“So what? No one cares,” Brent said before taking a gulp of beer.
And no one did care except Grace, which was the problem. Shewasn’t the most important person in Dex’s life anymore, and it hurt.
Chapter Eighteen
Sneaking out of the festival was easier than Dex thought itwould be, and they’d pulled it off. The last time they’d glanced back at Grace,Brent was between them, totally obstructing her view. Dex had grabbed Emma’shand and pulled her into the crowd moving toward the art area. They’d walked upone side of the aisle perusing the art and then quickly left for the quaintlittle Italian restaurant in the River District that Emma had suggested. It wasfarther away than some others Dex knew of, but well worth the extra few minutesto get there. The place was authentically Italian.
Dex was impressed by the waft of aromas that assaulted her as theyentered. “This place smells wonderful.”
“The recipes have been handed down for generations. Every time Icome here I want to eat everything on the menu,” Emma said as she linked herarm with Dex’s.
“Well, then let’s have at it.” Dex let her move in front of her asthey followed the hostess to the table.
From the moment they’d arrived at the restaurant, the evening hadbeen nothing short of spectacular. Everything on the menu was served familystyle, so after a few tough decisions, they’d agreed on a couple of dishes toshare and ordered a bottle of house wine.
Emma took a sip and peered over her wineglass, and a warm feelingstirred low in Dex’s belly. The food hadn’t even arrived and she was ready toleave.
“So tell me about your job,” Dex said, trying to stay focusedthrough dinner. Her dad, who was quite the charmer, always told her that thebest way to get someone talking was to ask them about themselves.
Emma took another sip and set her glass on the table. “It’s notthe most interesting career in the world, but it pays well, and I seem to begood at it.”
The look in Emma’s eyes seemed uncertain, like maybe sheundervalued what she did for a living. Dex reached across the table and tookher hand. “I’d like to hear about it, just the same.”
“I’m warning you, advertising is not the most stimulating dinnerconversation.”
“Neither is landscaping, but when I told you about it, youlistened like it was better than homemade ice cream.”
Emma shifted in her chair, blew out a breath, and stared at theceiling. “I have a confession to make.”
Dex raised an eyebrow and narrowed her eyes, waiting for Emma tofinish her sentence.
“While landscaping can be very exciting stuff, truthfully, nothingin the world is better than homemade ice cream.”
And there it was, another shot of fresh air in Dex’s heart, aplace that had been deprived of oxygen for far too long. Emma was breathinglife into it like no one else had ever done before.
* * *
Dex glanced at the clock as Emma snuggled into her. It was alreadythree o’clock in the morning, and time was rushing past when all she wanted todo was savor each moment she had with Emma. She had fully intended to go home tonight,but as soon as they’d hit the door, Emma had kissed her with such urgency andpassion she couldn’t possibly leave. They’d made love and then talked forhours. It seemed they never ran out of things to say to each other. This womandid something to her, made her feel good about herself, made her feel wantedfor more than just the things she could do for her.
Emma’s breathing had slowed into a rhythm of contented sleep, andDex thought about the way she’d explored Emma’s body and brought her to completesatisfaction just a little while ago. And Emma had done the same to her. Shecould very well be happy satisfying Emma in every way for the rest of her life.It was the first time in forever Dex found herself looking forward to life andthe future.
* * *
Emma wandered into the break room at work and poured herself a cupof coffee. Her day yesterday with Dex had been hijacked, but the nightfollowing had made up for it. Dinner had been wonderful, and the tree lightingthey’d gone to after was always a treat, even more so since she’d shared thewhole experience with Dex. She had a way of seeing things in ways Emma hadnever thought about before. The surface was just the beginning for her. Dexseemed to always take a deep dive into how things worked. The intricacies ofChristmas lighting were much more complicated than Emma expected, and Dex wasreally sweet at explaining how it all came together—sometimes with a main powersource, others with a computer program to control the patterns. Emma had alwaysappreciated the time and work that went into lighting, but even more now thatshe knew how complicated the whole process was.
“Are you okay?” Brent’s voice pulled Emma from her thoughts.
“Yeah, why?” She took the creamer from the refrigerator andsplashed some into her coffee before handing the carton to him.
“I just shot you a great one-liner, and you didn’t laugh.”
“Oh, sorry. I’m just really deep into a proposal right now.” Shereally should be but hadn’t been able to think of much besides Dex all morning.
“So, what happened to you two yesterday?” He used the creamer andthen slid it into the refrigerator. “I looked around, and all of a sudden youguys were just gone.” He raised his hands before he took a drink of coffee.
“Sorry. I wanted a little alone time with Dex.” She peeked overher cup at him. “You can’t blame me for that, can you?”
“Not for that, but I can for the earful I got from my wife whenshe realized you guys had left. A heads-up would’ve been nice.”
Emma chuckled. “Haven’t you learned to tame that yet?”
He shook his head. “Never gonna happen. She likes things her way.”
“That’s obvious. I just thought you might be able to rein her insome by now.”
“I never argue
