Marion Ekholm - Just Like Em

“I’m goin’ to be just like him. Right, Dad?”

Em’s spine went rigid. One day away from her and her son had fixated on this man. Or had Roger … “Did you tell him to call you that?”

Roger shrugged. “It’s something I thought—”

“We’ve got to talk.” She moved back to Sammy and kissed him on the forehead. “I’ll be here all night, and I’ll take you home tomorrow.”

“Can’t I go home with Dad and my brothers?”

Em seethed, but she kept her features calm. “We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”

She grabbed hold of Roger’s elbow and spun him around. The moment they were safely past the nurses’ station she lit into him. “How could you? He called you Dad, and you didn’t blink an eye.”

Roger placed a finger over his lips as he glanced around. “I told him to.”

Appalled, Em stood motionless. “You told him? How can you play with my child’s emotions that way?”

“Em, listen,” Roger said as he grasped her arms above her elbows. “He knows it’s just for today.”

“You have no idea what you’ve started.”

Dear Reader,

Thank you for choosing Just Like Em. Do you remember having a crush on a boy much older than you? Em cringes with that memory when she again meets Roger. Fifteen years ago, back when she was fourteen and he was a senior in college, she tried every means she could think of to make him notice her. And he did—with total loathing. When he meets this attractive woman at Metro, he can’t believe she’s the same woman who tried to destroy his love life. If he’d managed to get his hands on her during their last encounter, he’d still be serving a jail sentence.

Em and Roger have a second chance. She’s divorced, having left a man who didn’t love her and used her for a free ride. Roger lost the love of his life two years before. Now, if he could just put the memory of his dead wife behind him, he might see what a wonderful life he could have with Em. I tried my best to make them see how perfect they were for each other. Hope I succeeded.

I was displaced, and many of my experiences are detailed through Em and the help she provides Roger. Also, I have asthma, an affliction not as severe as Em’s son, but something that keeps me on top of the subject. Although I’ve never been a smoker, I’ve witnessed how difficult it is to give up the addiction in my friends and family, and I admire how Em eventually gives it up.

And oh, yes, the heat in Phoenix can be a challenge, something we adjust to eventually. We enjoy our 300 plus days of sun, and appreciate not having to shovel any snow.

I hope you’ve had a few laughs as well as poignant moments and maybe shared some similar experiences. Reach me through www.heartwarmingauthors.blogspot.com. I’d love to hear from you.

Marion Eckholm

Just Like Em

Marion Ekholm

www.millsandboon.co.uk

MARION EKHOLMBack in my fifth year in Plainville, Connecticut, I was writing stories and reading them to my friends. I always wanted to be either a writer or an artist. Neither one seemed like a possibility in my day, when most women became either teachers or secretaries. But I had determination on my side and a mother willing to help me with my dreams. I earned my BFA at Rhode Island School of Design and became a lace designer in New York City, met my husband and moved to New Jersey. Years later, I took stock of my life. I had a career, two children, a beautiful home and opportunities to travel extensively—but I’d never written anything other than letters. I began writing for real and eventually became an editor of a newspaper and sold numerous short stories and magazine articles. Thanks to Heartwarming, I’m now a novelist. The horizon is endless.

This book is dedicated to my mother, Pearl Suess, who I’ve missed nearly every day since her death in 1970. She totally encouraged me, trusted me and backed me in everything I did—except my decision to go to college. Our one argument—even now I choke up thinking of it—was about the lack of money. The argument lasted a week of crying and door slamming on both sides. And then she held me in her arms and said, “You’re going to college.” She worked cleaning houses and eventually a cafeteria position that she kept until all my college loans were paid off. Thank you, Mom. You’re responsible for all the good things in my life.

Acknowledgments

I’ve been so fortunate over the years to have my critique partners. Not only do they help me with the written word, but also with my life. Special thanks to Shelley Mosley and Sandra Lagesse. I love you guys. Also, Carol Webb, Kim Watters and Deborah Mazoyer.

Laurie Schnebly Cambell, who volunteered her time as mentor at Desert Rose RWA in Phoenix, read my book and provided positive feedback. You’re an angel.

More thanks to the wonderful people I’ve met through Romance Writers of America, including Jane Toombs, Mildred Lubke, Vicki Lewis Thompson and Roz Denny Fox, who helped me on my journey.

And kudos to Gail Centola, aka Angela Adams, who I met at a conference so many years ago. Thanks to her constant prodding and encouragement during some low points in my life, I’ve kept on writing.

Additional thanks to my editors, who I’ve been fortunate to meet at so many conferences, especially Paula Eykelhof and Victoria Curran. I really appreciate all your help and encouragement.

And special thanks to my son, David, my daughter, Sandy, and my granddaughters, Rebecca and Michelle. You’ve been a wonderful blessing.

Contents

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

EPILOGUE

CHAPTER ONE

IF THIS WASN’T the worst day of his life, it sure came close. Roger Holden adjusted his sunglasses against the brilliant summer Arizona sun and dashed across the parking lot to his air-conditioned office building. Already, waves of heat radiated from the blacktop, enveloping him.

Just before reaching the entrance to Metro Industries, he stopped. His gut twisted when he recognized a longtime friend dabbing her eyes. He offered the gray-haired woman his handkerchief and placed an arm around her shoulders.

“Come on, Hilda. Let’s get out of this heat.” She let him guide her inside.

“I know you’re not to blame for all the problems,” she said as they entered the cool foyer.

Roger gave her arm a gentle squeeze. At least one person out there knew the layoffs weren’t his fault.

“Just the same, the situation is frustrating.” She sighed and folded his handkerchief before returning it to him. “Fifteen years. Who would have guessed?” A sob caught in her throat. “I decided to take the company’s offer and retire.” She sighed again and looked away. “It won’t be so bad. I’ll be able to spend more time with my grandchildren.”

“Would you like me to come with you? Help you pack your desk?”

She patted his arm. “Thanks, but you have work to do, and I need to say goodbye to my friends. I’ll get one of the guards to help.” Hilda started toward the security gate, stopped and turned to offer a weak smile. “You take care, now, and let me know where you end up.”

Roger stayed in the foyer while Hilda waited at the bank of elevators with one of the uniformed guards. She needed some private time to compose herself. So did he, for that matter.