“If Ethan’s slinging lies about him, he might care enough to try to clear it up.”
“We’ll see.”
He started to leave but turned back at the last second. “I just want to make sure...” He gave her that sexy grin again while scratching his shoulder. “You’re okay with...you know, what happened Thursday night on the beach, aren’t you?”
She was surprised he would bring it up. She’d been planning to pretend it never happened, thought that might be the easiest approach for both of them. “Of course.”
“Good. I’m glad. I’d hate for that to turn out to be a problem.”
“Thanks for caring,” she said, and meant it. She doubted many guys would bother to follow up. She and Dallas weren’t likely to have much contact once the month was over and they both went back to their regular lives. It wasn’t as if he had to worry about how she felt.
He winked before walking out.
She stared after him for several seconds once the door closed, but hunger eventually drove her to take the sandwich he’d bought her into the back. At last, she could eat.
She’d just finished when someone else came in. Quickly wiping her mouth and throwing the napkin and the sandwich wrappings in the trash, she hurried out front. A tall man with bottle green eyes and tattoos covering both arms stood there.
“Susan around?” he asked.
“Not right now.”
“I’m Tobias.” He held out his hand. “Susan’s daughter is married to my brother, Maddox.”
“Nice to meet you,” she said. “I recognize your name. When she hired me, Susan mentioned she wouldn’t have been able to get by without your help.”
“You might have noticed her health isn’t the best, so I try to pitch in now and then—when I can.”
“She appreciates it. She told me you’re a good man.”
His eyes widened. “Are you sure she was talking about me?”
“Is there another Tobias in this small town?”
“Not that I know of,” he said, a slight smile curving his lips. “She told me she’d hired someone, but I wasn’t sure when you were starting, so I thought I’d stop by and make sure she was okay for today. Saturdays are usually busy, and what with the holidays...”
“It was crazy in here earlier, even with the rain. But she went home to rest. As a matter of fact, since you know her so well, you might drive over and check on—” She fell silent when she heard the back door. “Never mind. That’s probably her now.”
Sure enough, Susan rushed around the corner without even putting down her purse. “Emery, I’m so sorry! I meant to be back long before now. Normally, I struggle to sleep for any length of time, so I don’t know how I conked out for so long. I should’ve set an alarm.”
“It’s fine,” Emery assured her. “You must’ve needed the sleep.”
“But it’s your first day, and you’ve been on since ten without a break. You must be hungry. I brought you some leftover spaghetti you can heat up in the microwave in back.”
“Actually, some of Aiyana’s sons stopped by not too long ago and brought me something to eat.” She was reluctant to mention that it was Dallas specifically who’d done this. She preferred to act as though she was a friend to the whole family.
Because she was, she reminded herself.
“Oh good.” When Susan looked at Tobias, her face brightened immediately. “Tobias!”
“Hello,” he said. “I just swung by to see if you were doing okay today. Looks like Emery’s helping a great deal.”
Susan glanced around the store and seemed satisfied with what she saw. “Yes, she is.” She turned to her. “Everything go okay while I was gone?”
“It was busy, but when you own a store, busy is good.”
“That’s true,” she agreed, seemingly relieved that the world hadn’t gone to hell simply because she’d overslept.
“Is there anything you need me to do while I’m here?” Tobias asked. “Carry in supplies or change out ice cream tubs or whatever?”
Susan took him in the back and had him refill the flour bins, since he was there, anyway, but he walked out fifteen minutes later. “It seems you two have a strong friendship,” Emery said, wondering why Tobias, who wasn’t related to Susan, was so diligent about seeing to her needs.
Susan watched through the window as he climbed into his truck and drove away. “Life can be strange,” she said simply.
Thinking about Thursday night and how it had changed her the past two days—so much that she couldn’t seem to get back to the person she’d been before sleeping with Dallas—Emery absolutely understood.
“Yes, it can be.”
“How was your first day?” Aiyana asked as soon as Emery walked through the front door.
Emery stopped short when she saw Aiyana sitting in the living room with Cal, Liam, Bentley and Dallas, all of whom were spread out on the floor, making wedding favors. Emery bit back a smile at the sight of Cal’s big, calloused fingers struggling to tie a dainty red-striped ribbon with a thank you card attached to it around a clear glass mug filled with hot chocolate mix, crushed candy cane and mini marshmallows. Emery thought it was a particularly cute favor, given the season, but she had to laugh at Aiyana’s “work crew.”
“Great. I earned some money, which was all I was hoping for.”
Aiyana finished a bow and set the lidded mug aside. “How’s Susan? Dallas told me she stranded you at the store for hours, and I know she wouldn’t do that if she was well.”
“She wasn’t feeling too great at first but seemed better after she had a chance to rest.”
She pulled a new mug into her lap and wound the ribbon around the neck of it. “Good. Have you eaten dinner? I cooked a roast with some vegetables, if you’re hungry.”
Emery stole a glance at Dallas, who was sitting with the mugs he’d completed lined up on one side of him and the sea of mugs he had yet to do on the other. “I
