half months now. She was in Wishful for him.
Except she’d just realized that it wasn’t one hundred percent true.
She’d also come here for herself. For her lonely restlessness. For the part of her that said she was missing something.
Someone.
She thought maybe she’d found it, found him.
Chapter 23
Emma and her dad met at the clinic that afternoon. They went over the offers on the place, and picked the one they planned on accepting. It’d been made by a South Shore investor who owned fifteen other properties in the area. He was well-known and respected, the numbers were fantastic, and it was an easy decision to sign on the dotted line.
Relatively speaking.
Spence was giving her father a check up before Spence left for the airport so that Emma would feel better about following in a few days.
Or as okay as she could manage.
In the meantime, she was updating the records while keeping one eye on the examination door, and thinking of a certain expedition guide with a certain amazing mouth and who knew how to use it-a guy who was taking her out tonight.
On a training session to relax.
The front door opened and the cowbells jangled together. They no longer drove her crazy, Emma realized as Serena walked in with a black and white bag. “My specialty good-bye chocolates. For the doctor.”
“Wow, thanks.” Emma reached for them, but Serena held the bag up with a laugh that brought Emma back to first grade so fast her head spun.
“The
“Um, thanks. I think. Spencer’s busy right now.”
“No problem, I’ll just wait.” Serena looked uncharacteristically unsure of herself. “So…”
“Is everything okay?”
“Yeah. No.” Serena leaned in. “Spencer wouldn’t sleep with me this afternoon. I mean we were having a great time. We went out to lunch and talked and laughed for hours. We played with the kittens, which certainly closed the deal for him, but then he took me home.”
“Sounds like a nice day.”
“Okay, you’re not listening. He didn’t sleep with me. Is there something wrong with him?”
“Of course not. He’s leaving is all. He was being a gentleman.”
“Him leaving is what makes it perfect. No ties.”
Emma had no business judging anyone, especially when at the moment, Serena’s philosophy seemed appealing. Casual sex; no pain or messy emotions…seemed better than her way.
“I’m going to try one more time,” Serena said, sounding determined as she applied some lip gloss while looking at herself in her own cell phone’s camera lens.
“Now?”
“No, tomorrow when he’s gone. Yes, now.”
“He’s with my dad.”
“I can wait.” She crossed her legs, and picked up a magazine.
Emma tried go to back to the books but her mind wandered to Stone. And tonight. And whether they’d be having casual sex.
God, she hoped so. “Serena?”
“Yeah?”
“What do people in Wishful do on dates?” Not that it was a date, because it wasn’t.
“As everywhere else, City Girl. Whatever you want. With Stone?”
“Yes.”
“Well, lucky you. He’s a hot one.”
Yeah. Yeah, he was. She opened her mouth to say something, she had no idea what, but the examination door opened. Spencer came out, his nose in her father’s chart.
Emma moved around the front desk and into the hallway, pulling him with her. “Well?”
“His latest EKG is good. We need to run labs to check liver function and cholesterol levels, but you already know that. He’s taking his beta blockers, Plavix and Niacin, and following your strict dietary restrictions. He’s also exercising. He reports no chest pain.” He smiled. “I see no signs of post infarction syndrome indicating either recurrent MI or heart failure. He’s good.”
“You see him going back to work?”
“He certainly wants to. He told me he’s planning on working here as much as he can.”
Relief had her leaning back against the wall. “Okay, then.”
“Which means you could fly home with me if you want.”
“No.” She needed a few more days to help her father close up.
No, that wasn’t true.
She needed her night with Stone. “I’ll wait until Friday.”
He smiled. “Used to be you couldn’t wait to get out of here.”
“Yeah.” She sighed. Now she suddenly wasn’t in a hurry. It didn’t take a genius to know why. It did take a genius to understand it. “Are you ready to head out in a few?”
“One thing left to do.” He waggled a brow suggestively. His favorite cue for “let’s have sex”.
“I thought we’d discussed that.”
He laughed. “I didn’t mean you, Em. We dumped each other, remember? I wanted to say good-bye to Serena is all.”
“Well then you’re in luck,” Serena purred, and with eyes only for Spencer, came close. “How about I drive you to the airport? It’ll give us extra good-bye time.”
“I don’t want you to go to any trouble.”
“It isn’t.” She turned to Emma. “Okay with you?”
“Sure. Thank you.”
Like a cat in cream, Serena smiled. “Oh, you are most welcome.”
Spencer gave Emma a kiss and a long, hard hug “Friday, babe.”
“Friday.” She went into the examination room to see her father.
Spencer watched her go, then turned to Serena. “I appreciate this. She had enough on her plate.”
“Don’t thank me yet.”
He laughed. “Should I be scared?”
“If you like.” She had a pretty black and white bag from her shop in one hand, and with her other, linked her fingers in his as she led him outside.
Spencer was very aware that she was watching him closely. “Something wrong?”
“Are you going to miss her?”
“I’ll see her soon enough. Is that really your question?”
“No. But I’ll get to it when I’m ready.”
“All right then. So what were you at the clinic for?”
She lifted the black and white bag. “Bringing you a good-bye present.”
“I hope it’s chocolate.”
“Oh, it’s better. It’s
He dug into the bag as they got into her car, then moaned heartily at the fantastic fudge melting on his tongue. “My God.” He looked at her in a new light. A fellow foodie…” People should bow down to you in the streets.”
