Mandy gave her an, ‘oh come on,' look. "Don't think I didn't see you two steaming up the dance floor."
Emma was beginning to hate her Irish skin as she felt a blush creeping into her cheeks again. She hadn't blushed this much since Kirby Jackson pulled her skirt down in front of everyone during the fifth-grade dance. "Mandy—"
Mandy held up her hand to stop her words. "No judgments. Just want to make sure you're okay."
"I am, I think," she muttered.
"He seems nice enough, but—"
"So did Tristan."
"So did Tristan," Mandy agreed. "You can't spend the rest of your life being afraid of relationships, or having that shithead hanging over you, but I also don't want to see you hurt again."
Emma blew on her coffee and twisted the mug in her hands. "Neither do I."
"Where does he live?"
"Oregon."
"Not even close to you."
"Not even a little," Emma agreed.
"Would you be okay with only having a month? I know we kid you about doing something casual to help shed the memory of Tristan, but you're not that person, Emma."
"I know."
And truth be told, she didn't think a month would be enough time. At the end of the month, she knew she would want more and more. Ugh, she would end up becoming like Tristan if she wasn't careful.
She sat forward and placed her coffee on the table before rising and walking over to the balcony railing. Maybe she could hide out in this tropical paradise forever, never return home, and just pretend she knew what she wanted from her life.
She rested her elbow on the railing and propped her chin on her hand as she watched the people strolling the streets. It was peaceful now, but she knew in a few hours music from the bars would be going, and the party would start again. She'd drifted to sleep last night listening to the music, laughter, and shouts from the people still enjoying themselves.
"You could come out to California to live with us. Jill is still considering moving closer to Stanford or trying to find a job in the area," Mandy suggested.
"I've been thinking about it a lot," Emma told her. "And not because of him," she rushed to get out.
"I didn't think it was," Mandy said with a chuckle.
"It might be good to move out to the west coast, at least for a little while. I'd like to do something different."
"You might find a teaching job," Mandy suggested. Emma wrinkled her nose and shook her head. "Or something else. You'd at least have us."
"That I would. For now, I'm not going to overthink everything and just roll with it when it comes to him," Emma said as she watched a child dart in and out of the crowd toward one of the stores. "Maybe it will all end badly again, or it will just end, but I'm willing to take the chance."
Mandy dropped her book on the table. "Well, let's hope that doesn't happen."
"He can't end up being like Tristan, can he? I mean I can't find two stalkers in my lifetime, can I?"
"I don't know, Emma, but I think the odds are against it happening again. Unless you're a psycho magnet."
Emma released a small chuckle. "That wouldn't surprise me."
"Me either," Mandy said with a laugh. "I can say I barely know the guy, and I already like him more than I ever liked Tristan."
That was easy enough to believe; neither Mandy nor Jill ever really liked Tristan. They thought he was fake and slimy. They believed he was overbearing before he started following her everywhere and leaving creepy gifts on her doorstep, on her desk, and at her work. She should have listened to her friends, but she'd been a moron and determined to prove to herself she could have a normal relationship with a man.
Emma shook her head; she stepped away from the railing as the front door opened. Jill's excited chatter made her frown as she craned her head to peer around the doorway.
"Who is she talking to?" Mandy inquired in a whisper.
"I have no idea," Emma told her.
"Come on in," Jill called over her shoulder as she skipped down the steps. "Would you like a drink? I'm sure Emma is probably up by now. I'll go get her."
Emma almost fell over when Ethan appeared at the top of the stairs. He ran a hand through his sweat-slicked hair, pushing it back from the broad angles of his face. The loose-fitting shorts he wore hung low on his hips, but it was his broad, well-muscled chest that kept her eyes riveted.
Her mouth watered, literally watered, as her eyes ran over the carved muscles of his abs. He didn't have a six-pack; oh no, it was more like an eighteen case. Muscles she hadn't known existed bunched and flexed as he descended the steps.
"I'll take some water," he answered.
Emma jerked back from the doorway, and her gaze shot to Mandy.
"Who is it?" Mandy asked again.
Emma tried to calm her racing heart as she placed her finger against her lips in a shushing gesture. ‘It's him,’ she mouthed.
‘Him who?’ Mandy mouthed back.
‘Him!’ Emma forced herself not to stomp her foot as she jerked her head at the doorway.
Mandy's mouth dropped before she broke into a grin showing all her teeth. Grabbing the arm of the chair, the muscles in her forearms flexed as she lifted herself up. She hopped over to the doorframe and poked her head around it. Emma hated the unreasonable jealousy that filled her when Mandy's mouth dropped open. She didn't like the idea of either of her friends seeing Ethan in this state or lusting after him.
Never, in four years, had any of them ever fought over a guy. Not even when Jill and Mandy disliked Tristan, had they been nasty or catty about their feelings for him. They made their opinions known, but they were never mean, and they'd never said, ‘I told you so,'
