“Are you drunk? Say something, Dempsey, or I’ll turn the hose on you. I mean it!” She extended her arm and shoved him back, away from her door. “If you think you’re coming in here, you’re smoking funny stuff.”
“God, you are magnificent, Danaher. I love you. Marry me.” And before she had a chance to react, he grabbed her upper arms and pulled her into a hard kiss.
Marla shoved him. Sputtering again, she was unable to utter a clear response. The man was insane. Did he actually think he could walk right up to her front door, toss poor Edwin out, then ask her to marry him? As if nothing had happened between them in Wyoming? She had her pride. Dwayne was nuts if that’s what he thought.
He released her and she immediately missed the warmth of his big hands, his lips. Her insides got all gooey and soft. Watery knees threatened to give way. She actually considered dragging him inside, pulling off his clothes, her clothes, and falling on the floor arms outstretched to reach for him. She got so warm in her girly place she feared for an instant she’d wet her panties.
Dwayne brushed his finger down her cheek, took a step back, then another. “I’ll see you around, Red.”
He left. He actually left her standing there all melty and wide-eyed, staring at his butt as he walked away from her. She heard his truck fire up and continued to watch when he drove past the house.
Down the street.
Around the corner.
Away.
Three weeks later, he hadn’t called, hadn’t sent flowers. She’d been tempted to cruise past his house to see if he was in town. What game was he playing with her?
Marla spent a lot of time reading books, working on her rose bushes, hustling for listings, puttering around the condo office, calling on her tenants to make sure they were happy with their new homes, ready to sign new leases, had no problems.
The afternoon before Halloween she visited Miss Emmaline, her new building manager. Where the old woman got all her energy was a mystery. She’d been thrilled when Marla had asked her if she’d be interested in handling tenant inquiries and concerns and collecting rents. “You got yourself a manager, young lady,” she’d said. “I’ve got no interest in sitting around waiting for the Grim Reaper.”
Marla knocked on Emmaline’s door. Amber opened it, shrieked, and threw herself at Marla nearly knocking her over. “Marla! Miss Emmaline, it’s Marla.”
Surprised at how much Amber had grown over the summer, Marla released her and held her at arm’s length. “You’re so tall. When did you get so tall?”
“That’s what Daddy said. He told me to slow down. I’m seven. You missed my birthday. Auntie Silvia bought me Cinderella pajamas and sparkly Scrunchies for my hair.” She turned and pointed to her ponytail.
To hear her mother referred to as Auntie Silvia startled her, but of course, when Char married Donovan, Amber’s uncle, she became her aunt, and Silvia her great-aunt. She blinked. She was Amber’s aunt too. Why hadn’t her mom said anything about the child’s birthday? Didn’t she know how much Marla loved her—Dwayne or no Dwayne?
She let Amber drag her inside Emmaline’s apartment. “I just realized something. I’m your Auntie Marla.”
“I know.” She wrinkled her freckled nose. “I’d rather have you for my mom, though.”
Leave it to kids to say exactly what they were thinking. Racking her brain for an answer, she was saved by the arrival of Emmaline. “Come in, dear. We were just sitting down for afternoon tea. Please join us.”
“I’d love to.”
Still holding her hand, Amber led her to the kitchen. The table was set with a Cinderella tea set and a plate of sugar cookies in the center of the table. “This looks great, Amber. Is this your tea set?”
“Daddy bought it for my birthday. Miss Emmaline and I have a tea party whenever she babysits me. Daddy said tea parties are rilly not for grown men. So I leave my dishes here.”
Bursting with curiosity about why Dwayne had left Amber with Emmaline this afternoon, and where he was, it was all she could do not to ask. They sat at the table. Marla admired Miss Emmaline’s hand-crocheted table cover. Amber poured tea as pale as water. She set down the pot and passed the cookies to her.
“We made these cookies when I got here from school today. They’re still warm. Miss Emmaline has a rill old recipe for sugar cookies. It has sour cream in it. Taste one.”
Marla took a bite of the big soft cookie, moaned with pleasure and rolled her eyes. “Mmm, so good.” She definitely had to have the recipe.
The three of them sipped tea and nibbled cookies like proper ladies. Uneasiness began to nag Marla. Dwayne might show up any minute. Tomorrow was a school day. Surely he wouldn’t leave Amber here too late.
“Um, I think I better go. I, uh, I have a couple of errands.”
“Don’t you want to wait till Daddy gets here? He went to get something special for Halloween.”
“Um, no, I can’t.” She stood. “Thank you for the tea and cookies. I really have to go. I, um, I can let myself out.”
Eyes downcast, Amber said, “Okay, but I know Daddy wants to see you.”
Oh yeah? Well, he hadn’t made any attempt to see her for the past three weeks. She didn’t know what she’d do if she bumped into him now. She made a quick exit.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
“Trick or Treat!”
Marla opened her door for the umpteenth time holding a large bowl of wrapped candy for the neighborhood goblins. She’d barely had a chance to sit since she arrived home at five. Nobody was there. “Hello?” She stepped onto her porch and checked the walk in both directions. “If you want candy you have to show me how scary you are.”
It was full dark now and she didn’t see any
