“Yes,” Dallas confirmed.
Confused, Emery scooted even farther forward. “You did what? You mean you talked to him again, after you took the phone from me in the kitchen? How’d you get his number?”
Dallas sent her a sheepish glance. “I’ll tell you about it later, okay? For right now...” He turned his attention back to Ethan. “What do you say? Will you do it?”
“I’d like to find out who’s behind this as much as you—to prove it wasn’t me—so I’m down. But I don’t see how what you’re suggesting will make any difference.”
“I think whoever has gone to such great lengths to protect you will feel responsible for this latest bit of trouble and will show up to try to stop what’s going on.”
“That makes sense,” Emery admitted.
Ethan bit his lip as he considered what he’d heard. “So you’re hoping Tommy or Heidi will show up to pay off the guy or try to reach a resolution.”
“Yes. They’ll be afraid he might expose them. Wouldn’t you get involved if you’d done something like that and then heard the guy was blackmailing the person you were trying to protect?”
“I’d be tempted,” he admitted.
“Let’s hope it’s a temptation whoever it is won’t be able to resist,” Dallas said.
“Okay.” Ethan stood. “But I want to be there tomorrow night, too, so that I can see for myself if anyone shows up.”
“That’s fine,” Dallas told him. “You can hide someplace where you can keep an eye on what’s happening. And I’ll wait at the end of the pier.”
“Fair enough.” Ethan took out his keys. “I’ll call Tommy and Heidi right away, start the ball rolling.”
“Try to sound as natural as possible,” Dallas cautioned. “You have to sell it, or this whole thing will be for nothing.”
“I understand.” He moved to the door, where he put one hand on the knob before looking back. “So are you two...you know...together?”
“We’re just friends,” Emery piped up.
His attention shifted to the table where their picture had once been. “I planned to marry you,” he said softly. “I couldn’t stand to lose you.”
“So you wanted to hurt me?”
“I’m sorry. I never intended for things to go this far. I was...hurt and angry myself. I know that’s no excuse, but... I didn’t expect you to lose your job or...or anything else.”
She shook her head. “That’s pretty naive.”
“I know. Again, I’m sorry.”
Emery massaged her temples as she tried to decide how to respond. “I can’t say I forgive you. You’ve cost me too much. But...who knows?” She thought of Susan and all Susan had forgiven—and how much better off she was because of it. “Maybe I’ll be able to one day.”
He seemed to accept that, probably knew it was the best he could expect.
“That’s got to feel good,” Dallas said after he was gone. “He admitted what he did. I mean, he didn’t come right out and say, ‘I put up that video,’ but he might as well have.”
“It couldn’t have been anyone else.”
Dallas shoved his hands in his pockets. “Do you think he’s telling the truth about not being the one behind the attack at the Blue Suede Shoe?”
“He seems adamant. I doubt he’d show up here to plead his case if he was behind it, especially because he did sort of admit the part about the video.”
“I guess we’ll find out tomorrow night.”
“Are you sure you should go?” Emery hated that she wouldn’t be around to do it herself, that someone she cared about felt as though he had to do this for her, especially when he could be spending the Christmas holiday with his brothers. “What if Terrell shows up, and the situation gets out of control—he has a weapon or something? We should call the cops and have them be the ones who are waiting.”
“I have to be there to finish what I’ve started, but I’ll call them if I need them. Maybe they’ll be able to make an arrest.”
She pulled her hair up and wound it into a bun before letting it fall. “It’s not right to ask you to take care of my problems.”
“You didn’t ask.”
“That’s true,” she said. “How’d you set all of this up?”
“Do I have to tell you?”
She thought it over and decided she’d rather not know. What was done was done. “I guess not. But after everything that’s happened, I bet you’re sorry you ever met me.”
“And I bet I’ll be sorry I ever let you go.”
27
Monday, December 21
Preparing to say goodbye to Dallas was every bit as difficult as Emery had expected it to be. As the hours slipped by until it was time to leave for the airport, she kept coming up with compromises in her head—options she could suggest that might make him change his mind. But she knew if he wasn’t willing to look for common ground and offer some compromises of his own, they’d never make it.
Bottom line, he had to fight for what they could have together, just like she was willing to fight, or she would only prolong the inevitable—and possibly screw up her life in the process.
She had to do what was best. That was the only way to make her future better than her present.
Afraid she’d falter at the last second, that all the longing she felt would come pouring out, she held herself rigidly as he turned into the airport. LAX was always busy, but today, with Christmas coming up, it was totally congested.
“Are you sure you have everything you’re going to need?” he asked.
She watched the Christmas decorations on the light poles—green wreaths with red bows—creep past as they inched forward. “If not, I’ll have to buy it while I’m there. We don’t have time to go back to the apartment. I’ll miss my plane if we do.”
“I’ll be in Silver Springs until after Christmas. I could always come get whatever it is from your apartment and ship it to you.”
He knew she’d left a key out, in case she had to
