EMMALINE

Emma looked around at the streets and shops going past the window as they drove through the town of Millbrooke.

Having lived all her life in a crowded and energetic city like London, this laid back and small town made her feel uncomfortable and out of place.

The people walking on the streets were all casually dressed even though it was a Monday morning.

Everyone was smiling at each other and giving cheerful nods.

How would it feel to live in a place where everyone knew you, and you knew everyone?

Even in the ice cream shop where they had stopped earlier, which Alec had been praising so much, that old man had started a conversation with her as if he knew her since the beginning of time. It was unsettling and a bizarre concept for her.

Her beige skirt and jacket looked as out of place, as her pale skin.

Everyone over here sported a healthy tan that one could get, only by spending whole days out in the sun.

To make things worse, Alec had been acting really different ever since they entered the town.

He was lost in his own thoughts and was barely talking to her at all.

She turned in her seat to look at him with a critical eye.

She had met Alexander Carter for the first time at a meeting in her office in London.

Emma worked for Bridge and Co. a PR agency in London and Wanderlust, Alec's travel company was one of the biggest clients their company had.

She had been promoted a few days back when her boss had taken her along for a meeting with Wanderlust.

That's when she met Alec in the conference room.

He had stood completely out of place with his sandy brown hair and blue eyes, dressed in a casual shirt and jeans.

But the smile which he flashed at her when they were introduced had stopped her heart.

He was handsome, in a rugged outdoorsy way.

And the fact that Wanderlust was doing great and making Alec and Derek the owners rich in a very short time also helped his case.

It was not long before they started dating and if everything went according to her plan they would be married by the end of this year.

It had been her plan to come to Millbrooke and meet his family. She wanted him to introduce her to his mom.

She knew very well that, meeting the parents was the first step to the nuptials which she was already planning.

She herself had taken him to meet her parents a week before they left for America.

And to say that the meeting had been a success would be an underestimation.

Mother had loved the fact that he was handsome and well mannered. While Father had been clearly impressed by the success of Wanderlust and all the plans they had for its future.

Her parents had made it very clear to her, very early in her life that she had to marry well to live a good life. And not only for love. Marriage was a thing which had to be well thought through and planned ahead of time.

And Alec met all their expectations.

So she had convinced him to take her to Millbrooke. But that was before she knew what a small town this was.

The air was so clear here and the streets silent, without any honking or shouting. So silent that she almost had a head ache.

They had been driving for hours and it felt like they were heading in the direction of the end of the world.

"When are we going to reach, Alec?"

Alec turned to see Emma who was pouting.

"In a few minutes. We're almost there."

Emma smiled, "I can't wait to meet your mother and sister! I'm so excited."

Alec smiled back before turning his attention back to the road.

They passed a garden with huge, shady trees and took a turn into a street lined with big houses.

The houses had nice front yards with flowers and well mowed lawns.

Alec parked his car in front of one of the houses.

Now this was the kind of thing Emma was thinking about.

Emma knew that Alec had lost his dad to a car accident when he had been 9.

And Jackson Carter had left them all the money he had earned from his hotel business.

She had known that even without Wanderlust, Alec was rich.

Julia, his sister now took care of the Carter hotel business.

"We're here."

Alec said getting out of the car and stretching.

The house looked the same.

This was the place where he had grown up. He had spent all his childhood and teenage years in this house and had made thousands of memories here.

That was the garden in which he had played in with Jade.

He knew that when he stepped in the house, it would have the same smell of lemongrass and home cooked food.

Emma got down from the car after Alec, slowed down because of her towering heels.

"It's beautiful!"

"Yes it is."

Alec sighed and turned towards the car to remove their luggage.

"Won't there be someone to take the luggage?" Emma asked when she saw Alec taking out her three Louis Vuitton suitcases from the trunk.

"Only mom and Julia are in there right now, Emma. I told you Steve will be coming day after to meet us."

Steve was Julia's husband who was in Chicago taking care of the hotel in the absence of Julia.

"I didn't mean Steve. I meant servants or something."

Alec heaved the last suitcase out and gave her a incredulous look.

"Em we don't have servants here."

"But there must be someone who takes care of the whole house. Cleaning, cooking and stuff."

"Mom does all the cooking and most of the cleaning on her own. The cleaning lady comes once in two weeks to give her a hand."

"What?"

This was absurd. Such a big house and no servants. No one to do the cooking.

She and her parents lived in a house which was the same size as this one and they had help coming in every day.

And she couldn't remember the last time Paula Burns, her mother had entered the kitchen.

"I know. I keep telling mom that we should sell this house and she should move into a smaller one. She's too old now to take care of such a huge house. But no, she says she entered the house as a bride and won't leave it till she dies."

Alec heaved the bags up the stairs as Emma stood without lifting a finger, appalled at the thought of selling this beautiful house.

"Are you going to stand there?"

Alec had reached the door and was about to ring the bell.

Emma ran up the front yard and the stair as fast as she could in her heels.

"Don't be nervous about meeting mom. She's the sweetest person on earth." Alec gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, mistaking her delay for hesitation due to nervousness rather than surprise.

He rang the bell.

A scrambling noise came from inside, and someone said loudly, "They're here!"

The door was pulled open and there in the middle of the doorway stood Susan Carter.

She saw Alec standing on the threshold and immediately hugged him tightly.

"Oh Alec! Too long it's been too long. I thought you forgot your old mother."

When they separated, Alec had a huge grin on his face and his mom had a bigger smile and tears on her face.

"Now now mom. You are not even close to old and how can I forget the most beautiful woman on earth." Alec said.

Susan Carter looked the same.

She was shorter than him by almost a foot with sandy blonde hair like his and dark green eyes.

Her smile still was beautiful though now there were a few more wrinkles around her eyes and lips.

She had a well maintained body and was dressed in fitting slacks and a loose shirt.

"And you must be Emmaline!"

To Emma's surprise she found herself being hugged by Susan.

Emma belonged to one of the proper British families, where manners and politeness were prided. From a young age certain things had been drilled into her. One of the main things being that it was absolutely necessary to hold yourself aloof from everyone.

So hugging was definitely not something her parents approved of. She couldn't remember the last time she had hugged her parents let alone anyone else.

She stood awkwardly and patted her back with her hands till Susan let her go.

"You can't believe how happy I am to meet you." Susan gleamed up at her.

Emma gave a bright smile and said, "Im pleased to meet you too, Mrs Carter!"

"Oh call me Susan."

"Okay Susan. And let me tell you, this town is absolutely charming."

"There's the British accent. I was waiting for it. Mom are you planing to leave them standing at the door or are you going to let them come in."

A pretty looking woman, who looked to be in her early 30's stepped out from behind the half open door.

This must be Julia, thought Emma.

She had the same eyes as Alec, but her hair was darker almost brown.

She had a smiling face and she was as tall as Alec.

Her brown hair was long and left open to curl till her waist.

She was dressed casually in jeans and a white t- shirt.

"Hey bro!" She hugged Alec tightly once they had been pulled in the house by Susan.

"Hey Sis!" Alec pulled Julia up from the floor and twirled her around once before letting her down.

"Hello Emmaline."

Emma shook the hand extended by Julia.

"Please call me Emma."

"Come in! Come in! Julia help Alec get in the bags. Emma, you come with me."

Susan pulled Emma into the living room behind her.

The house was decorated in a cozy fashion with soft sofas and plenty of knickknacks.

There were fluffy cushions and the wall was painted in warm colours.

The decoration was nothing like anything Emma had ever seen in anyone of the houses she had frequented in London.

Back there, all her family friends had houses which were carefully decorated by interior decorators. The owners didn't have a say in what went where.

If there were books on the shelves, they were there not because someone in the house liked reading them, it was because they looked good with the colours of the room and it gave an intellectual feel to the room.

Her house in London and all the houses she had visited over years for dinner parties and tea parties, didn't have the homey feel to it.

The Carter house had an individual touch to it. There were photos all around, and paintings by Julia and Alec.

The house was smelling of something delicious and the smell seemed to be coming from the kitchen.

"Steve's great." Julia said coming into the living room with Alec.

"Mom do I smell chocolate chip cookies?"

Alec said sniffing the air like a dog.

"Yes. But no cookies before lunch."

Alec felt great coming back home. He loved that the house always had a cozy feel to it. He loved that he could be himself in the house. And most of all he loved that he was meeting Julia and mom after so long.

He went and plopped down next to his mom on one of the sofas opposite where Emma was sitting.

He hoped that in those three suitcases, she was carrying something a little casual.

Because right now sitting in the casual living room of their house, Emma's suit looked even more out of place.

"Lunch is ready. I thought you both can freshen up a little and then we can have lunch together. I'm sure you must be tired Emma."

Emma gave Susan a smile and said, "That will be perfect."

"Great! Julia go show Emma where the guest room is. Alec you know where your room is."

Susan headed into the kitchen.

"Guest room?"

Emma turned towards Alec.

Did they really expect them to stay in different rooms?

They two of them had been living together for almost a year now. It was part of her plan leading to their marriage and now they were going to stay in different rooms.

"Emma, mom is old fashioned. And though she clearly knows that you both have.... You know.... 2 years is a long time. But I don't think she'll be comfortable with you two living in the same room."

Julia stuttered and made herself busy trying to pick the bags.

"But...."

"Emma... Let's adjust. It's only for a few weeks." Alec interrupted her.

"Okay."

Together they carried all the bags to the second floor where the guest bedroom was.

Not only was she expected to live in a different room, but Alec's room was on a different floor altogether.

The guest bedroom was really pretty with a huge double bed and pale blue walls.

From the window the pretty garden could be seen and on the walls there were paintings of flowers and gardens.

"The room is really pretty."

Julia smiled.

"Mom did the decorations herself." She kept the last bag on the floor, "Now we'll go. You freshen up and we'll meet for lunch in half and hour?"

"Sure."

Alec who was standing next to Emma gave her hand a squeeze and walked out of the room behind Julia, leaving Emma alone in the room.

Was this really a good idea? Thought Emma flopping down on the bed.

........................

AUTHOR'S NOTE:-

Happy Reading!! XX