A New Chapter

by Susan Coventry

  They sized each other up through the screen door until Zack cleared his throat and said, “Emma, are you going to come out, or are we just going to stand here?”

  How embarrassing! “I’ll come out. Let me grab my purse.” She scurried off into the kitchen and snatched her purse from the counter. When she returned, Zack stood in the same spot. He opened the screen door and motioned with his hand for her to come out. As Emma walked past, she inhaled the scent of his woodsy cologne, which smelled vaguely familiar. Oh yeah, she remembered it from the night of her cousin’s wedding, when she and Zack had danced together, when his body had been pressed so tightly against hers that she’d felt his erection through her bridesmaid dress…

  Zack followed her to the passenger door of his sporty black Range Rover. “If I were your girlfriend, I wouldn’t open the door for you, but since I’m a man, I can’t help myself.”

  Oh, there’s no doubt that you’re a man! “That’s very gentlemanly of you. Thanks,” Emma said as she slid into the car, careful not to give him an accidental peep show.

  When they arrived at the popular restaurant, it was crowded as usual, so they were forced to wait in a cramped vestibule. It was difficult to carry on a conversation, so they stood quietly side by side in the tight space and waited for their table. Whenever a party’s name was called, Emma and Zack had to squeeze even closer together to allow people to pass. By the time they were finally seated, Emma’s face was flushed. She guzzled down half a glass of water as soon as the waitress brought it.

  Zack, on the other hand, was the picture of calm while he perused the menu. “Everything looks good here. I’m not sure what to order.”

  I’ll have the mac-n-cheese with a side of Greek hunk, Emma thought. Oh my gosh, I did not just think that! “We could split an order of mac-n-cheese,” she suggested, tramping down her impure thoughts.

  “Sure. You can’t go wrong with the house special.”

  While they waited for their food, Emma brought up the most neutral topic she could think of—Gracie.

  “How does Gracie like preschool so far?” she asked.

  “Seems to love it. She’s made a few new friends already, although she’s been complaining about some boy in the class.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “I guess he’s been teasing her on the playground. Pulling her hair, pinching her, things like that.”

  “Hmm, sounds like a classic case of a boy with a crush.”

  Zack smiled broadly, which caused a crazy flip in her stomach. “That’s what I told her. Boys don’t always know the appropriate way to express themselves when they like a girl.”

  “Spoken like a true expert.”

  Zack stared at her for a moment with a look of uncertainty. “Although, sometimes boys express themselves and get rebuffed,” he said pointedly.

  Was he talking about the wedding? If so, Emma refused to go there. Luckily, the mac-n-cheese arrived just in the nick of time. As soon as the first creamy, cheesy, luscious bite hit her tongue, Emma let out a loud, happy sigh.

  Zack eyed her across the table, his fork poised in mid-air.

  “What?” she asked, trying to read his expression.

  “Nothing. Just glad to see you’re enjoying it.” Zack’s forkful disappeared into his mouth, and he let out a similar sigh, followed by a thorough lick of his full, cheese-coated lips.

  Suddenly Emma felt like she was watching a scene from a porn movie (not that she’d ever watched one of those). Any minute, she expected Zack to stand up and start stripping, then lean her over the table and…

  “Emma?” he asked, breaking into her thoughts.

  “Hmm?”

  “You dropped a noodle, right there.” Zack pointed to a spot just above her left breast. “Here, I’ll get it for you.”

  He poured a drop of water onto his napkin and was just about to reach over the table when Emma yelled, “NO!” She hadn’t realized how loud she was until she glanced around and saw several pairs of eyes upon her.

  Zack pulled his napkin back like he’d been stung while Emma extracted the errant noodle from her dress and placed it daintily on the edge of her plate. “I got it,” she said, smiling sweetly.

  They finished their meal and split the bill upon Emma’s insistence that friends pay their own way. When Zack pulled into Emma’s driveway, they both sat still for a moment in awkward silence.

  “Can I walk you to the door?” Zack asked.

  “That’s not necessary, but thanks for sharing the mac-n-cheese with me,” Emma said, adopting a light and airy tone. She opened her door before Zack could come around, and slid out, holding her dress down as she did so. She had only taken a few steps when Zack rolled down his window.

  “Hey, Emma? One more thing.”

  “What’s that?”

  “You looked beautiful tonight,” he replied, and he rolled his window up before she could respond.

  Emma stood rooted in place, eyes wide, and watched, bewildered, as he drove away.

  Chapter 8

  It was almost five o’clock on Friday afternoon when Emma heard from Zack again. Kelly had just left the bookstore to go on another “hot date” with her poetry-reading boyfriend, and Brett would arrive soon to take over the evening shift. This time, Emma recognized the phone number on the display and answered, “Hi, Zack, what’s up?”

  “Question. Don’t friends share their personal phone numbers so they don’t have to call each other at work?”

  Emma smiled even though he couldn’t see her. “Yes, I believe we’ve graduated to sharing our personal numbers. When we hang up, I’ll send you a text from my cell phone, and then you’ll have it.”

  “Whew, I’m glad I’ve moved up a notch on the friendship ladder.”

  Emma’s grin stretched even wider. “So, is that all you called for?”

  Brett walked in the door at that moment, and Emma smiled and waved when he approached the front counter. A young girl in the romance section glanced up at the same time and perused Brett from head to toe. Some women are so obvious, Emma thought and turned her attention back to the phone.

  “Actually, I called to tell you that Gracie won’t be coming to story time tomorrow. Alicia’s taking her to a fair in Ann Arbor instead.”

  “Oh, well, thanks for letting me know,” Emma replied and felt a wave of disappointment at the thought of not seeing them on Saturday.

  “Since Gracie will be gone all day, I wondered if you would like to hang out with me when you get off work?”

  Did he just say make out with me? No, you idiot, he said hang out! “What did you have in mind?”

  Brett sat on a stool nearby and peered at Emma over the top of his stylish black-rimmed glasses. While he watched Emma, the girl in the romance section watched him, probably hoping to catch his eye.

  “Well, I saw a banner in town advertising an arts and crafts show this weekend. Would that be of any interest to you?”

  “Sure, I’d be interested, but I can’t believe that you would be.”

  “Why not?”

  “You just don’t seem like an artsy type of guy.”

  Zack chuckled. “Ok, you caught me, but it was either that or a monster truck show, and I figured…”

  “You figured right. I would have passed on the monster trucks.”

  “See, I really am learning.”

  “But does this mean I eventually have to go with you to one of those things?”

  “Maybe. Isn’t that written on page eight of the friendship handbook?”

  Emma’s loud laughter must have startled the girl in the romance section because the rather tall pile of books she had been holding toppled to the floor, and Brett gallantly rushed to her aid. The poor girl’s face turned bright red when Brett bent down to help her reassemble the books into a neat pile.

  “Zack, I have to go. I’m working until two o’clock tomorrow, so what time do you want to pick me up?” Emma asked.

  “Oh, more progress! You didn’t even ask if we should m
eet there.”

  “What time Zack?” Emma repeated with feigned impatience.

  “How about two-thirty?”

  “Ok. See you then,” Emma replied and hung up. Brett carried the romance reader’s books up to the counter, and she trailed sheepishly behind him. The girl was probably eighteen years old, and she had the fresh look of youth on her side. Emma decided to make a hasty retreat in order for Brett to work his magic. Plus, he might be able to sell her a few more books while he was at it!

  “Have a good evening, Brett. Call me if you need anything,” Emma said, and she gave romance girl an encouraging smile as she headed out the door.

  The arts and crafts show was in full swing by the time Emma and Zack arrived in downtown Clarkston. Zack drove around the block a few times before they got lucky and found a decent parking spot. It was a comfortable seventy-degree day with clear skies, perfect for an outdoor festival. When Zack had picked her up, Emma thought he had looked particularly yummy (another one of Kelly’s descriptions) in his navy blue cargo shorts, gray t-shirt, and aviators. He sported a few days’ worth of scruff on his face that gave him that extra edge of true male hotness, and Emma had to remind herself not to stare.

  She was dressed in her usual weekend attire: white skinny jeans, striped t-shirt, and Keds. She had let her hair dry naturally so that it fell in soft waves to her shoulders. After wearing a dress on their previous outing, Emma didn’t want Zack to think that she was trying to impress him. Today, she dressed like she would if she were going to the craft show with Kelly.

  They strolled slowly up and down the rows of craft tables, stopping occasionally if something caught their attention. Zack had just paused at a custom woodworker’s booth to look at a child-size desk and chair for Gracie when Emma saw him.

  There was her ex-husband, not six feet away and headed straight toward them. That would have been shocking enough, but to add insult to injury, he had his arm around the waist of a tall, leggy woman with long, glossy black hair and a dazzling white smile. The woman reminded Emma of Cher circa 1970!

  “So, Emma, what do you think of this one? Do you think Gracie would like it?” Zack was still busy perusing the desk and chair and hadn’t noticed Emma’s expression until he glanced up at her stricken face.

  “Emma, what’s wrong?” he asked, but it was a little too late.

  “Hello, Emma,” Mark said and dropped his arm from around the Cher-wannabe’s waist.

  “Hello, Mark,” Emma replied while Zack moved to stand alongside her.

  “This is my friend, Charlene,” Mark said as he gave Zack the evil eye.

  “Nice to meet you,” Emma said and then turned toward Zack. “And this is my friend, Zack,” she added pointedly.

  Zack removed his sunglasses and held out his hand to Mark. “You look familiar,” Mark said, eyebrows knit with concentration.

  “We’ve met,” Zack replied with forced politeness. “At Phil’s wedding five years ago. Emma and I stood up together.”

  “Ah, yes, now I remember.”

  Emma thought she saw a flicker of disdain pass over Mark’s face, but she couldn’t be sure. He had always been hard to read, unlike Zack, whose every thought registered on his face. For instance, at that moment, he looked like he wouldn’t mind punching Mark right in his smug face.

  “Of course, I didn’t see much of Emma that night. Seems like you were monopolizing her time,” Mark continued, unaware that he was waving a red cape at a fight-ready bull.

  Emma laid her hand on Zack’s arm and gave it a little squeeze. “Zack, I think it’s time for us to go. We don’t want to miss our dinner reservation.”

  Zack didn’t even flinch; he just went along for the ride. “Right, and we wanted to take a shower first.”

  Ok, he didn’t need to go that far! “Goodbye, Mark, Charlene,” Emma said and slipped her hand into Zack’s while they walked away.

  When they arrived at Zack’s car, Emma realized that their fingers were still entwined. Neither one let go until Zack opened the passenger door for her.

  “Was that an Oscar-worthy performance or what?” Zack asked when they pulled out of the parking spot. “I felt like Liam Neeson for a second there. Man, I wanted to clock the guy, and then he made that snide comment about the wedding…”

  Emma’s silence must have tipped him off. She had been trying to hide her tears as Zack carried on, but her face was already damp by the time he noticed.

  “Oh God, Emma, I’m so sorry,” Zack said.

  “It’s ok,” she said, swatting angrily at her tears. “He just caught me off guard, that’s all. I figured I might run into him someday, but not today and especially not at a craft show. He never would have gone with me to a craft show, yet there he was with, with… Charlene.”

  Zack gently picked up her hand in his as a fresh stream of tears ran down her face. “I understand, Em, believe me. I went through this with Alicia. The first time I saw her with pretty boy, it made me crazy. It took every ounce of control I had not to beat the guy to a pulp.”

  “What stopped you?”

  “Gracie. I didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize my relationship with her—still don’t.”

  “You’re a good dad, Zack,” Emma said softly.

  “And you’re a good woman. Don’t let Mark or any other man make you feel otherwise.”

  Emma looked down at their hands. That was the second time today that they had held hands, and it struck her that it had felt like the most natural thing in the world.

  Chapter 9

  Zack put his blinker on just before they reached Emma’s street, but she stopped him from turning there.

  “Zack, I really don’t want to be alone right now. Do you have some more boxes I could help you unpack? I’d like to do something to distract myself from thoughts of you-know-who.”

  “Wow, a friend who offers to help instead of waiting to be asked… impressive.”

  His teasing brought a smile back to Emma’s tear-stained face. “What can I say, I’m a really good friend.”

  “Ok, but I have to be honest with you. The only room I have left to unpack is my bedroom.”

  Emma’s eyes widened with surprise. “Are you serious? Everything else is done?”

  “Yep. I kicked butt this week, and Gracie helped too. I saved my room for last since it’s the least seen, and used, in the house.”

  His meaning wasn’t lost on her. Emma’s bedroom hadn’t seen much action in quite some time either. Aside from the six months she’d been divorced, she and Mark hadn’t been intimate with each other for several months preceding that. In retrospect, it was easy to see that he had been pulling away from her little by little.

  “I don’t mind helping. I just need to keep my hands busy…” Emma’s voice trailed off when she saw the grin on Zack’s scruffy face. “Oh geez, seriously?”

  “Sorry. It’s a guy thing. I’ll be on my best behavior. I promise.”

  Emma wasn’t so sure that she believed him, and in a private corner of her mind, she wanted him to misbehave. The hazards of having a gorgeous male friend, I guess.

  Ten minutes later, they were in Zack’s bedroom, each armed with cleaning supplies and a cold beer. His bed was unmade, and a new bedding ensemble sat on the floor, still in the package. Boxes of clothes and books lined the walls, and the only furniture, besides the king-sized bed, was a chest of drawers. There was a large walk-in closet next to the master bathroom, and Emma assumed that was where most of his clothes would go. The beige walls were void of decoration, and the oversized window was bare of curtains. The window looked out on the treed backyard, so lack of privacy wasn’t an issue, but Emma couldn’t imagine not having any window covering.

  “This room needs a woman’s touch,” Emma said, and then she immediately recognized her error.

  Zack laughed gruffly and ran his hands through his thick, wavy hair. “You said it, not me.”

  “I better just shut up and get to work,” Emma said and marched over to the window
with the Windex and paper towels. She vigorously wiped the handprints off of the window while Zack began to put his clothes into the dresser drawers. They were silent for several minutes before he brought up the dreaded topic.

  “So, are you still in love with him?”

  Nothing like cutting right to the chase. “No,” Emma replied adamantly.

  “We don’t have to talk about it, but based on your reaction today, I thought you might want to.”

  Emma kept her back to him and concentrated extra hard on a stubborn spot on the window. “You want to hear something really sad? I don’t know that I was ever truly in love with Mark.”

  “Really?”

  “We dated throughout college, and the next logical step seemed to be marriage. I never stopped to question whether or not I really loved him. I just went through the motions. Sad, huh?”

  Zack was silent for a moment, and Emma turned around to find him perched on the edge of the bed. “It was similar for me. Alicia and I looked really good on paper, but the reality of our relationship was a different story. I don’t think either one of us was ever truly happy.”

  The window was more than clean at this point, so Emma set down the cleaning products and walked toward him. There were no chairs in the room, so she sat on the opposite end of the bed from Zack.

  “Even though I might not have loved Mark the way I should have, I never planned on divorcing him. I made a commitment, and I fully intended to honor it. I was shocked when he decided not to.”

  “I hear you. When Gracie was born, I figured that she would be the glue that kept Alicia and I together. We were a family; you know…”

  Emma heard the unmistakable hitch in Zack’s voice, and her heart went out to him. She inched a little closer and laid her hand on his arm. “I’m sure that it was even harder for you to get divorced because of Gracie. I can’t imagine what that would have been like—for all of you.”