Enticing Emma (8 page)

“It’s not like that.” She sat up in bed and reached out to him. She realized she’d wanted him to reassure her, to cuddle her, and tell her how he really felt about her. Instead, her insecurities were driving him away.

He looked at her hand and then at her face. The bleakness in his eyes shocked her. When he made no move to take it, she reluctantly lowered her hand.

Without another word, he grabbed his keys off the dresser and walked out of the room. She stared at the open door, willing him to come back, but unable to make herself call out to him. Too many memories of her mother pleading with her father to stay filled her brain. She buried her face in her hands, trying to shut out the painful thoughts.

The sound of the front door closing echoed in the silence. It was the finality of it that shook her out of her stupor and made her move. She grabbed the sheet from the bed and wrapped it around herself as she hurried down the hallway. Maybe she could catch him and they could talk.

She opened the door just in time to hear the ding of the elevator, signaling its arrival to this floor. She yanked open the door and stuck her head out just in time to see the elevator closing. Tucker stood in the center with his arms crossed, staring straight at her.

Then he was gone.

The sense of loss was devastating. Emma stumbled back into his apartment, but it no longer felt welcoming without him here. She dropped the sheet and fumbled for her clothing, which was strewn around the living room. She yanked on her shorts and top and grabbed her panties, wanting to make a quick escape.

Her only thought was to get home and try to sort out what had just happened. One minute they had been curled up in Tucker’s big bed, happy and contented. The next, they had been fighting.

Men weren’t worth the effort, she told herself as she balled the sheet up in her arms. She swiped at the tears on her cheeks as she looked down the hallway. There was no way she could face his bed. It would be mussed and warm and smell like him.

Burying her face in the sheet, she inhaled and was surrounded by the mingled scents of their lovemaking. She dropped the sheet and backed away from it. She had to leave. As she turned, a sparkle from the living room carpet caught her eye. Knowing what it was, she still walked toward it, bent down and closed her hand around it.

She didn’t look at the tiny piece of jewelry, but stuffed it in her pocket on the way to the door. The apartment seemed to surge to life as the power suddenly came back on. Closing her eyes, she leaned against the wall, knowing that Tucker had just flipped the switches in the utility room in the basement.

The fact that the power was back on in her apartment gave her no pleasure as she shut the door to Tucker’s place, crossed the hall, and entered her own empty home.

Chapter Nine

Emma sat in the cool interior of the restaurant and waited for her friends to arrive. She was glad to be inside and away from the oppressive heat still blanketing the town. Her right hand was tucked in her pants pocket, her fingers toying with the nipple ornament that Tucker had given her. She’d tossed it on her dresser last night, but had been unable to leave it behind this morning. It was practically burning a hole in her pocket, she was so very aware of it. All morning long, she’d been touching it, rubbing it like a talisman, as if somehow it could help her figure out what to do. She’d hardly slept at all last night and was tired and totally out of sorts.

When she’d gotten home yesterday, she’d taken a quick shower before curling up on her sofa to listen for the sound of Tucker coming home. It had been late when she’d finally heard his footsteps in the hallway. When he’d hesitated in front of her door, she held her breath, willing him to knock. Disappointment hit her hard when she’d heard the sound of his door closing.

She rubbed her eyes. It was a good thing she’d decided not to wear any makeup today, otherwise she’d be a total mess. In a totally unprecedented action, she’d called in sick to the gallery.

The memory of Callie’s surprise brought a faint smile to her face. Once she’d assured her assistant she was fine but needed a break, Callie had been enthusiastic with her support. “You never take a day off, boss. You deserve some time to just enjoy and pamper yourself.”

Callie’s words were still ringing in her ears. Was she really that regimented and predictable? Unfortunately, the answer was a resounding
yes
.

Emma was glad that she had a lunch date already scheduled with her two best friends. She really needed to talk to someone about her dilemma. She’d met Annabelle Sloan and Lily Summers at a local luncheon for women in the local business community and the three of them had immediately hit it off. Annabelle was the local librarian and had gotten married just last year. Lily was the oldest of the three at thirty-eight, the mother of a nineteen-year-old son, and she’d been divorced for many years. Seemingly, they had nothing in common. But the more they’d chatted, the more they’d discovered they had in common—books, art and food topping the list.

Emma had never had close friends until she moved to Summersville. It was yet another reason why she was glad that she’d chosen to live here.

The sound of laughter made her glance toward the door. She was just in time to see Mike Sloan kissing his wife good-bye. Annabelle’s lips lingered against his for a moment before she turned and walked toward the table, her hips swaying back and forth. Emma grinned as Mike’s gaze focused on his wife’s backside as she sauntered across the room.

“Is he still looking?” Annabelle asked.

“Oh, yeah.”

“Good.” Sliding into her seat, she turned, waved at her husband and blew him another kiss. Mike was still smiling when he disappeared from their sight. Annabelle swiveled back toward Emma, all business now. “Tell me what’s wrong,” she said as she hooked her purse on the back of her chair.

Emma didn’t bother denying something was amiss. Over the course of their friendship, they’d all gotten really good at sensing when one of the others was troubled. “Can we wait for Lily? I only want to do this once.”

“Of course.” Her friend reached out and patted her hand before picking up the menu.

The waitress was already at their table when Lily hurried in. “Sorry I’m late.” She plopped into the vacant chair and dropped her purse on the floor. Without missing a beat, she smiled at the waitress and gave her order. They’d eaten here so many times they could all recite what was on the menu.

As soon as the waitress brought back their drinks, Lily got down to business. “What’s wrong, Emma?” Picking up her glass of iced tea, she took a long sip before placing it back on the table.

“Having a rough day, Lily?” Emma countered. She was fascinated by the vibrant energy that always surrounded her friend.

“Don’t change the subject,” Lily admonished as she pointed her finger at Emma. “I could tell from the sound of your voice, when you called to confirm lunch, that something is seriously wrong.” She hesitated. “Is it your business?”

Emma shook her head, trying to figure out where to begin.

“Not your health?” Annabelle reached out and gripped Emma’s hand.

Shaking her head again, she took a deep breath and just spit it out. “It’s a man.”

The mouthful of iced tea that Lily had just taken sprayed over the table in front of her. As Lily choked and coughed, Annabelle thumped her on the back while Emma handed her a napkin. Lily waved them back to their seats as she gasped for breath. “A man?”

Emma smiled wryly. “Is that so unbelievable?” She guessed it was when they both nodded at the same time.

“Who?” Lily asked.

“Tucker Martin.” She sat back in her chair and waited for the inevitable explosion of questions.

Annabelle and Lily glanced at one another. “He sent you flowers some weeks ago.” Lily tapped her fingers on the table. “I thought you went out on a few dates with him and then called it quits?”

“I did.”

“So what happened?”

“We got trapped in the elevator together when the power went out.” Emma picked up her fork and toyed with it. “Things got hot and heavy pretty fast.”

“Oh, wow,” Lily gasped.

Emma glanced at Annabelle, who was watching her intently, obviously enthralled with her story. “That’s not all.”

“What else?” Lily waved her napkin in front of her face, as if trying to cool herself down.

“Mr. Meyers almost caught us, but I escaped back to my apartment. The power went again and I went over to Tucker’s just to get some ice, and—”

“And?” Lily prompted when Emma was silent for a whole minute.

“It was amazing.” Her voice was so quiet it was almost a whisper.

Finally, Annabelle spoke. “If it was so amazing, why are you so sad?” Her friend had a way of cutting through the crap and going straight to the heart of things. That was one of the reasons Emma had wanted to see her.

“I don’t know.” She toyed with her cutlery, not able to look either woman in the eye. This was intensely personal. She might have been better off inviting them to her place to talk rather than trying to converse in a public restaurant, but she’d needed to get out of the apartment. The walls had been closing in around her.

“We’d just had the most fantastic sex ever and then we were fighting. He accused me of playing games with him, of wanting him only for sex and not for a real relationship.”

“Was he right?” Annabelle’s soft words made her flinch. “How do you really feel about him?”

“I don’t know.” That was what had kept her awake all last night. “I don’t mean to doubt him, but deep down, I don’t trust him.”

“Why not?” Lily’s voice was suddenly harsh. “What’s he done?” They both knew that Lily had little trust in men after her own ex-husband’s transgressions.

“He hasn’t done anything wrong. He’s been quite wonderful.” The waitress walked up to their table with their orders, so they waited until she’d served them and left before continuing. “It’s me.”

“Why do you say that?” Annabelle shook out her napkin and laid it across her lap before picking up her fork.

It was difficult to talk about her past, but it was necessary. “My father was a good-looking, charming man. He made people smile and laugh.” She shook her head and picked at her salad with her fork. “He married my mom because she was pregnant, not because he loved her.”

“He must have felt something for her if he married her,” Annabelle pointed out.

“Yes, he felt he would like the small inheritance she’d gotten from her grandparents the year before. It was supposed to be for her college education. Instead it became money for him to fritter. Once it was gone, he started to stray.”

Lily rubbed her hand over Emma’s arm. “I’m so sorry, honey.”

Emma nodded as Lily’s heartfelt sympathy made her throat tighten. She swallowed and forced herself to continue. “He’d come back whenever he’d run out of money and sweet-talk my mother into taking him back. He’d promise her it was going to be different, but it never was. He’d hang around until he’d saved up enough money or convinced my mom to give him whatever she’d managed to put away and then he’d take off again. I was nine the last time I saw him.”

“I still don’t understand the problem.” Annabelle laid down her fork. “I’m sorry for what happened to you and your mom, but what does that have to do with you and Tucker?”

Couldn’t her friend see? Hadn’t she just laid it right out in front of them? Annabelle was still sitting there with an expectant look on her face. Emma opened her mouth, closed it, and then started again. “Tucker’s good-looking and charming,” she began.

“Yes, he is, “Annabelle agreed.

“So how can I trust him?” She buried her face in her hands. “How can I trust myself?” That was the real question.

“Oh, honey.” Annabelle reached out and dabbed at Emma’s face with her napkin, wiping a single tear that ran down her cheek. “Your mother was weak and that’s not your fault. You were just a child. But Emma, you have to know that you’re not anything like her. You’re strong, independent and happy.”

There it was. Emma was afraid of being weak like her mother. She’d resented the fact that her mother had allowed her father to disrupt their lives and make them unhappy. Just once, she’d wanted her mother to slam the door in her father’s face and tell him to go away, that they didn’t want him or need him in their lives. Just once, she wanted to be enough for her mother.

Emma straightened in her chair, shocked at her revelation. She was angrier with her mother than her father. Her mother’s actions had left her feeling as if she wasn’t enough.

Emma considered her friend’s words carefully. She was all those things Annabelle had listed. It was strange to finally come to the realization that she wasn’t responsible for her mother’s happiness, or her unhappiness for that matter. It was sad that her mother had wasted most of her life on a man who wasn’t worth it, but Annabelle was right. Emma was not her mother.

“And Tucker isn’t your father,” Lily added. “I know I can be cynical when it comes to men, but I also know there are good ones out there.”

Annabelle nodded. “Mike’s worked with Tucker before.” She stabbed a baby tomato with her fork, popped it into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully. “I like him. He’s been out to the house a few times for supper and he was at the barbecue we threw earlier this summer. He strikes me as a straightforward kind of guy.”

“You’re right.” Emma said it hesitantly, as if trying out the words. “I’m not my mother and he’s not my father.” Saying it out loud made it feel real. It was as if shackles she’d carried around all her life suddenly vanished.

“Emma.” Annabelle was very serious now as she reached out and took her friend’s hand. “I almost lost Mike because I couldn’t believe he’d be interested in someone like me.”

“But you’re beautiful and wonderful. Why wouldn’t he love you?” Emma was shocked by her friend’s revelation.

Annabelle smiled wryly. “But I didn’t see it that way at the time. I almost let my insecurities destroy us. If you have feelings for Tucker then you owe it to yourself to see where your relationship might go. Maybe it won’t last forever, maybe it will.” She shrugged. “But one thing I know for sure is that if you don’t try, you’ll never know.” Annabelle’s smile widened. “That means you have to acknowledge it publicly and not hold anything back.”

Emma stared at her friend in horror. “I am not announcing to the entire town that I love him.” Annabelle and Mike’s story was well known by the town’s inhabitants, as she’d chosen last year’s fair to announce it over the loudspeaker. Emma herself had witnessed the event and didn’t think she was brave enough to do something quite that bold.

Lily muffled her laughter with her napkin, but Annabelle’s filled the restaurant until tears flowed down her cheeks. Several people glanced their way and smiled. “No . . .” She tried to stop, but kept giggling. “It doesn’t have to be quite so public.”

Sitting back, Emma laughed with her friends. They were right. Tucker had let her know he was interested. It was up to her to make the next move.

The mood was lighter as they finished their meals. When they were sipping their coffee, Emma finally broached the subject. “Does anyone have any suggestions?”