A Little Bit of Déjà Vu Read Online Free

method of coping after Dan died. Was something new bothering her? This wasn’t the first time in the last few weeks she’d discovered Emma napping again.
    Margie sank onto the edge of the twin bed and felt her child’s head. Emma’s eyes fluttered open.
    “Don’t you feel well, Sweetie?”
    “Sure.” She yawned. “I’m fine.”
    “Oh, really? I caught you throwing out your favorite dinner the other night, your breakfast is at the bottom of the disposal again, and now you’re conked out before you’ve even had supper.”
    “I’m just a little tired.” Emma stretched and sat up. “I didn’t sleep well last night.”
    “You didn’t?” Margie wrinkled her brow. “That’s funny. I didn’t, either. Lately, have you noticed a strange scraping noise about midnight and again a little after five each morning?”
    “N-No.” Emma gnawed on her lip. “I just couldn’t sleep.” Her gaze darted around the room as if she feared some sort of goblin would jump out of her closet at any moment.
    What was her daughter’s problem? Margie was the one who had to face her past in just a few minutes. She drew in a deep breath to steady her nerves and patted her daughter’s leg. “Well, let’s go. You’ve been badgering me for days to meet this paragon, and we were supposed to be there ten minutes ago.”
    “Mom, Mr. Manion is just as nice as Alex.”
    On meeting Jake’s son the first time, she’d felt as if she’d had a visit from the Ghost of Past Mistakes. He looked just like Jake dipped in peroxide. But, in his defense, the boy fit every mother’s idea of the perfect date for her daughter. He got straight As while taking mostly AP courses and had impeccable manners. In fact, after getting to know Alex, she’d begun to wonder if maybe the glowing reports about Saint Jake might just be true.
    Nevertheless, Margie couldn’t warm up to the kid. All Alex had to do was smile, and she found herself fighting an unreasonable animosity. Naturally, she felt terrible about her prejudice. The boy hadn’t done a thing. It was his old man she wanted to kick.
    On the way out of the bedroom, she inspected her make-up in Emma’s mirror and smoothed her highlighted, chin-length hair.
    “Would you relax, Mom? You look beautiful. If anyone should be nervo—” Emma bit her lower lip.
    “What’re you nervous about?”
    “Uhh....nothing really.” Emma dragged Margie out the door, her face as pale as if it were January instead of June. “I—uhh—I just want you to give Alex’s dad a chance. You act as if you’ve already decided not to like him.”
    Once they were in the car, Margie squeezed her daughter’s hand and smiled. “I don’t care what you say. I’m making you an appointment with Doc Foster. I can’t remember the last time you ate a decent meal. And I don’t like your color at all.”
    “I’m fine.” Emma’s eyes rolled. “I just haven’t been hungry. I think maybe I have a stomach bug or something.”
    As they pulled into the Redemption Diner’s parking lot fifteen minutes later, Margie checked her watch again. Did she dare hope he’d given up on them and left?
    “I really don’t see what the urgency is to meet this guy is all about. You’ve been dating Alex for over eight months. Now, all of a sudden, you can’t wait to introduce me to his father.”
    Emma huffed as she shoved the passenger door open. “I just thought the two of you should finally get to know each other. You’ve probably passed each other in your cars a gazillion times this year on the way to school. You act as if you think Mr. Manion’s got herpes or something.”
    No, something much worse. Sex appeal.
    Margie climbed out of the car and shot a sideways look at her daughter over the Camry’s roof. “I hope you and Alex aren’t doing anything weird like trying to set us up.”
    “ Ewww .” Emma wrinkled her nose. “Now I really wanna puke. Why would I want you to date my boyfriend’s father? Besides,”—she