“You really shouldn’t pick fights with walls. They’ll get ya every time,” Rob teased.
“I’ll try to remember that… So what’s up?” Emily acted dumb like she didn’t know the real motive behind his call. It was Tuesday and she hadn’t responded to him yet about his invite to lunch this Saturday.
“Well, I was wondering if you had a chance to check your schedule yet. Are you free Saturday?”
Emily didn’t have much time to think. The conversation she’d had with Candice rolled through her mind. Her friend had made a good point and Emily had wondered if maybe she should just give dating a try.
“Umm, yeah, it turns out I’m free Saturday, so lunch would be great.” Emily tried to put a little excitement in her voice but she wasn’t so sure she sounded convincing.
“Great! What time works best for you?” Rob had true enthusiasm in his voice.
“Whenever really.”
“Okay then. How about noon?”
“Sounds fine with me.”
“Do you like Italian?”
“Sure, I’m a pasta kind of girl.”
“Awesome. I’ll pick you up at noon.”
“Okay, I’ll see you then.”
“Take care, Emily.”
“You too Rob. Bye.” Emily hung up the phone.
“Well I did it. Now I just have to make sure I follow through.”
Emily wasn’t excited about the date. But there was a confidence growing within that reassured her all this was a good idea. The date could be one step to leading a normal social life again.
The rest of the week passed like any other. Each day Emily’s bump and bruise got better. By Saturday the goose egg was gone. A yellow and green bruise still remained, but was camouflaged with a little makeup and allowing her hair to sweep past the corner of her forehead.
Emily stared at the things in her closet. She felt like she couldn’t wear her jeans and t-shirts, they were too casual and frumpy. However, she didn’t want to wear a dress or skirt. That seemed like too much, and she would be wearing a dress tonight at the charity concert; once a day was enough for her.
She settled on a pair of black slacks and teal v-neck sweater. The color made her hazel eyes look greener, she liked that. Suddenly she was picturing another set of green eyes. She had thought of Alexander often throughout the week, but had convinced herself to stop obsessing.
For the moment, Emily allowed her self-control to lapse and give way to her daydream. She was snapped out of it when she realized time was slipping away. She hurried to the bathroom and pulled her hair half up using bobby pins to secure it into a slight twist.
“Good enough.”
She gave herself one last look over and then grabbed her long gray tweed coat.
When Emily entered the living room where he father was, he lowered his newspaper.
“You look very nice.” He smiled big.
“Thanks.”
“Where are the two of you going?”
“I don’t know exactly. Some Italian restaurant.”
“That should be nice.”
They were both silent for a few minutes. Content to just be in the same room and wait.
“You know Emily,” her father offered to break the stillness of the air. “I think this is great that you’re going out. You haven’t really done anything like this since your mother died.”
“Yeah I know.” She still had mixed emotions.
Staying home and doing the usual—watching a movie, reading a book or playing the piano—still appealed to her more than the thought of this date. But she also knew that she had experienced plenty of time to mourn and hide away from the world. Change was long overdue. She needed to take some baby steps now before she headed to college in September. An effort to re-socialize would prove more daunting if she waited until after she graduated.
“This might be hard for you, but it really is a good thing. Rob is a good guy, he’ll make a great friend.”
Emily was relieved to hear her father refer to Rob as a friend and not more. Their conversation was interrupted by a knock at the door.
“That must be him.” He got up from the chair and followed Emily to the door.
“Hey Rob, good to see you again.” Her father went to shake his hand. “You planning on being at the charity dance tonight?”
“Yes sir. It sure is good to hear that you aren’t getting sick of me yet.”
“Well, we’ll give it a few more months for that to set in,” James joked.
“You know Emily, your father has been a huge help to me these past few weeks. He’s one amazing man,” Rob said as he turned his attention toward her.
“There aren’t too many men like him, that’s for sure.” Emily rubbed her father’s shoulder.
“Okay, that’s enough.” James threw his hands in the air to signal he had received enough praise. “So where are the two of you headed?”
“I was going to take her to Beto’s,” Rob replied.
Her father’s face lit up. “Ah, yes, that place is excellent.”
“Do you want us to bring you something back?” Emily asked.
“No, no, I’m fine. There are plenty of leftovers in the fridge. Besides, I need to be watching my weight a little better.” Her father patted his belly. He was a fit man and only now in his early fifties, was starting to show the signs of a soft belly. But, by no means was he over weight.
“Well, enjoy yourselves.” Her father opened the door for the two of them.
“We will Daddy.” She gave him a kiss on the cheek before exiting out the door.
The restaurant wasn’t far, which made for a short car ride. Emily was feeling a bit uncomfortable. She hadn’t really been on a date before. Her parents had the rule of no dating until she was sixteen. Right after Emily’s sixteenth birthday was when her mother was diagnosed with colon cancer. It was already stage four and even surgeries and chemo weren’t enough. Six months after being diagnosed, her mother passed.
Emily never had the opportunity or the desire to date. Not with all that had gone on in her life. Every spare moment of her time was spent by her mother’s bedside. At sixteen, most teenagers were discovering their freedom, branching out and taking the first steps to adulthood. Death and sadness denied Emily those experiences.
Rob motioned forward, pulling Emily from her thoughts; they were ready to be seated. The atmosphere of the restaurant was bright and open. It made her feel a little better. She wasn’t ready for dim lights and small private booths, especially during a casual lunch.
“I need to give Rob more credit. He knows this is new for me.”
She took the menu offered by the hostess and glanced over it a few times.
“Do you see anything you like?” Rob questioned.
Emily looked up. “It all looks so good, I’m not sure if I can eat a whole plate of pasta though.”
“Well you should fill up now because you know how it’s going to be tonight at the concert. They always pass around those frilly little hors d’oeuvres. No one gets full on those.” Rob patted his stomach with a grin.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Emily agreed.
Emily settled on the Chicken Alfredo, it was always a favorite dish. Rob ordered the same and told her to save room for dessert.
They kept the conversation light and casual. Emily had always known that Rob was smart and confident but she learned some things about him that surprised her. He grew up with six other siblings and being family-oriented was a priority to him. There was also a compassionate side to him that she hadn’t seen before. Rob expressed how inspired he was by her father’s charity work and that he too had a great desire to help others.
By the end of the meal, her opinion of Rob changed. He wasn’t some handsome self-absorbed guy; a stereotype she now determined was unfair to place upon him. Emily was grateful that she had accepted the invitation to lunch. It was apparent to her that she had a true friend in Rob. However, she was aware that he was still hoping for more.
Rob escorted her all the way to her door again and this time Emily was in no rush to get inside the penthouse. It was a nice afternoon.
“I had a great time. I would love if we could do it again sometime.” Rob moved in to close some of the distance between them.
“I had a great time too.” This time Emily gave him a genuine smile.
“We’ll be seeing each other tonight, but that doesn’t count, because tonight is all business.” Rob tightened his face and folded his arms.
That made Emily giggle. “Yeah, I guess so.”
“But that doesn’t mean I won’t enjoy your company.” Rob’s humor vanished as he reached for Emily’s hand.
Her first reaction was to pull away, but she stopped herself. Rob was slowly growing on her and there was no harm in him being closer than she was used to. It was almost comforting to have another person’s touch besides her father’s.
“Guess I’ll see you later tonight then.” Rob’s grin widened. “Look for me. I’ll be the one in black and white.”
“Well that’ll make it easy for me to find you,” her words heavy with sarcasm.
“Don’t worry, I’ll have something that makes me stand out from the crowd.”
“And what will that be, fewer grey hairs?” Emily teased, although it was the truth.
“You’ll just have to wait and see. What is it that you’ll be wearing so I’ll be able to find you?”
“You’ll just have to wait and see,” Emily responded, mimicking the tone of his voice.
“Touché. The hunt is on.” Rob flashed that attractive smile of his.
Emily thought she felt a little spark inside her, but she couldn’t be sure.
“Since it sounds like this is turning into a safari, I better go figure out what I’m going to wear.” Emily was finding that her sense of humor was coming more easily now.
Rob burst into laughter at her remark. He leaned in and gave her a light kiss on the cheek. He had done it quickly enough that Emily didn’t have any time to react. She wasn’t ready for that. She was speechless.
“Until tonight, then.”
“Yeah,” Emily responded with a hint of apprehension. “I’ll see you tonight.”
When Emily got through the door her father was waiting in the exact spot he was in before she left.
“Did you have a nice time, sweetie?”
“Umm, yeah, I did. It was good to get out, just like you said.” Emily still felt a bit flustered from the unexpected kiss. She hoped it wasn’t showing.
“That’s good, I’m so glad.” Her father gave her a quick embrace. “We don’t have much time before the concert. I’m going to go make a few phone calls to make sure that everything is in order.” He started down the hall. “Be ready by six,” he called out over his shoulder.
Emily went into her room and closed the door. She plopped down in her chair by the window. It was where she liked to be when she wanted to think.
“That was a lot more than baby steps.”
Surprisingly, she was okay with that. She was feeling a little more like the girl she was before her mother died, and that was a good thing.
Eventually Emily got up and began getting ready. It was only four thirty and she didn’t need to shower so she busied herself with other details like painting her toenails and giving herself a manicure. She hadn’t done any pampering in a while.
She spent a little more time doing her hair and makeup than usual. She still preferred to wear very little makeup but she took more care putting it on. She swept her hair up in a full twist and used a jeweled comb to finish it off.
Standing in her walk-in closet she looked her dresses over with a little more scrutiny.
“What has gotten into me?”
Whatever it was, Emily liked how it felt. There wasn’t any guilt connected to her giddiness; it was like a weight was taken off her chest. She was beginning to realize that just because her mother was gone, it didn’t mean Emily’s life was worthless. She needed to accept that her life would never be the same. It is okay to miss her mother, as long as she didn’t ignore all the other things and people surrounding her. Living life more fully was what her mother would have wanted. A bold idea for Emily. It was different than what she had grown accustomed to these past two years, but it made sense.
She scanned her dresses once more and decided on a black tea-length gown that gracefully swept over her shoulders with form-fitted cap sleeves. The material came to a slight scrunch at one side of her waist and accentuated her fit and curvy figure. The dress was a gift from her father for Christmas, in hopes that she would wear it to his company’s New Year’s Eve party. Emily had backed out at the last minute and her father had graciously accepted. This would be the first time she wore the dress and she knew her father would be pleased.
Emily finished off the outfit with some red peep toe pumps and a simple diamond pendant necklace. She gave herself a long look in the mirror. Satisfaction beamed from her eyes. It was going to be a good night.
When they arrived at the Hilton they made their way to the ballroom, guided by the music that flooded from the open doors. Emily’s father had arranged for some popular Big Bands to perform. It was a good change from the normal orchestras he usually had at these events. The motive was to get people to actually dance this time. There was also a silent auction that was taking place for various items throughout the room.
Emily spotted the waiters carrying around the hors d’ oeuvres, she was glad she had followed Rob’s advice and eaten a large lunch. She glanced around but didn’t spot him. It would be difficult to find him amidst the sea of black and white tuxes.
“He said he would have something that made him stand out, what on earth did that mean?”
Emily took her seat at a small round table that was near the dance floor as her father excused himself to make sure everything was going according to plan. She glanced around at the décor. The ballroom was outfitted like a club in the 1940s. It was elegant, with a trace of modern spunk. The event planners had really taken the Big Band theme and run with it.
Emily was content to just sit and listen to the band. They played beautifully and she always appreciated good music.
About fifteen minutes later Emily searched the top of the stairs toward the entrance. Rob was nowhere to be found as she did a full sweep across the room over her right shoulder. She focused back on the band as they began to play the song that made Louis Armstrong famous, “What a Wonderful World.”
“I knew I would find you,” a familiar voice commented from behind. She started to turn around but Rob was faster. In one long stride he was in front of her.
“Is this seat taken?” Rob gestured toward the chair next to Emily. There were only four seats surrounding them, and she knew that she and her father were the only two assigned to the table.
“I think it has your name on it.”
“Good. That works out well for me then, doesn’t it?” Rob sat down and in the same movement placed a flower directly in front of her. It was a small white short-stemmed orchid, cut for a tux or suit pocket.
“Is this what’s supposed to make you stand out?” Emily felt a little bashful. She could tell where this was going.
“Yes as a matter of fact it is. But I am giving it to you so the spotlight can be yours tonight.” Rob reached over and delicately tucked the small flower behind Emily’s left ear.
“Thank you Rob. It’s beautiful.”
“Almost as beautiful as you.” He smiled.
There was that comment on her looks that she knew was bound to come from Rob. Although this time it didn’t seem as corny or annoying to her as it had in the past.
Completely embarrassed now, Emily muttered another, “thank you,” and turned back to the band. Something had changed between them today. She definitely felt different toward Rob, but she wasn’t sure how strong her feelings were or even what they were.
“So what is your father up to?” Rob broke the silence.
“
Oh, the usual. Making sure everything’s on schedule. You know he hires these people to organize and throw these events, but I don’t think he is capable of fully giving someone the reins on a project. No matter how well things are done, he still thinks he’s needed.” Emily explained.
“Sounds like James,” Rob replied.
They continued with light conversation, picking up where they had left off at lunch. After a little while Rob stood.
“Can I get you anything?”
“Sure. I haven’t had a Shirley Temple in a while and they’re my favorite.”
“A Shirley Temple it is then.” Rob turned and made his way to the bar.
Emily returned her attention back to the band. She noticed that a few people had come out on the dance floor. She watched an older couple move carefully across the floor. It was obvious to her that this cute pair knew what they were doing and enjoyed every minute of it.
As she watched the dancers glide across the floor she spotted him. There, directly across the dance floor, in a perfectly fitted tux stood Alexander. His thick wavy hair was almost an exact match to the black of his jacket. His green eyes were so bright they completely stood out in a room of black and white. At the moment it was the only color Emily could see. His eyes were locked on hers and he immediately began to make his way over to her. His strides were smooth but quick and he was standing in front of her before she was able to catch her breath.
“Hello, Emily.” His soft baritone voice made Emily’s heart skip a beat.
“Hello,” was all she could stammer.
Alexander gave a soft chuckle. “You look surprised to see me.” He raised his eyebrows in question.
“Yes, I guess I am.” Emily really thought she would never see Alexander again. She lived in New York and rarely bumped into the same stranger twice.
“Is it a good surprise or a bad one?” Alexander questioned.
“Oh of course it’s a good surprise. I just have to say I didn’t think I would see you again.”
“Well it seems as though fate has stepped in and here we are seeing one another again.”
Rob arrived with the drinks in hand. The question and concern were apparent on his face.
“Here you go Emily.” Rob placed the drink on the table.
Son of Eden, a Paranormal Romance Page 5
