Full Bloom (6 page)

Emily scowled at him, not liking the way he had phrased that last part. It reminded her too much of his situation with her family. "I suppose you're the kind who always pays his debts?"

He gave her an odd look. "Sure."

"How unfortunate for you," Emily said, being deliberately evasive.

"Dinner, Emily?"

She studied him. Jacob Stone trying to be gently persuasive was an interesting sight. It was obviously very difficult for him. It was also strangely endearing in a way Emily could not quite explain. She had harbored a secret passion for him for so long, she reflected in quiet wonder. How could she possibly turn down an invitation from him?

"All right," she agreed rashly. "Maybe you do owe me a meal." She stuffed several more bunches of flowers into the cooler and closed the sliding glass door. "What time do you want to pick me up?"

"Seven?" His gray eyes, normally so cold and bleak, were lit with the fires of a latent anticipation now.

She smiled wryly. "You're in luck. As it happens, I'm free at seven tonight."

There was definite satisfaction in Jacob's expression as he nodded his head. "Thanks, Emily."

"For what?"

"For giving me a chance." He turned and started to walk out of the shop. A fern caught his eye and he paused to examine it. His big hand lifted to touch one delicate frond. He seemed momentarily fascinated by the lacy greenery. Then he dropped his hand and went on out of the shop without a backward glance.

Emily stared after him, aware that she had been holding her breath as she watched him touch the frond with careful fingers. For a moment there she had witnessed a hint of the capacity for tenderness that lay buried far beneath the granite-hard exterior of the man. She had sensed that gentle streak in him the first time she had met him. It had always been a mystery to her that no one else ever seemed aware of it, including Jacob himself.

Then she went on to question her own rashness in accepting his dinner invitation.

There was a fine line between being bold and assertive and being reckless. Emily had a hunch she had just crossed the boundary.

The evening did not start out auspiciously, and it was all Jacob Stone's fault.

Emily had taken pains with her dress selection, finally opting for a black-and-white two-piece outfit that emphasized the contrast of her black hair and fair skin. The long-sleeved top had a dropped waistline that rode her hips in a sophisticated, sensual manner. The skirt was a flared froth of silk that moved easily around her legs. Silver earrings gleamed from under the fall of her jet-black hair. The black frames of her glasses gave her amber eyes a mysterious, watchful quality.

Jacob arrived at her door wearing a dark jacket, a conservative white shirt and dark trousers. His hair had been brushed severely into place and his shoes had been laboriously shined. He had on a tie that was as conservative as the rest of his attire. It appeared to have been tied in a rather painful knot. Jacob Stone might be dangerously resourceful when it came to resolving an untenable business situation, but when it came to clothes, he obviously had decided long ago to take no chances.

But the conservatism of his clothing was only the second impression Emily received when she opened the door. The first, almost overwhelming, factor that hit her with the force of a blow was the sensual hunger in his gaze. His cloud-colored eyes gleamed with gray fire for an instant before he managed to bank the flames. Emily was jolted by it—almost frightened. For a few seconds she actually considered slamming the door and locking it again.

As if he read her thoughts, Jacob casually put a foot over the threshold. "You look very lovely tonight, Emily." He smiled crookedly. "I wanted to bring flowers, but I didn't know what kind would impress a lady whose business was flowers."

Emily eyed him uncertainly and then realized that his eyes appeared normal again. Perhaps she had just imagined that flare of raw masculine hunger. She smiled in spite of herself. "So what did you bring instead of flowers?"

He blinked, clearly nonplussed, and looked involuntarily down at his empty hands. "Uh, nothing. Just myself. Sorry. I… Are you ready?"

She nodded, taking pity at his obvious discomfort. "I'm ready." Poor Jacob. She wondered how a man who was such a whiz at knocking heads together both literally and figuratively could be so awkward socially. Then again, maybe it made perfect sense. Head bashing and proper social manners probably did not go well together.

It was as they stepped into the elevator that Jacob asked the question that nearly put a halt to the whole evening.

"Have you told Morrell you won't be seeing him again?"

Emily's mood darkened instantly. "If you want us both to enjoy this evening, I suggest you do not discuss Damon Morrell."

Jacob's eyes narrowed as he punched the lobby button. He looked prepared to argue the point, but something—common sense, perhaps—stopped him. "You're not a fool, Emily. I know that. I'll assume you've done what needed to be done. If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine with me."

She smiled triumphantly back at him, pleased by the small victory. "Thank you. I assure you, I do not want to talk about Damon. Now, where are we going for dinner?"

"I got a recommendation from the front desk at my hotel." Jacob named the popular restaurant located in the Pike Place Market complex. "Is that all right?"

"Oh, yes. It sounds perfect. What are we going to talk about all evening now that we've agreed not to discuss Damon?"

Jacob shrugged and smiled. "Us?"

"I'm not sure I want to discuss us, either. I'd rather talk about you."

He folded his arms and leaned back against the elevator wall. He seemed very massive in the small, confined space. "What do you want to know about me?" he asked with a frown.

"I think," Emily said slowly, "that I would like to know what's been happening to you for the past couple of years."

"That makes us even," he remarked as the elevator doors slid open. "I'm very curious about what you've been doing for the past two years, also."

"Mostly I've been busy causing my family no end of concern about my future," Emily said lightly as they walked out through the lobby to a Mercedes parked at the curb. "They were totally traumatized when Grandmother left me her shares in RI. But they recovered slightly when it became clear I didn't really intend to interfere in the running of the firm. They don't like the situation but they've learned to live with it."

"Your grandmother was one hell of a lady," Jacob said reminiscently. "I liked her."

"She drove the others nuts every time she took an active interest in RI. She always wanted to be certain the company was operating ethically. She claimed Ravenscrofts were predators by nature and had to be kept under control. At any rate, after the family stopped trying to get me to surrender my interest in RI they went back to fretting about my career choice. They're all hoping the flower business will prove to be a temporary aberration on my part."

"Like the notion of going off to join an artists' colony when you were eighteen?"

Emily grimaced. "Mother told you about that, did she? Well, I'm sorry to disappoint her, but I'm afraid that this time I'm sticking with my decision. I suppose I should have known better than to think I was actually being invited down to Portland to discuss my plans for opening a new shop. I ought to have realized my family is not about to loan me any money for expanding my business. I really walked right into that trap Friday night, didn't I? Talk about being set up."

Jacob gave her an impatient glance as he helped her into the dark Mercedes.
Then he went around the front and slid behind the wheel. He sat quietly for a moment, staring out into the street. Emily felt the tension in him, and she knew he had himself under tight control.

"It wasn't a trap or a setup, Emily. Your father asked you to come to Portland to discuss business. He considered your relationship with Morrell as a genuine threat to Ravenscroft and to you personally. He wanted the issue settled quickly and cleanly. Don't blame him or your brother, or your mother. They've always operated in a very straightforward style. You know that. They don't dither around and anguish over things. When they see a clear and present danger, they act."

"Without any regard for the feelings of others. Yes, I know."

"How long are you going to blame me for my part in what happened?" Jacob eased the car away from the curb and started toward First Avenue. As they drove down toward the water, the lights on Elliott Bay glittered in the darkness.

"I've decided there's no point blaming you," Emily said gently. "That's why I agreed to come out with you tonight. You only did what you had to do. I understand. My family can be very demanding."

He shot her an astonished glance. "Do you mean that? You're not going to hold any of it against me?"

"Don't worry. The days are gone when they used to kill the messenger who brought bad news. That's all you were. The messenger. I'm sorry my family felt compelled to drag you into this mess."

"Mind telling me why you're suddenly being so understanding and forgiving
about my role in the matter? I'm not complaining, but I am a little baffled. Friday night when I left you I got the feeling you would like to have put me through the Ravenscroft corporate paper shredder."

"Let's just say that in the cold light of day, I put things back into perspective. I've had the weekend to think about things. I know how my family operates," she went on soothingly. "They don't hesitate to call in a few favors when it suits them."

"Emily, I'll say this one more time and that's all. What I did, I did for your sake. I know it was a rough way to get the news about Morrell, but I agreed with your family. We all wanted to make it quick and clean."

"Let's not talk about why you did what you did. I don't want to talk about that any more than I want to talk about Damon."

"If you're willing to put the matter behind us, then I guess I am, too. Where does that leave us, Emily?"

"On the way to dinner."

"Right." Jacob smiled and made an obvious effort to relax. "Tell me about the flower shop."

"Are you really interested?"

"I'm interested in everything about you, Emily."

So she told him about Emily's Garden. When he proved astonishingly interested, she gave him all the gory details, including how she had sold her car and taken out a loan from a bank to go into business for herself nearly two years ago. Her family had refused to help her finance the shop, so Emily had sought out her own financing. She had only recently been able to afford another vehicle.

"You can imagine what my folks said when they found out what I'd done. They've been opposed to my decision to make a career in the florist business right from the start. They've done everything they could to discourage me. Grandmother Ravenscroft was the only one who actually encouraged me."

"What made you think your family might be willing to finance the second shop?"

Emily sighed. "I was hoping that the fact that I've made a success out of the first shop would alleviate some of their concerns about my business abilities. I'm turning a profit and I've proved I can run a business. It was dumb, I know, but I thought I'd give them another chance. Looks like I was wasting my time, though. I'll have to go back to the bank for the loan I need."

"You never gave your father a chance to discuss the loan," Jacob reminded her. "You stormed out of the house before anyone ever got to that subject."

Emily allowed herself a short, humorless laugh. "Let's just say that after having let myself get tricked into that embarrassing confrontation in the study, I didn't see much point in sticking around. I seriously doubt that my family ever had any real intention of discussing my business plans. They just let me believe they were willing to talk about the loan as a ruse to get me down to Portland. I should have know better." Emily shook her head. "One of these days I'll learn. I've gotten a lot better at handling them during the past couple of years, but once in a while I still get caught in the same old traps."

"Is that how you see your family's concern for you? A trap?" Jacob asked disapprovingly.

"I realize that in their own way they do love me and they honestly want what they think is best for me. If I didn't believe that, I wouldn't put up with them at all. But they are basically a bunch of single-minded, arrogant, ruthless business people whose main goal in life is the perpetuation and glory of Ravenscroft International. Grandmother was right. They're natural business predators. On top of that, they all seem to think they were born with some divine right to run my life as well as the life of everyone else who gets within striking distance. You should know what I'm talking about. You've had the misfortune to work for them for several years."

"Emily, I think you're overstating the case," Jacob said forcefully as he parked the car on the street in front of the restaurant. "I'll grant you that Gifford and Drake can be single-minded when it comes to running RI and maybe they do tend to think they know what's best for you. But let's face it, your track record—with men, at least—hasn't been exactly reassuring. Is it any wonder they get involved in your love life when you insist on falling for men like Brad Carlton and Damon
Morrell?"

Emily's smile thinned. She watched him warily as he switched off the car's engine. Then she relaxed slightly as she realized what was happening. "It's all right, Jacob," she said gently. "I understand how it is. You've been very loyal for a long time and old habits are hard to break. But there's no need to defend my family to me. I know exactly what they are and how they operate. I was a fool to think of approaching them for that loan in the first place. I should have known better. And I can understand how you got manipulated by them this time around."

Jacob stared at her. "How I got manipulated by them?" he repeated, sounding honestly baffled.

"It's all right." Emily patted his sleeve reassuringly as she started to open her door. "You don't have to explain it to me. We're both victims of my family, and we're both going to find a way to get completely out of their clutches one of these days. Maybe the trick is for us to stick together."