He felt really protective of her, the way he felt about his sisters. No. Nothing like the way he felt about his sisters. He never thought about kissing his sisters, and he thought about kissing Emily all the time.
He turned his face toward her again. “You want to try the best pizza in New York City?”
“Oh, yeah—that sounds great.”
Her smile was radiant. He needed to remember that. Pizza made her smile. Shopping did not.
“It’s in the next block.”
She nodded her head, picking up the pace almost imperceptibly. She must be really hungry. He observed her without turning his head. She was chewing on her bottom lip the way she always did when she was thinking about something. Her lips were so full and soft-looking. He could imagine how they would feel against his own. She continued to worry her lip, as she turned to look at him. He darted his eyes to the sidewalk.
“I’m buying my own pizza.”
“But it was my idea. It won’t make it a date just because I buy you a slice of pizza.”
“Yes it will. It’s our house rules.”
“Then don’t tell your mom and your sister. If they don’t know, it won’t be a date.”
“But I’ll know, and Charlie will know. She always knows. I can lie to Mom, but Charlie always knows.”
“Fine. You can buy your own pizza. But just so you know, that’s not how I was raised.”
“What do you mean?”
Spencer hesitated. “You’ll probably think this sounds chauvinistic, but my dad taught me to respect women. You know, to treat them with deference. To open doors and speak politely, to protect them, and... He taught me to pay for their dinner.”
“He didn’t really tell you to pay for every woman’s dinner, did he?”
“Well, not exactly. But he did teach me if I asked someone to go eat with me, I’m offering to pay for the meal. That would be true even if you were a guy. It’s especially true since you’re a woman.”
“Because I’m the weaker sex?”
“Because you’re the fairer sex. Nothing weak about you.”
She chuckled. “Okay, I don’t think you’re a chauvinist. But, I can afford to buy my own pizza, and there’s no reason for you to pay.” Her face took on a determined look to which he was growing accustomed.
“You know, that pride of yours is going to get you in trouble someday.”
Chapter Three
Spencer paced and fumed, his face creased with worry. He really wanted this hike to go well, especially since Emily had been so hesitant. But the rest of the hiking club had decided to tackle a more strenuous hike that would take over seven hours. Emily might flat-out refuse to go, or she might insist on going because of her pride. Either way, it wouldn’t be a good first hike experience. Plus, the Gherrings were going. Steven Gherring was in amazing shape, since he was constantly training for Iron Man competitions. Emily’s mother seemed fairly fit as well, but she’d recently visited the emergency room for her ulcer. A seven-hour hike seemed like a bad idea for someone who’d been in the hospital earlier in the week.
He planned to suggest an alternate hike, but that meant it would only be the four of them. Emily seemed diametrically opposed to anything resembling a date. Would she think he was trying to trick her into going on a hike without a big group of friends? He’d considered asking one of his sisters to come along to make Emily feel more comfortable, but he didn’t want his sisters to meet Emily. They would pick up on his feelings for her and tease him mercilessly, and with good reason. He’d done the same to them numerous times.
He walked into the lobby of the apartment building to find Steven Gherring waiting alone. “The girls aren’t coming?”
“Oh, they’re coming. Anne’s in Emily’s apartment, trying to talk her into leaving some of her supplies at home.”
“Supplies?”
“Yes, her backpack weighed about fifty pounds. She researched all the things that can happen on a hike, and she stocked enough supplies to last all four of us if we were stranded for a week.”
“Why would she do that? I told her I’d have all the supplies we needed in my backpack. She only needed to bring water.”
“So you are now learning the Best women are stubborn and like to think of themselves as self-sufficient.” Gherring grinned. “Especially Emily. I don’t think I’ve seen her accept a single thing from me without a fight. Not since she moved to New York on a mission to prove herself.”
“I’m glad to hear it—I thought it was only me. Hey, I need you to help me figure out a little problem with the hike.”
“What’s that?”
“Well, the club decided to change to a seven-hour strenuous hike. So I think the four of us should go on a shorter hike. Do you think Emily would be okay with that?”
“Why wouldn’t she?”
“She doesn’t want to do anything that looks like a date. I’m afraid she’ll think I’m trying to trick her or something since I told her there was a big group of friends going.”
“Well, I’m no expert on relationships—it took me fifty years to finally get married—but I think Emily likes to be in control. Why don’t we let her make the decision? Just leave it to me.” He spotted Anne and Emily emerging from the elevator.
Emily’s brows sunk low over her eyes. “I still think I should’ve brought the canned ham.”
The face Anne turned to her husband showed desperation. “Steven, would you please give your expert opinion on supplies here.”
“Well, first we’ve got to make an important decision about the hike. The hiking club has changed their destination. They’re headed for a strenuous seven-hour hike. So we could join them as planned, or pick another hike that’s shorter and more moderate.”
Emily
