Not What She Seems (6 page)

He wasn’t sure what he would do if Emily wasn’t inside the Laundromat. He supposed he would go ahead and wash his clothes and wait to see if she came in. He only had one load of clothes, so if she didn’t come in soon he might have to wash them twice. This thought made him smile.

But as he opened the glass door, he could see that he was in luck. She was inside, folding laundry from the drier and placing it into her baskets. Her little boy was with her, helping her by folding the towels. She looked up when Steven walked in.

“Hello,” she said, holding up a towel that appeared to have seen better days.

Steven swallowed, and nodded a greeting to her, his stomach suddenly in knots. Why was he so nervous? It’s not like he hadn’t asked a woman out before. But, something about Emily was different. For some reason, he felt tongue tied when she was around.

She glanced outside, bit her lip, and then smiled at him. “I’m Emily, and this is my son Connor.”

“I’m Ethan,” Steven said winking at Connor. He gave Steven a shy smile.

“I know. Rose speaks very highly of you.”

Steven dumped his clothes in a washing machine, hoping he would be able to think of what to say to her. She was almost done with her laundry, so he would have to ask her out soon if he was going to do it.

Emily piled her baskets onto a cart. “So, are you going anywhere for Thanksgiving?”

“Yes, I’ll be spending it with my family back east.”

“That’s nice.” Steven saw a flicker of sadness flash over her face, but it went away so quickly he might have imagined it. He took a deep breath.

“You wouldn’t want to go catch a bite to eat with me, while I wait for my clothes to get done, would you? We could all go to that Chinese restaurant down the street. They even have a kid’s menu.”

She smiled. “I would love to.”

Chapter Seven

The Hunan Chinese Restaurant was only a block away. Emily walked beside Steven, while Connor ran ahead to the corner. Glancing down the street, she couldn’t see Richard anywhere, and she exhaled. The chilly air carried her breath, and Connor thought it looked like steam from a train. He ran circles around them tooting and giggling. She felt the tension ease from her shoulders a bit. Steven laughed and picked up Connor, playfully tossing him into the air. Her son screamed in delight.

Emily sighed with relief when they were seated in the back of the restaurant. The waitress gave Connor a coloring page and some crayons. This kept him quite content. She relaxed and found herself chatting easily with Steven. His blue eyes seemed to pierce through her and Emily couldn’t stop looking at them.

“What brought you to Huntington, Emily?”

His deep voice caused her stomach to fill with butterflies. She shifted in her seat. “I feel like I was driven here.” She smiled wryly, but mentally cursed herself for saying it. “I have always liked small towns.
Huntington
seemed like a nice place to raise my son. Why did you come to
Huntington
?”

“I used to come here as a kid, visiting my great aunt. I guess I fell in love with it back then.” He flashed a quick grin at her.

Emily’s heart skipped a beat. He certainly wasn’t lacking at all in the good looks department. His dark hair was a stark contrast to his flawless ivory skin. She had a sudden urge to reach up and touch his face. She tucked her hands under her legs.

“This is a wonderful town. The people here are friendly, and I love the old Victorian houses,” he said.

“Me too.
If I could, I would buy one of these old homes with a big backyard. Connor loves to play outside.”

“Why can’t you?”

Unexpected pain stabbed at her. Owning a home could never be in her future. She would forever be running, staying under the radar. Emily blinked back the tears that threatened to spring forth. “I’m a single mom,” she whispered. “I could never afford a house.”

“You’d be surprised what single moms across the country are doing. There’s a world of possibilities out there.” He brushed a strand of hair out of her face, his fingers touching her skin briefly, sending warmth through her. “Don’t give up on yourself, Emily.” He stared into her eyes. For a moment, she believed he might actually care about her.

Her gaze turned downward, staring at her lap. He wouldn’t be looking at her this way if he really knew her.
A billionaire… with a public reputation?
She could never be with him.

She decided to change the subject. “So, what’s your favorite movie?”

“That’s easy, the original
Star Wars
.”

“
Star Wars?
Really?
I would have thought someone like you,” she paused, “I mean, um, you look more like the foreign film type.”

“Oh?” Steven raised an eyebrow. “Why would you say that?”

Emily squirmed. “I–” She desperately tried to think of something to say. “It’s just this little game I like to play.” She pointed her fork at a waiter. “That guy there, he watches every silly comedy that comes out. And she,” Emily said, pointing at a tall woman sitting with her husband, “she loves a good tear jerker.”

Steven laughed, and Emily gave him a weak smile.

“What about you? What is your favorite film?” Steven asked.

“That would have to be
My Fair Lady
.”

“Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison were delightful in that film.” His eyes danced across her face. Warmth spread across her cheeks, and she was glad when the food arrived.

******

Steven paid close attention to Emily as they ate and chatted about nothing important. He felt a surge of warmth when he saw the way she looked at Connor, with such tender love. He hoped to have children of his own someday.

When they finished eating, Steven stood. “Would you like me to help you put your laundry in your car?”

“Thank you. That would be nice.” She threw her hair back over her shoulders, and helped Connor up.

He paid the bill and they walked back to the Laundromat. Glancing up and down the deserted street, he felt relief that no one hung around. That man had given him the creeps.

When he was done putting her baskets in the back seat, he said, “Thank you for letting me take you out, Emily. I’d like to do it again sometime.”

“That would be nice.” While she buckled Connor into his car seat, Steven peered over at the dashboard. Cigarette butts lay scrunched up in the ashtray. Strange, she didn’t smell like smoke.

“Can I call you?”

She glanced up the street. “Um, I don’t have my phone installed yet, but you can always find me at the Café.”

Tingles started up in his stomach. He didn’t want to say goodbye. The urge to ask her out again took over. “What are you doing on Saturday?”

“I’m free until my evening shift. Oh, but aren’t you going to be on the east coast with your family?”

“I’m just going for Thanksgiving. I’ll be back by Friday night.”

Emily looked pleased, and climbed into the car. “What time on Saturday?”

“
9:00 a.m.
I’ll pick you and Connor up. I’ll have you back before your shift.”

Emily twisted her hands and seemed to consider it before she said, “Okay, I’m at
301 Pine Street, Apt. 1
C.
” She shut her car door and started the engine. Steven waved at Connor, gave him a wink, and headed down the street to his truck.

******

Emily spied Richard walking several blocks away from the small downtown strip, a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, his hands shoved in his pockets. An impulse to keep driving passed through her, but she knew she couldn’t. She pulled the car over.

“So, what did he say?” Richard asked, as he shut the car door. “Is he going to give you the money?”

A coldness
started in her stomach and spread to her chest. “Come on, you know this is going to take a while. If you want him to give us that kind of money, you’ve got to give me the time to get to know him. He’s got to feel sympathy for me.” Emily stole a glance at Richard. He stared at her, his hair almost hiding his dark eyes. “We’re going out again on Saturday.”

He clenched his fists, and looked out the window. “Where is he taking you?”

“I didn’t ask.” She shot another look at him, and he leaned closer to her.

“Be careful. You know what will happen if…”

“Yes, Richard, I know.” Emily’s knuckles turned white on the steering wheel and a lump formed in her throat.

That night Emily put Connor down to sleep and knelt beside the sagging bed. The shabby curtains hung limply down the window, and the moonlight coming from the holes dotted the room. Things were getting worse with Richard. She would have to choose carefully how she would proceed.

******

Snow was beginning to fall outside when Rose heard a knock on the door. She was delighted to see Steven standing there with a gift basket.

“I just wanted to give you this and say goodbye before heading out of town.” Steven followed Rose into the den where Frank sat.

“You heading out, Ethan?” asked Frank from his easy chair.

“Yes, I was just getting on the road when I decided to stop by and wish you and Rose a warm and happy Thanksgiving.”

Frank shifted. “Well, you have a safe trip there, Ethan.
Seems like you just got back, and off you go again.”

“Yeah, Mom would string me up if I wasn’t there for Thanksgiving. But I’ll be
back
Friday.”

Rose made a face but didn’t say anything. It wasn’t until he left that Rose smiled and nodded to herself. She could tell from the moment he had laid eyes on Emily that he was smitten with her. They would make the perfect couple. She hummed as she busied herself in the kitchen.

“You’re positively glowing, Rose.” Frank put his arms around her. “What gives?” he whispered.

“I think our Ethan is in love.”

“Are you playing matchmaker again?” Frank asked, chuckling.

“Again?
Since when have I stopped?” Rose asked.
  
Frank laughed, and kissed his wife on the cheek.

“Who have you set him up with?”

“Emily, from the café.
She’s the blonde with the little boy.”

“Sure, she’s a sweetheart. I can see why he would be interested. And she couldn’t do any better than Ethan. He’s a great kid.”

“I agree. I hope they find the kind of happiness we have had.” She snuggled up against his chest. Not that they hadn’t had their rough times. But she was so glad they worked through those together. They had always had the same goals, and this was one of the reasons their marriage had lasted so long.

“No one will have the kind of happiness we have,” Frank said with emotion in his voice.

******

Caroline stood at the sink peeling potatoes when Steven arrived. He came into the kitchen to help. They chatted about nothing important for a few minutes, then Steven got a funny look on his face, and she knew he had something to say.

“What is it?”

He put his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “Well, I went on a date Tuesday.” A smile pulled at the corners of his mouth.

“Did you?” Caroline asked, trying not to sound too interested. “Who did you go out with?”

“Her name is Emily.”

“Is she your age?” she asked coyly. Steven laughed.

“Yes, she’s my age. She’s divorced, with a four-year-old son named Connor.”

“Really?”
Concern crept in. She shrugged it away. Steven was old enough to make his own decisions.

“We are going out again on Saturday.”

Caroline looked at him, and then continued to peel her potatoes. “That’s nice, dear.” She couldn’t recall the last time that Steven had gone out with a girl twice in one week.

“I think I’ll take her and Connor to the museum in the city. Connor would get a kick out of seeing the dinosaur bones.”

Caroline raised her eyebrows, pleased that Steven had taken an interest in someone. “Well, you let me know how things are going. It’s almost time to put the green bean casserole in. Would you do the honors, Steven?”

Helping to prepare the feast was a part of the Ashton Thanksgiving tradition. When all of their peers were having catered meals, they were in the kitchen laughing and bonding. Her husband,
Brenton
, always carved the turkey, and they would sit and all say what they were thankful for before they would eat.

Steven set the table, while she and her husband finished with the turkey. After sitting down,
Brenton
said, “I’m thankful that we have all had such a prosperous year, and that Steven is here for Thanksgiving.”