Author’s Note: This is a piece I’ve had on my mind ever since I started writing Emma. The TRR books left her a blank slate, and I’ve always wondered what kind of young woman would just drop everything to travel across the world in a royal version of the Bachelor. So this is my interpretation of Emma’s story.
Also this includes a quick crossover if you’re paying attention. Because it just felt right. 😉
Note- The ending completely belongs to Pixelberry and I take no credit for the Royal Romance storyline, but it ties this “before canon” story to the actual book.
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Emma scurried down the busy New York sidewalk, dodging the hordes of other pedestrians as she made her way home. It was a dim summer day, the cloudy sky casting a greenish tinge across the city. There had been talk of storms this morning and the entire city was frantically seeking shelter during this particularly dismal rush hour. Emma was happy to have the night off tonight; rainy evenings always resulted in poor business at the bar and therefore minimal tips for her. Besides, she knew that tonight would either be a night for celebrating or commiserating, depending on the contents of the envelope she’d been carrying with her all day.
The first few raindrops fell as she approached the front entry of her apartment building. She was welcomed by the familiar unpleasant smell of urine and trash as she side-stepped around the homeless man that had found refuge on the sidewalk outside. Upon entering the musty building, she climbed up the four flights of creaky stairs to her floor and let out a sigh of relief as she unlocked the door to her studio apartment and shut it behind her. Home sweet home, she thought sarcastically as she looked around the tiny room. But at least it’s mine.
She looked down at the envelop in her hands, turning it over apprehensively while she set her things down on the small folding table that served as her dining room. “Well, here goes nothing … “ she mumbled to herself as she tore it open.
Ms. Warner,
We appreciate your application for the Founders Fund scholarship. While we were impressed by your application and credentials, this year’s scholarship has been awarded to another student. We hope that …
Emma stopped reading mid-sentence as her eyes filled with tears, the letter slipping from her hands and falling to the floor. That was the last one, she thought. My last chance for NYU this year. The realization sunk in suddenly … this meant another year of waiting tables, of scraping to make ends meet, of having her life on hold … and she couldn’t hold back the sobs any longer. She sank to the floor of her shitty apartment, pressing her knees to her chest and rocking back and forth on her heels, letting the tears overtake her as her cries echoed off the bare walls.
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Buzz buzz. Emma’s phone vibrated with an incoming call on the nightstand next to her. She pulled the pillow back over her head, trying to block out the noise along with the stray beams of sunlight infiltrating her room. Buzz buzz. “I’m not here!” she whined at the caller, as if they could hear her. Buzz buzz. The last vibration subsided as the call finally went to voicemail.
Buzz buzz. The phone vibrated again. “Seriously!?!” Emma groaned, finally reaching over to grab the persistent device. Her heart lurched as she read the caller ID – Mom. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, prepping herself for this conversation. She pressed the call button and tried to sound awake. “Hi Mom.”
“Oh hi Dear! Are you still sleeping?!?! It’s almost 11 o’clock, dear!” Her mother Cindy’s high-pitched voice screeched from the earpiece.
“Yeah, kinda … last night was rough and I didn’t sleep well.”
“Well you should know better that to stay out partying, Dear! You really should be more responsible …”
“I wasn’t partying … you know what, nevermind.” Emma bit her tongue. She hated when her mother had the audacity to talk speak to her as if she were a child in need of guidance. “What’s up?”
“Well, I know you were planning to come visit in two weeks for the Fourth of July, but I think we’re gonna have to reschedule.”
Of course we are … “Oh, really. Why is it that?” Emma tried to keep her voice flat, not exposing the bitterness she was holding back. This was only the third time in a row she’d rescheduled, why should she be surprised?
“It’s so exciting Emma! Barry and I decided to use that holiday to take a long weekend in Vegas and … oh, I’ll just say it! We’re getting married!” Her mother sounded ecstatic while Emma cringed on her end of the line.
“Wow … so you’re getting married again?” She fought back the impulse to berate her mother. Her extremely naive, selfish and irresponsible mother. “Umm, congratulations I guess. Maybe fourth time’s the charm?” The backhanded compliment slipped off her tongue before she could stop herself.
“Hmmph, very funny Emma.” Cindy definitely sounded like she’d struck a nerve, but made no attempt to defend herself. “So anyway, maybe you can come down in late July after we’ve settled.”
“Sure Mom, let’s plan for that.” Emma paused. “And Mom … congratulations. Really. I hope Barry makes you happy.”
There was an awkward silence for a moment as Emma’s mother absorbed her daughter’s sentiment. “Thanks Emma, I appreciate that.” Silence again. “Well, I’ll contact you after our trip and we can decide on a date!”
“Okay, sounds good. Bye Mom.” Emma didn’t wait to hear the response before hanging up. She sunk back down into her mattress and stared up at the ceiling.
Emma tried to be patient with her mother … Cindy hadn’t always been like this. She remembered what she had been like before, back when she was Cindy Warner. Emma remembered how she’d used to love the summer with her parents. Her mother had packed a big picnic basket and her dad had loaded up their beat-up station wagon and Emma stuffed all their beach toys in a tote bag … each member of the family preparing for their annual Fourth of July trip to the Jersey shore. Her mother had been the center of her life in those days, her role model and her best friend. Add her father to the mix and you had yourself the inseparable Warner trio. And oh, how her father had fawned over the two girls in his life! They truly were a picture-perfect family, right up there with the Cleavers.
Then the summer after Emma turned twelve, everything changed. She distinctly remembers the night that her mother came to pick her up at her friend’s house, her face red and splotcy with tears running down her cheeks. She told Emma what had happened … the accident, the other driver, and how her father was never coming home to them again.
After that Cindy spiraled into a pattern of depression and loneliness. After two years of pain, she found solace in the arms of another man. And then another, and then another. She was constantly searching for someone to fill the empty place in her heart, but of course it was never the same. Cindy had lost half of her heart that day in their old beat-up station wagon, and the other half that remained didn’t know how to beat on its own.
Emma pushed the painful memories from her mind as she sat up again. Life had not gone according to her plan but damn if she was gonna sit around and feel sorry for herself. She was going to make her own way in this world … she just had to figure out what way that was.
She picked up the phone and typed out a text. Hey, wanna meet up for coffee before my shift tonight? I need to see a friendly face. Less than a minute later she received confirmation, and smiled as she slipped out of bed to start getting ready.
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“So after he completed the case, we actually convinced him to come out with me and Nadia out for drinks. And I swear we had this moment, Em …” Camille paused her long-winded story and stared off into space with a starry-eyed look. “I dunno, I just have a great feeling about this guy.” She glanced back to Emma, who was observing her with a sly smirk on her face. “What’s that look for?!?”
Emma chuckled. “Nothing, nothing … I just remembering hearing you promise that you were swearing off Puerto Rican men after that Christopher guy.”
“His name was Christian! And yes, maybe I did say that … but this guy is a PI. Which means he can go undercover and pretend to be whatever the hell I want!” The women burst out giggling at Camille’s ridiculous logic.
“Well then, sounds like a match made in heaven!” Emma smiled at her friend knowingly.
Camille cozied up closer with her coffee and leaned in. “So what about you? How did it go with that guy Rob? He seemed really promising!”
Emma cringed at the mention of the guy’s name. “Oh, you mean Mr. I-Forgot-My-Wallet? After the second time he pulled that act, I figured it was time to move on.” She looked down and traced the rim of her coffee cup, reflecting on her subpar love life. “I feel like I’m always attracted to the wrong guys, you know? The sarcastic, moody types that are never actually looking for anything serious.”
“Yes, you definitely have a type, Em … we’ve established this.” Camille took a sip of her coffee and pondered her next statement. “Maybe you need to try going for a nice guy for once. You know, that whole Prince Charming fantasy.”
Emma practically snorted coffee out of her nose. “Heh, there’s a reason that’s a fantasy, Cami! Because Prince Charming doesn’t exist!” She shook her head in astonishment. “I know I always date the wrong guys, I just feel … somewhere out there is a snarky, surly man that’s actually a total softie once you get to know him. He would challenge me and make me laugh. And he’s just waiting for me to find him … then I’d just know.”
“Emma, I hate to break it to you, but that is less likely to happen than some variation of the Prince Charming fantasy.” Camille raised her eyebrows at her friend.
“Fine, fine … but at least I can dream for now.” She glanced down at her watch and frowned at the time. “Ugh. Unfortunately, now this urban princess has to get her ass to work.” She looked back to her friend affectionately and grasped her hand within her own. “Thanks for the chat, Cami. I really needed to laugh today.”
Camille stood up and pulled Emma into a big hug. “Anytime, Girl. And I’m sorry to hear about NYU.” She squeezed the other girl’s hands as they separated and winked. “You’ll get ‘em next year, I know it.”
“Thanks Cami … I’ll text you later.” Emma grinned as she grabbed her bag and started her trek back home to get ready for work.
~~~~~~~~~~
Five hours later, Emma was hauling trash to the dumpster outside of the bar she worked at with the bartender Daniel. Thank goodness for Daniel … he was the only thing that made this job bearable aside from the decent tips. As she heaved the bag into the dumpster, the comotion scared three tiny mice out of hiding. Daniel jumped when he spotted them, a soft girlish shriek escaping his mouth. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid of this adorable little mouse family.” Emma stated in her most soothing voice. ”They’re just trying to get by, just like us … “
“Hey Emma! Daniel, stop slacking off over there!” Her thought was interrupted by their jackass of a boss.
“You told us to take out the garbage.” Emma responded gruffly.
“And now I’m telling you to wait on the bachelor party that just rolled in. Chop chop!” The manager clapped his hands twice in time with his command before turning on his heesl and walking back inside.
Emma rolled her eyes at Daniel as they made their way through the back entrance to the bar. She could hear the rowdy table of men barking orders as she exited the kitchen. Before she could get far, Daniel grabbed her by the wrist and turned her to face him. “Emma, please take this one.” he pleaded. “I’ve got a date tonight, and I’ll never make it out of here in time …”
She glanced over to the bachelor party and gave them the once-over. Three guys sat around the table making jokes and laughing loudly. Two of them look like trust-fund babies out on Daddy’s dime tonight, while the third looked much more laid-back and withdrawn. They seemed pretty harmless … and how much trouble could a three-top really cause?
She inhaled deeply and then exhaled a dramatic sigh as she turned back to Daniel. “Why do I get all the rowdy tables?” She quipped playfully and winked.
“Oh thank you Emma! You’re the best.” Daniel gave her a playful punch in the shoulder as he bunched up his apron and scurried back into the kitchen.
Well, here goes nothing … she thinks as she approaches the table of young men. The quieter one looks up at her as she approaches, his deep chocolate eyes meeting hers momentarily before glancing away.
Emma clears her throat to gain their attention before speaking. “Hello gentleman. I’ll be taking care of you this evening.”
And so it begins …
