“I’ll do my best,” Emily promised.
She sighed as she disconnected the call. Now she just had to find the right words to persuade Boone that she wasn’t already going back on her promise to give the two of them a real chance.
13
Boone was about to call Emily to invite her on a formal date when his cell phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and saw she’d beat him to it.
“Great minds,” he commented when he answered. “I was about to call you.”
“Really? Then you go first.”
“How about dinner tonight? I’m thinking it’s about time you tried my restaurant. You’ve never even set foot inside. Of course, the inside’s a construction zone, but you’ll get the idea. And it should be a nice night for eating on the deck. What do you say?”
“I’d love it,” she agreed at once.
“And you won’t start telling me how to redecorate?” he teased. “I know that’s an ingrained habit of yours.”
“Very funny. I’m sure it’s lovely already, even with the repairs you’re having to make. And Grandmother and Jerry certainly give it high marks for the food. I’m anxious to see what’s on the menu.”
“Why don’t I pick you up at the house around six-thirty? That’ll give me time to get B.J. settled over at Alex’s for the night.”
“A sleepover?” she asked, an unmistakably breathless note in her voice.
Boone chuckled. “For him,” he confirmed.
“And us?”
“I suppose we’ll have to see how things go.”
“Way to dangle a carrot, Dorsett.”
Boone chuckled at the frustration she didn’t even try to disguise. “You called me, by the way. Anything in particular on your mind, or were you just calling to hear the sound of my voice?”
She hesitated, then said, “Why don’t we talk about it tonight? It’s something we should probably discuss face-to-face.”
Boone felt his heart still. “That doesn’t sound good. Maybe you should tell me now.”
“Tonight’s soon enough,” she insisted. “I’ll see you at six-thirty. I’ll wear something pretty and knock your socks off.”
Boone was not about to tell her that it wouldn’t take much to knock off his socks and anything else he was wearing. Just looking at her made him want to strip down and haul her off to bed. How he’d resisted this long was beyond him.
“See you tonight. Since you have this big plan, I won’t bother wearing socks. It’ll save time.”
She was laughing when he disconnected the call. Despite the teasing note he’d managed to pull off, he wished this feeling of dread hadn’t just settled in his stomach.
* * *
Samantha looked over Emily’s shoulder at her computer screen, then frowned.
“You’re leaving Sunday?” she asked when she saw the ticket Emily was booking for Los Angeles.
Emily nodded. “I have to be in L.A. for a meeting Monday afternoon. As it is, I’ll be cutting it close. One missed connection and I’m doomed.”
“What about all those promises you made to Boone about giving your relationship a chance? Gabi and I heard you make them.”
“Because you eavesdropped,” Emily accused as Samantha slid into the booth across from her. “It’s not as if it’s any of your business.”
“Okay, forget my reaction. What’s Boone going to think? Did you consider that?”
“Of course I did. He’s going to think we’re starting this long-distance stuff a little sooner than we planned,” Emily said. “At least I hope he’ll be able to see it that way.”
“Good luck with that,” Samantha said, her tone dire.
“Thanks for the support,” Emily told her with a scowl. “Aren’t you supposed to be on my side?”
“I am, which is why it kills me to see you shooting yourself in the foot already. You want this thing with Boone. I know you do, but you’re not willing to give it even half a chance.”
Emily described the offer Sophia had made to her that morning. “It’s not as if I’m rushing back just to make big bucks on something,” she told her sister. “This shelter matters, Samantha. It’s a chance for me to make a real difference for some people who need it. I’m finally at a stage where I can do a probono job like this.”
“Would you have agreed if this Sophia weren’t one of your best clients?”
“I’d like to think I would have,” Emily said. “I know you, Gabi and Grandmother all think I’m just in this for the money and the fancy celebrity clients, and maybe that’s what it’s been up to now. This shelter is a way for me to give back, to find a whole different level of professional fulfillment.”
Samantha nodded slowly. “Okay, I can see why you couldn’t turn it down.”
Emily regarded her hopefully. “Do you think Boone will see it that way?”
“Only one way to find out,” Samantha said. “But I don’t envy you having to tell him.”
“Yeah, I’m not exactly looking forward to that myself. I’m hoping a dress that shows a lot of cleavage will distract him enough that he’ll hardly hear a word I say.”
“A sneaky but sometimes effective tactic,” Samantha agreed. “But when the words do sink in, I still think it’s going to bite you in the butt.”
“What if I suggested he and B.J. come to Los Angeles? B.J.’s dying to go to Disneyland.”
“Boone wants to leave B.J. out of this for now,” Samantha reminded her.
The comment proved just how intently she and Gabi had been paying attention the night before. The pair of them must have taken notes.
“Well, I have to do something so he understands that I’m not just ditching him,” Emily responded.
Samantha seemed to be giving the matter some thought, so Emily waited to see what her sister would come up with. She certainly hadn’t thought of an effective approach. Samantha admittedly had more experience with men, even if she was flying solo lately.
“Asking him to follow you to the West Coast before you’ve even gotten started might be a tactical mistake,” Samantha said slowly. “Maybe it would be better to give him
