through the formal dining into the breakfast room and then practically skidded through the large kitchen into the mud room. With an excited tug I was out the backdoor and running through our half acre plot of various flower gardens and pathways that made up my mother’s backyard. I barely noticed Mom’s “romantic” white trellised gazebo as I hu
rried past to the back fence gate we shared with the Andersons.

  Another tug and I was in the splendor of the Anderson’s three acre sculpture garden. No backyard in all of Farmington, New Mexico, beat this one. It was absolutely stunning. I slowed my run to a slight jog as I hurried on the path past the manmade lake. It was probably about the size of two football fields. I shook my head at the small paddle boat and fishing line set next to the dock. Mrs. Anderson will have a fit when she sees that. Paddle boats and fishing wire do not mesh with gorgeous floral hedges and sculptures. It reminded me of all the times my stepbrother Zack and Taylor had gotten in trouble for leaving their stuff at the dock instead of putting it back in the hut.

  Grinning, I rushed up the small rise that led to the large white mansion-style home in front of me. Even from behind their plantation style mansion was simply breathtaking. I weaved around the last of the sculptures near the covered veranda and over to the side door that led to their large mud room. I rang the doorbell and politely wiped my feet while I waited for the Anderson’s maid, Mrs. Little to answer.

  “Emmalee Bradford? Is that you?”

  The deep voice above my head was most decidedly not Mrs. Little. In fact it could only belong to one person and one person only; my knight in shining armor. With an outrageous grin I jerked my head up. “Chase!” In less than a second I was wrapped in the largest, warmest, comforting bear hug a girl could ever ask for.

  Taylor’s older brother had been gone too long. The whole summer. The last time I had seen him was over three months ago right before he’d headed off to Spain. I didn’t realize just how much I’d missed him until now. We were family--or as close to family as two neighbors who grew up together can be.

  His tan features chuckled down at me. “So did you survive the summer without me rescuing you?” he teased.

  I laughed and shook my head as I pulled out of his arms and stepped into his mud room. “Excuse me. I will have you knowI am eighteen now and adult. I’m fully capable of—“

  Chase snorted and mumbled something under his breath before he said, “Really? An adult? Is that why you were tearing through the garden like a kid just a couple of minutes ago?”

  What? My cheeks grew red as I sat down on the small bench and began removing my shoes before I responded. “So, I can see Spain didn’t change you one bit, you’re the same as you always were. I take it that’s your paddle boat and fishing rod out there on the lake then?”

  “Dang! I forgot. Thanks.” His grin grew. “Guess, I need saving now, huh?”

  “Probably.” I rolled my eyes. “How long have you been back?”

  “Yesterday.”

  “What? Yesterday! And nobody told me?” I couldn’t hide my disappointment as I stood up.

  He chuckled and brought his finger up under my chin. Gently he turned my face from side to side.

  “What?” Confused I giggled.

  He looked really baffled. “It’s funny I’ve never noticed how much you look like your mom.”

  “Really?” I beamed.

  “Wow! Especially that smile. Yep. Definitely just like your mom.”

  “Thanks.”

  I watched his sky-blue eyes glitter for a second before he lowered his lashes. When he looked back at me, it was with his normal happy gleam. “So you’re saying someone should’ve woken you up at nine last night and told you I had just got home?”

  Nine? I started to laugh. “First off, Chase Anderson, I am eighteen now, not twelve. I think the last time I went to bed at nine was when I went to Ashley Dixon’s sleepover and I finally zonked out at nine that morning. Second, you left us three months ago, buddy. I wouldn’t have cared if it was two o’clock in the morning, I would’ve expected a phone call. So in answer to your question, yes! Come on. You’re my knight. I will always be happy to see you no matter what time it is.”

  “You remember that? Really?” He placed his shoulder against the wall of the small room, clearly amazed.

  “Excuse me, but a girl does not forget the only guy who would ruin his brand new shoes and leather coat to come and save her.”

  “But you were ten.”

  “A very terrified ten year old girl, who Zack and Taylor refused to help and would only laugh at. Had you not come when you did—and as quickly too!—I might have drowned.”

  “Well, I’m sure you remember the almost drowning part.” He teased. “I don’t think that is something any of us will ever forget. I’m just surprised you remembered it was me who rescued you and the nickname I made you call me.”

  “You made me?”

  “Ah-ha! Something you don’t remember.” Chase grinned. “It was the only thing I could think of to get you to stop crying. You were such a princess then. All girlie-girl, so I told you I was your knight coming to rescue you.”

  I couldn’t help it. I laughed. I couldn’t remember, but I could imagine. Mostly I could imagine it working.

  “So I take it you didn’t run all the way up here to tell me the boat was in the lake, did you?”

  Oh! “No, Lady had puppies and I was coming over to see them.”

  “Lady? You mean Georgia’s dog? Yeah, they’re up in her room. Do you want me to take you up there? I’m trying to spend as much time with her as possible.”

  “With Lady?”

  “No.” He grinned again. “With Georgia. Since I’ve been in Spain I have a whole summer’s worth of catching up to do.”

  “Oh. Well, don’t worry about me, I know the way.”

  “In that case, let me get the fishing stuff put up and then I’ll see you in a minute. Georgia’s not the only one I need to catch up on.” He wiggled his eyebrows as he moved past me. In a heartbeat he had stepped out the open door, turned the corner and was gone.

  Chapter 2:

  “Have you always been this cute, or did you have to work at it?”

  “Knock, knock,” I called as I tapped onGeorgia’s open door.

  “We’re back here!” a little voice rang out. “Emma, is that you?”

  “Yep.” I stepped into the beautifully displayed large lavender and white playroom. It was full of every toy imaginable.

  “Hurry! You have to see! Lady had her puppies!”

  I followed the enthusiastic six year old voice through to the adjoining room. I looked on either side of the large canopied white eyelet lace bed, before glancing around the rest of the pristine lavender bedroom. “Where?” I chuckled.

  “In here! In here!” cameGeorgia’s reply.

  Is she in her bathroom? Just as I opened the door to the designer bathroom I heard a couple of slight soft giggles and mewing sounds over my shoulder. Ah-ha. I shut the door and walked into Georgia’s dressing room. “There you are!”

  The little girl was laid out on her tummy while she peered into the small circular dog bed the Pomeranian and her brood were resting in. Georgia giggled and motioned me closer. Cautiously I walked over and knelt down on the floor next to her. I raised the back of my hand for Lady to sniff before visiting with the puppies. I had never seen the small dog look more proud than I had right then.

  “Good girl, Lady. They are simply beautiful.”

  All four of the puppies were busily nursing. Carefully I ran one finger over the smooth backside of the nearest pup.

  “That’s Little Lion,” said Georgia. “He’s my favorite.”

  We both began to giggle as Little Lion scooted blindly over his siblings and began to search for some more milk. Faint protests were heard from the other puppies as he scrambled above their heads. Georgia chuckled and gently picked him up and placed the little guy away from the rest where he greedily latched on and started to nurse again.

  “Do you have names for all of them?”

  “No. Just Little Lion. Me and Mom decided he was the most like Dad.”

  I laughed. Lionel Anderson probably wasn’t too thrilled with the name choice. “Were they born today?”

  “Nope. Last night. It was so exciting too! First Chase came home, and then th
e puppies came. Mom even let me stay up an’ watch.”

  “I bet you’re tired now, huh?”

  “I was, but now I’m okay. I like watching them. They’re so cute.”

  “I can’t believe how tiny they are.” It looked like I could fit two puppies in the palm of my hand.

  “Dr. Westbrook says that they won’t open their eyes for a whole week from now.”

  Surprised I asked, “Was she here?” The local vet very rarely made house calls.

  “No, not yet. But Mom says she’ll be by later this afternoon to check on them.”

  I wonder if the Andersons had Dr. Westbrook on speed dial? Probably. Knowing Grace Anderson like I did, it was basically guaranteed. She was meticulous when it came to details. Especially, when it involved her daughter.

  It was no secret that Georgia was the Anderson’s miracle baby. After twelve years of repeated fertility treatments they had finally given up on ever having another child.

  “Hello, girls. Can I join you?” Chase’s head peeked into the dressing room.

  “Hi, Chase!” Georgia beamed up at him. “Come in. Emma’s deciding which puppy she wants.”

  I scooted over a bit and let him sit next to her. The room was pretty big, but with Chase in it, it automatically seemed to shrink to about half the size. He grinned and playfully nudged one of the puppies before looking over at me. “Have you chosen one yet?”

  I smiled. “No. I thought I’d wait until they stopped eating. I can’t even see them right now.”

  “You’re right. You shouldn’t choose today anyway. You should give them a couple weeks until you get to see their personalities. Besides, right now they look more like little slugs than dogs.”

  “Slugs!” I chuckled and shook my head. “No way. They’re adorable. I can’t believe you just called them slugs.”

  “Don’t listen to Chase,” statedGeorgia. “He’s a boy and boys don’t know anything.”

  “It’s true.” He winked at me. “I don’t know anything.”

  I rolled my eyes and watched as the first of the puppies unlatched itself from its mother and curled into a ball. Lady leaned over and began to lick and clean the little guy. I was amazed at her natural motherly instinct that kept the puppy close to her so it could stay warm as it slept.