by Judith Keim
“So, how are you and Devin getting along?” Elena asked.
“Great. As I told Gran, it’s nice to be just friends with a guy. That hasn’t happened to me in a long time.” She chuckled. “Not since grade school, when Chip Robertson and I were best buddies.”
Elena laughed. “You once told me you were going to marry him. Too bad Clara Lawry got to him first.”
“They’re a great couple,” said Em. “By the time I reached high school, the last man I wanted to marry was Chip. No sparks at all between us. Clara and I are still friendly. I see her from time to time.” Em changed the subject. “How are you feeling?”
“Good. We going to find out the sex of the baby soon. Andrew opted to wait, but I want to know so we can get everything ready for him or her. You know how important that is to me.”
“Yes, I do. I’d better go now,” Em said, “I hear Andrew calling you.”
She clicked off the call and sat a moment. It was wonderful that everyone was pleased she’d help Gran with the flower shop, but owning the shop was a 24/7 deal with no or few vacations. Em wasn’t sure that’s what she wanted. Having freedom in Florida had helped her develop plans for the future, plans that might not give her the time she’d need to both help Gran and own her own business. Though she hated to disappoint them, she might have to talk to her family about it. First, she needed to make her business a reality.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Hoping for additions to the collection of ideas she was gathering, Em decided to visit several resorts in the area to study their landscaping. When she asked Devin if he wanted to join her, he jumped at the chance. After he and Su Lynn had visited Miami to meet with his group of doctors, he was due to go back to work two days early and wanted simply to hang out.
She put the top down in her VW convertible and slid behind the wheel. “Can you get in all right?”
Devin chuckled as he folded his legs into the passenger seat. “Feeling a little like a sardine, but it’s fine, believe me. I just want to relax and go along for the ride.”
She made a game of driving up to a hotel entrance and deciding whether they should get out of the car. Landscaping along the beach was pretty consistent with a variety of palms, bougainvillea, hibiscus, jasmine, oleander, and other well-known plants in the area. But Em was after how each hotel strived to make the arrangements unique.
They decided to have lunch at the Sandpearl Resort. Sitting beachside at the Tate Island Grill, Em drew in a breath of the salty air and let it out again in a sigh. She loved being able to eat outside in February.
“How about a Mojito?” Devin said as a waitress approached. “My treat.”
Em hesitated. She never drank during the day.
“They’re very light and refreshing,” said Devin. “But if you’d rather order something else, that’s fine.”
Realizing her time in Florida was drawing to a close, Em said, “A Mojito sounds festive.” She glanced at the menu she’d been given. “I’ll have the Strawberry Basil Mojito.”
Devin grinned. He looked up at the waitress. “My guest will have the Strawberry Basil Mojito, and I’ll have the Traditional.”
The waitress beamed at him. “Yes, sir. I’ll bring those right out to you.” Her gaze lingered on him before she walked away with a sashay to her step.
Em couldn’t help laughing.
Devin caught her eye and shook his head. “It isn’t funny.”
“I’m sorry, but she was so obvious.” Sitting across from him now, Em wondered how she could have failed to pay attention to him at Elena’s wedding.
They sat in comfortable silence watching the people on the beach. Em liked that about him.
After they’d finished their drinks, Devin said, “What are you having for lunch?”
As the waitress approached, Em perused the menu, delighting in the choices. “I think I’ll go for the shrimp salad.” Served with baby greens, plantains, mandarin oranges, and a number of other things, it sounded delicious.
The waitress took Em’s order and turned to Devin. “And what can I do for you?” she asked, batting her eyelashes at him.
“I’ll have the Jerk Chicken Sandwich,” he said without taking his eye off the menu.
“And water, please,” added Em to the waitress, noticing she’d failed to bring any to the table.
After the waitress left, Devin glanced at Em. “That girl is probably half my age.”
“How old are you?” asked Em.
“Thirty-six. Way too old to tangle with a teenybopper.”
Em laughed. “Teenybopper or not, she’d like nothing more.” She grew serious. “You’ve never married?”
“I came close to it once, but some people have a misconception about doctors and their incomes. With all the required malpractice insurances and government intervention in the last couple of decades, it’s a hard life without all the financial benefits once expected. With the kind of work I do, I make a good living, but I’m not rich. Especially with my debt load.”
“The women you dated wanted more, huh?”
Looking miserable, he nodded. “That’s what happened to me over a year ago. Between the time away and the lack of prospects for a prosperous lifestyle, I was not what she wanted. Or so it turned out when I found her in bed with my neighbor.”
“That hurts,” said Em softly. “I’m sorry.”
He shrugged. “Sometimes it takes something like that to make you rethink what you’re doing and where you’re going.”
“True,” she said, understanding that is what had happened to her.
She asked him about his work in Costa Rica and listened as he came alive discussing the need for medical attention there and elsewhere. “I’ve become close to a few of my patients. Especially one mother and her daughter. I’m not sure how it will end because when I treated her child, I learned her mother is dying from cancer.”
Em suspected that was one of the reasons Devin’s eyes turned sad when he talked about his work. By the time the meal was over, she considered him one of the most decent and caring men she’d ever met.
They left the hotel and continued to weave in and out of other properties on their way back to Seashell Cottage.
The sun was lowering in the sky as she parked her car in the driveway. Em got out and stretched. “I’m going for a walk on the beach.”
“Enjoy it,” Devin said agreeably. “I’m going to meet my friends at the Salty Key Inn for an early dinner. They leave tomorrow morning.” He paused. “Thanks for today. I enjoyed your company.”
“My pleasure,” she responded, wondering what it would be like if things were different between them. But then, friendship was nice too. Her future depended on her gaining her footing and doing things for herself.
###
Some days later, as Em was sipping coffee on the porch, she heard the roar of a truck entering the driveway and eagerly rose to her feet. It sounded as if Benito had arrived. She hoped he’d brought Nina. She’d formed a bond with this little girl and learned a valuable lesson. She didn’t have to share genes to grow attached.
She hurried out to the driveway and waved at Benito as he got out of the truck. “Did you bring Nina?”
“Si. She wanted to see you again.” He went around the truck and opened the back door. “Nina, someone wants to see you.”
“Em?” Nina said clearly.
A flush of tenderness flooded Em. As soon as the child ran toward her, Em picked her up and swung her around. “Hi, Nina! ¡Buenos dias!”
The girl smiled shyly at her. “Good morning.”
Surprised, she turned to Benito. “She’s learning to be more comfortable with English.”
He gave her a look of pride. “Yes, my daughter is working with her.”
Em set Nina down on the ground. “There. Let’s go inside. I have a treat for you and, if you like, we can do some art projects together.”
Benito explained that to Nina in Spanish and the little girl clapped her hands with excitement.
Benito shook his head.
“It’s a wonderful place to visit. I hope you get to see it someday. I learned so much.”
“Good. I have a gift for you.” Benito reached into his truck and brought out a beautiful white orchid plant. “From my daughter and me for taking an interest in Nina.”
Tears stung Em’s eyes. “Thank you,” she said, accepting the plant he handed her. “It’s so thoughtful, and believe me, the pleasure is mine. Nina is a darling child.”
Benito beamed with pride. “We think so too.”
While Nina scampered around them, Benito and Em walked around the house checking the plants, talking about what needed pruning and what could wait.
“I will be working with such different plants up north, but it’s so helpful to hear how you handle landscaping here,” she said to Benito.
“Yes, I understand. Now I must do what I’ve talked about.”
“And I’ll watch Nina,” said Em. She turned to the little girl. “Want to come inside?
Nina looked at her grandfather and then said to Em. “Yes, inside.”
In the kitchen, Em laid out the coloring book and crayons she’d found in one of the cupboards. She fixed some lemonade and put a couple of cookies on a plate and set them on the table.
Nina’s eyes lit at the sight of them. “¡Por favor!”
Em held the plate while Nina looked over the cookies and daintily lifted one off the plate. “¡Gracias!
“De nada,” said Em, wishing she remembered more Spanish from her college classes.
Em worked beside Nina coloring a page of the Cinderella activity book.
“See how blue and yellow make green?” Em asked.
Nina blended the colors of the crayons Em handed her. “Pretty!”
Though they didn’t speak much, there was a sense of warm camaraderie between them.
When Nina indicated she had to go to the bathroom, Em said, “I’ll help you.” She made sure Nina had what she needed, and afterwards, helped her wash her hands.
“Okay, now let’s watch a movie. Which one do you want to see?”
Nina looked through the pile of old movies and picked Cinderella.
Later, when Benito came in to check on them, Nina and Em were watching the movie on the television screen. Benito gave Em a satisfied salute and returned outdoors.
As she sat facing the television, Em looked down at Nina’s hand in hers, and her heart filled with contentment. She knew having a child was something she really wanted. It felt right.
When it was time for Benito and Nina to leave, Em gave each of them a hug. “I won’t see you again, but thank you, Benito, for allowing me to spend time with Nina. She’s a special little girl. And thank you for talking to me about plants and landscaping. I hope to put it to good use soon.”
He bobbed his head. “You are a very nice lady. Someday you will be a very good mother.”
“I hope so,” said Em, blinking rapidly, touched by his words and the way Nina had wrapped her arms around her legs for a hug.
After they’d driven off, she walked down to the beach, hoping to put her restless mind at ease. She had a lot to think about—a move to the condo, setting up her office, forming a business, and creating a full life for herself.
First things first, she reminded herself, and with a last look at the seagulls circling in the sky above her, she turned and went into the cottage to begin.
She’d just finished a list of items to buy for her condo when Devin arrived. Still in his gym clothes, he said, “How about lunch? If you share what you have in the refrigerator, I’ll take you out to dinner tonight. It’s my last night here.”
“Okay, that’s a deal,” she answered, dismayed by the fact that he was leaving. She’d be alone for another couple of nights.
Em made sliced chicken and ginger relish sandwiches, set out potato chips and bottles of bubbly water, and went to get Devin.
He emerged from his bedroom in shorts and pulling a golf shirt over his taut abs. At the response to his sexiness, Em held her breath and let it out slowly, telling herself it might be a bit naughty to think of a friend like this.
“Thanks. I’m starving,” said Devin, moving past, unaware of his impact.
Em followed him into the kitchen, relieved he’d be leaving soon. Seeing him like this had her thinking it might be difficult to keep him in the friend zone.
But as they sat at the kitchen table eating, their relationship settled into their old routine. And when Devin announced he was doing errands that afternoon, Em forced herself to stop weaving fantasies about them being together and went back to forming her plans for the future.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Em stood in front of the mirror assessing herself. Devin had told her to dress up because he’d decided to take her to Gavin’s at the Salty Key Inn for dinner.
The black, sleeveless sheath fit her body well, her skin had tanned nicely with just a scattering of freckles across her nose, and her blond hair pulled away from her face was firmly tied at the back of her head. Altogether, not a bad look for her.
“Well, Em, as Gran would say, it’s as good as it gets,” she said, turning away from her image.
She stepped out of her bedroom and walked into the living room.
Devin’s eyes widened when he saw her. “Wow! You clean up nice!” he teased.
She laughed, though her cheeks had gone from warm to hot.
“Ready? Let’s go! I made a reservation for seven-thirty, but the restaurant will be crowded. We might have to wait for a while.”
“I’ve heard Gavin’s is one of the best restaurants along the coast.”
Devin nodded. “Yeah, it’s earned four stars from more than one food critic.”
“I can’t wait to see it! Thanks for taking me.”
“It’s the least I can do for having such a good housemate during this stay. I needed this break, and you’ve made it easy for me.”
He held out his elbow, and she took it.
After Devin helped her into his car, he went around and climbed into the driver’s seat. Though the Salty Key Inn wasn’t very far, Em was glad he hadn’t mentioned walking there. Her high-heeled sandals were cute but no good for walking any distance.
When they pulled through the entrance to the hotel, Em glanced around eagerly. The story of the three sisters who owned it was well known in the area. She’d read an article about them in a magazine left at Seashell Cottage.
Devin pulled up to the valet area and braked the car. A young man hurried to open the door for her. She stepped out onto the pavement and inhaled the delicious aromas coming from the restaurant. Butter, garlic, and other odors combined in a mixture of anticipation.
Inside the restaurant, wood-paneled walls were highlighted by crystal sconces that provided a soft glow around the perimeter of the room. Overhead, crystal chandeliers complemented the side lighting, washing the room in gentle light.
They followed a hostess to a table set in a tiny alcove that overlooked an outdoor garden. Fascinated by the way the design of the small garden made it a feature of the alcove, she took the seat offered to her and gazed out the window.
“Pretty, huh?” said Devin, taking his seat opposite hers.
“Yes, very elegant. I like it.”
“I’m glad you agreed to go out with me tonight.” He smiled at her. “I’ve made final arrangements with my colleagues, and I’m going to be very busy for the next few months traveling back and forth to Costa Rica. It was your simple suggestion that made this possible.”
“I’m glad I could help,” she said, pleased to see a happy glow on Devin’s handsome face.
He grew serious. “I’ve been told I was selfish for trying to work something like this out. And others have ridiculed my lack of business sense for wanting to do humanitarian work. In a way, I understand. I have debts I need to pay back. I’m not going to be a wealthy man.”
She r
eached out and patted his hand. “But you will be in every other way.”
“I like you, Emerson Jordan,” he said, giving her fingers a squeeze before pulling his hand away.
“Thanks. I like you too,” she responded.
The wine steward arrived at their table. While Devin and he discussed wines, Em studied the twinkling lights woven among the greenery outside the window. In leafing through the books she’d bought, she’d seen enough pictures of gardens at night to realize that lighting might be another way to dress up what would otherwise be a simple garden.
“Hope you don’t mind, but I’ve ordered champagne,” said Devin. “I wanted this to be a special night to thank you for your encouragement.”
“It sounds lovely.” She’d tasted champagne occasionally at the weddings of some of her college friends, but hadn’t had much.
The wine steward returned with an ice bucket on a stand containing a dark-green bottle and two flute glasses. He placed the glasses on the table and lifted the bottle out of the ice to show Devin. At a nod of approval from Devin, he opened the bottle, offered the cork to Devin, and poured a small amount of wine into Devin’s glass to taste.
“Very nice,” said Devin, nodding and smiling his approval.
The steward poured some champagne into Em’s glass and refilled Devin’s.
“Enjoy,” said the steward, quietly leaving the table.
Devin lifted his glass to her. “Here’s to success. Yours and mine.”
“Yes,” said Em, clicking her glass against his before taking a sip.
The bubbly wine tickled her nose. A giggle escaped her before she allowed the rest to slide down her throat.
“That good, huh?” teased Devin, his eyes sparkling.
“It’s delicious. Just took me by surprise.” Her next sip was smaller.
“Let’s order a nice appetizer to go with this. Anything but the caviar. I don’t want you to end up washing dishes to pay for the meal.”
She laughed, liking the fact that there wasn’t any pretense about him. Jared had tended to be a little flashy.
They ordered shrimp puffs—lemony shrimp in a buttery, crisp wrapping of puff pastry.
