“Ahhh, I gotta do this more often,” Carly said, taking another sip. “Of course, I tell myself that all the time, and never seem to do it. So, Em,” Carly said, shortening her name the way Noah had, “what’s going on with you? We haven’t had a chance to visit at all. How’s your love life?”
Emily was unsure how to answer that. “It’s complicated.”
“Aren’t they all? I should write a book. At this rate, I’m going to be that old lady with all the cats. And I don’t like cats.”
Emily laughed. “I’m sure you’ll be all right. It may be me who needs to start collecting cats. Although I’m not quite sure how Oscar would feel about that.”
“It’s so cool that you’re back,” Carly said. “We’re all glad to see you. Daniel has talked of you often.”
“I like Daniel,” Emily said. “It’s like having another Pops.”
“He is awesome,” Carly said. “He’s always listening to the million problems of my love life. And he says if I ever write a book, he’ll help me with it.”
“Is that right?”
“Yeah, he used to be in journalism.”
“Have you always wanted to write?” Emily asked. Carly had always had an active imagination.
“Always. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. I stopped for a while after graduation. Then Ryder inspired me to start again.”
“Ryder?” Emily asked. She had to hear this.
“Yes. I was down in the dumps one night and Ryder wrote a poem for me on a bar napkin. He’s a poet. Inspired, I went home that night and wrote a poem in response. I’ve been writing ever since. It’s one of the reasons I love him so much. I’ve told him many times that my first book will be dedicated to him.”
“I hope you get published, and then I can say I know an author,” Emily said.
“We’ll see. It’s a lot of work and some luck, I think.” Carly laughed and finished off her glass. Emily went to go grab the rest of the bottle of wine.
Moments later, Emily was back out on the porch. She had checked the oven while inside. Emily tried to remember the last time she had enjoyed a girls’ night. She couldn’t. She’d never made friends easily. Had always been quiet and shy. Eddie had never encouraged friends either. And her recent schedule left no time for herself, much less friends.
Carly said, “It’s a beautiful night tonight. Be a great night to be out on the water.”
“I agree.”
“One of these days we’ll have to get Noah to take us out on the boat. It’s been a while since I’ve done that. We’ll have Joey cook, Noah can drive the boat, and we’ll drink and lay in the sun like slugs.”
“Sounds good to me.” And it did. She stretched lazily, getting comfortable in this new life.
“We’ll do it on a Sunday. While we lay out like slugs, the guys can watch football. We’ll eat all day and watch the games.”
“Just let me know. It’s not like my schedule is full these days.”
“Hey, why don’t you come work for us when we get the bar open? We’ll need some help,” Carly said.
“I could do that. I’ll need some extra money and something to do with my time. Eventually, I’d like to open my own catering company.”
“That would be awesome.” Carly said. “We’d be masters of our own fate with our own businesses! We should drink to that.”
“I’ll definitely drink to that,” Emily said as they clinked their glasses together.
Emily could see Noah and Sadie walking along the beach. He spotted the women on the porch and waved, walking over.
“What’s up?” he asked when he got to the porch railing. He stood at the base of the stairs, not coming up yet.
“Enjoying a few drinks and some good weather. You?” Carly asked.
“Just getting off work and walking Sadie.”
“I see that. Want a drink?” Carly gestured to her glass.
He wrinkled his nose. “Wine? Ewww. No thanks.”
“Go grab some beer, then, and come join us.”
He thought for a moment, then nodded. “I think I will. Sounds so much better than just watching some TV by myself.”
“So,” Carly said after Noah walked off. “Noah’s single.”
Emily grinned. “Yes. He is.” Her grin disappeared as she turned the wedding ring on her finger. “But I’m not.”
Carly noticed. “Still married?”
“Yeah.”
“I take it not happily since obviously he’s not here. And you’ve not talked about him once.”
“No.”
“That sucks.”
“Yes. It does.”
“Noah’s still single though,” Carly said. “And I know he’s my brother and all, but he’s not bad to look at. And he sure could use a good woman in his life.”
Emily grinned. “No, he definitely is not bad to look at.”
“Just something to think about,” Carly said. “You have all kinds of stuff in common.”
Like Emily hadn’t thought of that already.
Noah reappeared with a six-pack in hand. He put the beer on the railing and grabbed a bottle.
“Don’t just stand there,” Carly said. “Come on up.”
He took a seat on the steps, not coming up onto the porch all the way.
“So, girls. What’s up?”
Carly answered, “I was just getting home when I sent Em a text. She said she was here so I thought I’d come say hey.”
Noah nodded at the wine bottle between them. “And have a few.”
“Of course,” Carly said.
“How was today?” Noah asked Carly.
“Sucked. But at least he wasn’t there. Or his woman.”
“True.” He turned to Emily. “And you? How was your day?”
“It was good actually.”
“That’s good.”
Sadie, finished with her business, came to meet Noah. After a quick look at him, she sauntered up on the porch. The huge dog took up the remaining space on the small porch. She greeted each person with a sloppy lick then went down to lie at Noah’s feet. Her ears perked up, hearing Oscar paw at the door.
Emily obliged and let him out, and he and Sadie ran off down the beach.
Noah finished off a beer and grabbed another one. “So, what do you ladies have planned for this evening?”
“You’re lookin’ at it,” Carly answered.
Emily simply rolled her shoulders.
Noah noted the magazine that was still resting on the arm of the chair. “Let me guess, my sister decided to come over here and make herself at home.”
“I texted first,” Carly protested.
Emily smiled. “Actually, I’m enjoying it.”
“See?” Carly said to Noah. She gestured to the empty wine bottle. “We’re out again. I’m going to grab another. I’ll be right back. You two don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
Noah gave Emily a wink as Carly left. “My sister is the classic social butterfly.”
“And you?”
“Not so much. I enjoy my solitude. A cold beer with good friends.” He used his beer to point to the two of them. “This is my idea of a good time. Not much into the bar scene. Too crowded. ”
He didn’t offer any more information and Emily didn’t ask. They drank in silence for a moment.
“I cleaned some shrimp and crabs this afternoon. Do you want me to bring you some?” Noah asked her.
“Sure. We can cook something.”
“Cook?” Carly asked, walking up with a bottle of wine under one arm.
“Yeah, we have some shrimp and crabs,” Noah said.
“Why don’t we cook them up tonight?” Carly suggested.
“We?” Noah asked, raising a dark eyebrow at his sister.
“Okay, I’ll just provide moral support. And drinks,” Carly smiled. “I’ll call Joey; we’ll make a night of it. And he can cook too.”
She picked up the phone to call Joey. After a quick conversation, she hung up. “He’s coming. I’m gonna
grab some beer from the store. I’ll meet y’all back over here. You want wine or beer?”
“Whatever you bring is fine,” Emily said.
“Cool,” Carly said. She slipped on her flip-flops and was gone.
“Any idea what you want to cook?” Noah asked.
“Shrimp and crab obviously.”
Noah grinned. “Obviously. How about grilling the shrimp? There’s a built-in pit right over there. Joey does this thing where he wraps the shrimp in bacon with some pepper jack cheese. It’s really good.”
“That sounds awesome.”
“Well, I’ll wait for him, and he and I will run to the store to pick up whatever else we need. What about the crab? Any ideas?”
“How about a crab dip? We’ll keep it simple.”
“Perfect,” he said. “Just make a list and we’ll pick it up.”
“Sounds good.”
Carly came back with Ryder in tow.
“I found a straggler,” Carly said.
Ryder grinned. “Never turn down a meal from a pretty female. It’s a rule.”
Noah said, “You would if you’d eaten Carly’s cooking.”
“Yeah, but Carly’s not cooking. I know better than that.”
Carly grinned devilishly. “So, Emily, tell Ryder what you’re doing.”
“What do you mean?”
“When I sent you that text earlier. What did you say you were doing?”
“Seasoning my pot?” Emily asked.
“Yes, Ryder. Emily is seasoning her pot today.”
Here we go, Emily thought.
“Is that right?” Ryder asked her. “I bet I can help with that. I’m spicy enough to season any pot.”
Emily shook her head. “Ryder, you’re about to talk yourself out of a free meal.”
Ryder took the black cowboy hat off and put it on Emily’s head. “Ah, but you see, I bet I can talk myself right back into it.”
***
The guys had returned from the store and were crowded around the BBQ pit, drinking beer and talking football. Carly had poured more drinks and she and Emily were sitting around the fire pit. Emily had fixed the crab dip, and it was bubbling in the oven along with the seasoning pot.
Emily had sent Glinda a text, and she and Daniel were on their way.
It was becoming a party.
Emily sipped silently, just taking it all in. She kept one eye on Oscar, who, unbelievably, was actually behaving himself. Sadie was a good influence. She kept him exercised and in check.
Carly got up to go turn the radio on in Joey’s Jeep. “What are we in the mood for tonight, guys?”
“Anything but country,” Noah said.
“How about some eighties?” Carly asked.
“Fine. Stick to rock though. No Belinda Carlisle for me. No cheese, please,” Noah said, and Joey nodded.
They all had such a comfortable relationship borne from years of togetherness. They were solid, knew each other in and out, and knew that no matter what, they were there for each other. She felt a small pang of envy in her stomach. She had been gone too long.
Carly adjusted the radio to an ’80s station and soft music drifted over to the small circle of chairs around the fire pit. Later, they would light a fire—Noah had promised as he had placed some firewood down earlier.
Carly and Emily propped their feet up on the rock-edged fire pit and sipped their drinks. They watched as Noah and Ryder began setting up chairs and tables. “Should we help?” Emily asked.
“Nah. They got that,” Carly said. “It’s our job to sit here and relax.”
“I can handle that.”
Carly slid the sunglasses that usually held her blonde hair back down on her nose. “Man, it’s been too long since we did this. I can’t tell you the last time I sat and relaxed. You being here is already a good thing. Too bad Gabe and Grace took that singing gig for the night. They’ll be back soon though.”
Glinda and Daniel walked up. Glinda with a bowl and Daniel had a bag of French bread.
“Where should we put this, pretty ladies?” Daniel asked.
Carly pointed to the group of guys. “I think they’re putting all the food over there.”
“Have a seat, Glinda, and I’ll take this over there,” Daniel said.
Glinda joined Carly and Emily. “Want a drink?” Carly asked.
“I’ll take a glass of wine.”
Emily grabbed a glass and the wine bottle from the kitchen and brought them out.
“Here you go, Glinda,” Emily said.
Emily leaned back into the chair, sipping more wine.
Ryder walked over to them, bowl in one hand, a beer in the other. He slid into the seat with Emily, sitting on her lap. Emily looked at Carly, who just rolled her eyes.
“Look what I got, Miss Emily. Some potato salad. Wanna get naked?”
Emily shook her head, but laughed at the glint in his eyes.
“No.”
“Sure?” he asked, grinning.
“Positive.”
He sighed dramatically and unfolded his tall body from the seat. He went and sat on the arm of Glinda’s seat. “What about you, Ms. Glinda?”
Glinda slapped him on the arm. “If I were about twenty years younger, you’d be in trouble, young man. I’d wear you out! Now, go on and either eat that potato salad or put it up. There will be no wasting food.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, and tipped his hat at the women before rejoining the guys.
Emily checked the time on her phone. It was time to check the crab dip and put another coat of oil on the pot.
“I’ll be right back,” she told Glinda and Carly.
Emily pulled the hot pot out of the stove and put it safely on a folded dishtowel. She coated a big wad of paper towels with cooking oil.
She looked out the window as she worked. Glinda and Carly were visiting. Glinda was laughing at something Carly was saying. The guys were still standing around the BBQ pit. When her eyes caught Noah’s and he smiled, her stomach did crazy flip flops. She held the gaze, not looking down for once. He winked and his lips curved in a sultry smile.
She smiled back. Life was so much better with these people in it. They were her “seasoning.” They added spice, comfort, and laughter to her life. Qualities her life had been missing until now.
She finished up in the kitchen and went back outside.
“Emily,” Noah called as she walked down the steps. “Come try this shrimp.”
Emily joined the guys at the pit. Noah had a bacon-wrapped shrimp that he held as she walked up. She hesitated for a moment when he held it up to her lips, but then opened her mouth. He popped the shrimp in and her eyes closed in rapture. The smoky bacon, the spicy cheese, the salty shrimp, it was a little bite of heaven. She opened her eyes to see Noah watching as she licked her lips. Emily had to force herself to pull her gaze away.
“That is incredible,” Emily said to Joey.
“Thanks,” Joey said, smiling.
“Emily!” Carly called and jogged up, Emily’s phone in her hand. “Your phone is ringing.”
Emily froze. It was Eddie. When she reached out to grab the phone, Carly’s hand slipped, accidentally answering the phone.
“Emily!” Eddie was in a rage again, his voice loud enough to be heard by everyone around her.
“Who’s that?” Ryder asked, looking at Carly.
“Who is that?” Eddie yelled. “Are you with a man?”
Emily scrambled to hang up the phone, her hands shaking.
“You’re such a whore!” Eddie yelled before she could end the call.
Emily dropped the phone, and bent down to pick it up, but Ryder beat her to it.
“What did you just say?” he asked into the phone. He paused for a moment and then said, “Oh? Is that right?”
Emily’s stomach knotted up as she listened to the rest of the conversation.
“Well, I’ll tell you what. We don’t talk to women like that.”
Emily watched as Ryder’s
eyes flashed, all hints of humor gone. “My name is Ryder. R-Y-D-E-R. And I’m right here in Bon Chance, Louisiana. You come right on down. I’ll be glad to continue this conversation.” He hung up the phone and handed it to Emily.
Emily’s stomach rolled. She was speechless. She felt Noah’s presence beside her. His hand cradled her elbow.
“C’mon, Em. Let’s take a walk. Let’s go get some air.”
Emily let Noah lead her away. She heard the group talking as she left.
“Oh my God,” said Carly. “I didn’t mean to answer the phone.”
“What a dick,” said Ryder. “I hope he shows up here.”
“Poor girl,” said Joey.
Their pity and concern made Emily feel worse.
Noah led her down the beach, out of sight and hearing from the group.
“Lean over,” he said. “Put your hands on your knees.”
She looked at him questioningly.
“Trust me,” he said.
She did as instructed.
“Now. Close your eyes. Breathe in. Breathe out,” he said. “Say it to yourself as you do it. Breathe in. Breathe out.”
He crouched down beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Breathe in. Breathe out.”
It worked. Slowly, Emily felt the tension leave her body. She opened her eyes after her breathing finally regulated.
“Now, sit down,” he said.
Emily was glad to do it. Her legs still felt shaky. Noah sat down beside her. He didn’t touch her though. He let her keep some distance.
Emily put her elbows on her knees and her face in her hands. She stared at the sand. At her feet. At anything but Noah.
“Why?” she asked.
Noah said nothing. Didn’t ask “Why what?” He just sat there.
“I was just standing there in the house. I was looking at all of you guys. And I was happy. For the first time in months. I was happy. I’d forgotten what happy even felt like.”
She lifted up her face to look at him.
“How sad is that? How sad is that someone forgets what happy is?” Emily felt tears well up. “He ruined it. He ruined my perfectly happy day. He humiliated me. I am so embarrassed.”
“Why, Emily?” he asked.
“Why?”
“Why are you embarrassed? You did not do anything wrong.”
Tangled Up In You (Fleur de Lis Book 1) Page 8
