Emma's Home (The Fairfield Series) Read Free

Friday night, and we need to go hit the bars with our ladies,” he smirked. “I’m runnin’ home to change and get Carol. We’ll see you at Smokey’s.”
    Jake dropped by his mom’s house to shower and change. He took off his badge and gun holster and laid them on his dresser. Coming out of the shower, he chose faded jeans and a black t-shirt that stretched across his chest. He kept in shape working out 3 times a week at the local gym and running every morning before going to the station. He had never had a problem attracting women but was cautious about sleeping around. Fairfield wasn’t a small town, but neither was it a large metropolis. He had no desire to run into previous one night stands while on the job. Before Tom met Carol, Tom had no such cares and had his fair share of one night conquests. Afterwards, Tom instantly gave up his man whore ways and was completely whipped.
    Their friend Rob, a local firefighter/EMT had met his girlfriend, Laurie, when there was a fire at the elementary school where she was a new teacher. All three were over six feet tall and turned the ladies’ eyes whenever they made an appearance. But since Laurie and Carol had entered the scene, Jake was often the odd man out, unless he brought a date.
    It wasn’t as though Jake did not want a relationship – he just had not found the right woman yet. Finding a woman who would meet his standards and understand his life choices was difficult. Usually as soon as a woman found out that he was thirty-three years old and living in his mother’s house, she would declare that a deal breaker and not come around again. He had his reasons, and if a woman couldn’t understand his situation, then he wasn’t interested in her either. But it made life a little lonely.
    Looking in the mirror before heading out, the thought that he certainly wouldn’t be finding the love of his life tonight went through his head. He knew he was running late, but what the hell, he had no one to impress. Sighing to himself, Jake left his room.
    Mary Campbell looked up smiling as Jake came down the stairs. She was sitting in a comfortable chair, her Kindle in her lap. “Hey sweetheart, are you heading out now?” she asked. She wished that his father could have seen what a wonderful man Jake was. Her son looked so much like her late husband that she sometimes had to pinch herself to remember who she was looking at. Jake’s father would have been so proud of him, just as she was.
    “Yeah, mom. Are you going to be all right here tonight? I may be late, but I can easily cut this evening short. In fact, I may want to cut it short,” he added, ruefully rubbing his hands through his thick sandy colored hair.
    “Of course,” Mary replied. “I don’t have to go upstairs for anything, and I have my walker right next to my chair if I need it. Have a good time.”
    Leaning down, Jake kissed his mother on the cheek before he headed out of the door. Jake’s dad had been diagnosed with cancer soon after Jake had graduated from the police academy, and he came back to Fairfield to help out. Soon after his dad passed away, his mother was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, and was having difficulty taking care of things by herself. Jake moved out of his apartment and back into her home to help out. He did not begrudge his choices, but knew that it would take a very special woman to ever be able to have a relationship with him. He sighed deeply and headed downtown to the bar.
    *
    Laurie, Rob, Tom, and Carol were sitting at a table in the back of the bar where there was more room to move around. Emma had arrived about thirty minutes earlier, much to the delight of Laurie.
    Smokey’s had a homey feel with rich dark wood on the floor and the bar. Behind the bar was an old fashioned mirror with brass light fixtures. Tables and booths lined one side and were in the back, along with an area for a few pool tables. Smokey’s also served great food, one of the reasons Laurie chose