First Choice, Second Chance

by Lynn Rae

  “Watch it. Your behavior has hardly been admirable lately. It isn’t fair of you to judge Emily, say critical things to Shelly, her boss, when you’ve been involved in an altercation where the police were called. ” Paul allowed some of his anger to finally color his tone. “I’m single, she’s single, and what we do is our business, especially when we’re in the privacy of my home. You can’t spin this to make any of it Emily’s fault, Courtney, so don’t even try.”

  His daughter subsided with a pouty lip, identical to the expression she’d used since toddlerhood to express dismay. She twitched her thin shoulders dismissively.

  “I expect you to post something later that refutes what you said earlier and then deal with your friends.”

  “Dad, it’ll blow over.”

  He shook his head once, determined to hold her to some measure of responsible behavior.

  “Do it. You were wrong, and you know it.”

  She huffed out a breath and hurriedly pulled the cards back into a neat stack. “Fine.”

  Courtney glanced around the room and gave him a quick smile, obviously looking to change the subject. “Would you like to look around at my new listing? You’ve never heard my sales pitch before.”

  He figured he’d gotten as much parenting done as he was going to, and he nodded, glad she was making a cautious overture. She handed over the sheet detailing square footage and amenities and he glanced at it as she walked him through the kitchen and living room. They walked out onto the patio squared on a small, fenced yard, and he tried to picture the sterile plot of trimmed grass filled with helianthus and buddleia, but it was difficult.

  Back inside, he popped his head into the two bedrooms and bathrooms and agreed the large closets and small laundry were great features. Courtney relaxed as they walked around, and he was impressed with her ease at highlighting anything a potential buyer might find appealing. Mike was right; she just might have a future in real estate.

  They returned to the kitchen, and she smiled at him, the most genuine one he’d seen in days. “So, are you interested?”

  “In this place?” He shook his head automatically. “I’m not moving. You know that.”

  The smile disappeared, and he worried she’d been hoping for a double commission. Her chin wobbled. “I have to ask. I mean, our house is a big place, and you said you’re moving on, moving on from Mom…” She trailed off, and her eyes glittered with tears. Without a thought, he reached out to gather her into a hug. She was stiff for a second, and he almost let her go, but she wrapped her arms around his back and squeezed him.

  “Courtney, I’m staying where I am. My garden is going to take at least another decade of work to look like no one’s laid a hand on it.”

  She sniffled out a laugh and stepped away from him, pressing the back of her hand underneath her eyes to blot the tears in exactly the same manner Karen had. His heart contracted a little at the reminder.

  Mari was a bundle of energy as she flipped lists on her clipboard and checked her schedule on her computer as they sat in the living room of her boyfriend’s condo. “I think we’re right on track for the party. As long as we get the spiderwebs up in the bushes out front and the rest of the candy bars wrapped.”

  Emily concentrated on her task of tying up innumerable mesh bags filled with candies for the trick-or-treaters they were expecting the next evening. She’d agreed to help Mari and Nicholas prep for his annual, epic Halloween party a few weeks ago, and it was no one’s fault her day had started off to such a rocky start. She wasn’t going to let her friends down.

  Just being around all the spooky paraphernalia was distracting her from her own doom and gloom. Nicholas Sutton went all out for Halloween. He’d deposited bags of high-end licorice, hard candies, and light-up toys, along with a gross of silver tulle bags in front of Emily when she’d asked what to do to help. She was grateful to have company and mindless collating to do. It was much better than sitting at home and wondering when Paul might call.

  Her friend made a few definitive checkmarks on one of her lists and went back to taping custom labels on candy bars. Emily wanted to crack open one of the Ghirardelli chocolates immediately, but restrained herself. Just because she’d been caught naked on top of a man that very morning by that man’s daughter was no reason to ingest another thousand soothing calories.

  “So, you never mentioned how your date went last night. Did one of you have to cancel again?”

  Emily sucked in her breath and stared at the box of LED rings, silicone eyeballs, and multilegged, stretchy creatures. This was the question she’d been hoping to avoid since she’d arrived at the condo. How in the world was she going to explain what had happened to her nice, normal friend. “We didn’t end up going out.”

  There, that was a nice, nonspecific answer delivered in a hopefully mild enough tone to provoke no curiosity. She should have known better, Mari pursed her lips and folder a wrapper with precise movements as she measured it.

  “Ah. So you stayed in?”

  Concealing a guilty wince, Emily tried to flatten her roiling emotions. She’d hoped a fun evening of party planning and pizza with her friends would distract her from the confusing events of her day. “Yes.”

  “And it went well?”

  “Some of it did.”

  Mari put down her double-sided tape and twisted on the sofa so she could look squarely in Emily’s face. “Are you going to tell me anything interesting?”

  Emily knew her shrug wasn’t going to placate her friend, and the uncertainty of her situation made it difficult for her to keep her eyes from tearing up. Making an inarticulate sound of sympathy, Mari grabbed a tissue from the box on the coffee table littered with orange-and-black packages of Halloween paraphernalia and handed it over.

  “What happened?”

  Emily waved one hand in a seesawing motion as she wiped her nose. How was she going to be able to explain their lovely, ruined time together? Why had that girl come into his bedroom on that morning of all mornings? Were she and Paul still involved, or not?

  Mari’s eyebrows wrinkled and she stood up, holding out her hands which Emily grasped as she rose. “Come on, we’re going in the kitchen to make you some tea. Grab one of those chocolates, we’re going to need it.”

  Nicholas popped up from behind a credenza where he’d been testing an extension cord for a string of blinking purple lights. He took in the scene, his brown eyes wide behind the lenses of his glasses. “I’ll just stay in here until you need me.”

  Mari gave him an approving smile as she led Emily to the white-tiled kitchen. Directing her to sit on a stool at the counter, her friend put on the kettle and rummaged for cups, saucers, and some tea.

  Emily daubed at her eyes and took in a few shaky breaths. Maybe she’d feel better talking about it but she had her doubts. Embarrassment and uncertainty warred through her and left her belly in a twisted knot.

  “Tell me what was good.” Mari’s encouraging tone made her feel like crying again.

  “Paul was good. Paul was excellent in every way.”

  Mari nodded and shifted the cups around as she smiled. “That’s what I like to hear. So what went wrong?”

  “His daughter. She, ah, walked in on us this morning.” Emily shut her mouth. If she hadn’t added that telling detail of timing, Mari would have remained in the dark about the sex. Oh, the sex. The thought of it was enough to make her whole body flush and ache in tender spots. What did that say about a man when thinking about how he touched you made you almost feel him again?

  Her friend’s eyes went wide, and she inhaled deeply. “Oh dear. That’s bad. I mean, good for you two having a sleepover but, ugh, interrupted like that, by his kid. You two weren’t, uh, doing anything, were you?”

  Emily nodded and accepted a chunk of dark chocolate. The bittersweet tang as it melted in her mouth helped even her emotions out a tiny bit.

  “Well that puts an even more uncomfortable spin on it. What did Paul do?”

  “H
e told her to get out. She was upset, so I told him to talk with her, and I basically fled the scene of the crime.”

  “How did things go between them?”

  Emily shrugged and tried to sip the tea Mari had just handed to her, but it was so hot she winced. “I don’t know. I saw him at that emergency meeting this afternoon but we didn’t really have a chance to talk.”

  Mari scowled and shook her head. “Why are you even here? You should be with him and getting all sorts of reassurance.”

  “I don’t know if that’s a good idea. I’m pretty sure his daughter hates me, and you know his sister has never been a fan of mine.”

  “Shelly Laskey is a force of nature. I’m not sure what you can do about her, but why would his daughter hate you? I’m sure she was shocked out of her socks to find out her dad has sex, but lots of kids have walked in on their parents and managed to get over it. You weren’t doing anything exotic, were you?”

  “No! We never got the chance.”

  Mari furrowed her brow as she stirred her tea. “That’s a shame.”

  Emily regretted the whole encounter. All she had thought to do was flee the scene after getting her purse back. She supposed a more confident woman would have had a witty and cutting comeback ready to deploy to put the other young woman in her place, but all she’d managed to do was leave and not get an a car accident as she’d driven away. Mari was still staring at her so she struggled to recall something more specific. Just combining Paul with the thought of adventuresome sex had made her lose her focus. “It is a shame.”

  Mari sank into a stool next to Emily’s. “I don’t understand why Paul didn’t lock the door so she couldn’t walk in.”

  “He didn’t have to; she doesn’t live there.”

  “Wait a minute. I thought the daughter was a kid, living at home.”

  Emily shook her head and tried to sip the tea again. She felt less flustered now that someone else other than the principal players knew of her experience. “She’s twenty-four or twenty-five. I can’t remember offhand.”

  “Old enough to be cool with sex, but young enough to want to ignore the fact that people older than her actually still have it.”

  Emily laughed at Mari’s observation. She hadn’t felt much like laughing lately. Then reality rushed back, and she sighed. “He’s with her now, trying to talk things out. She was so upset. I don’t want to be some wicked stepmother in her eyes.”

  She gulped, shocked that she’d even spoken such a thing out loud. She and Paul had just met each other. Marriage wasn’t even on her radar. Her friend must have noticed her dismay, because she smiled and shook her head.

  “She can’t call you that until after the wedding. We need to get you two on a few dates before that happens.” Mari’s tone was lighthearted, and Emily relaxed as her friend tapped her hand on the counter. “Enough about miserable and dramatic daughters and the fathers who have to deal with them. Tell me what happened at the meeting. I still can’t believe you all showed up on a Sunday. Such dedication to our poor butchered statue.”

  “They’re going to offer a reward for the head’s return. While we were there, someone posted a picture of the head on Facebook. Let me show you.” Better to concentrate on mysterious vandals than her messed-up personal life. Emily grabbed for her purse on the counter and pulled out her phone to access the webpage displaying the ancestor Ellison’s head. As she tapped into the Internet, the phone buzzed against her hand, and she jumped in surprise.

  It was Paul. She could picture the concern on his face as he waited for her to pick up.

  “It’s him; answer it. I’ll go in the other room,” Mari offered but Emily held up a hand to beckon her back. Maybe if her friend was here she wouldn’t be as upset when he told her Courtney had demanded he stop seeing her.

  “Hi, Paul.”

  “Emily. How are you? Where are you?” His deep voice and gentle questions made her quiver inside.

  “I’m with my friends helping them get ready for their party tomorrow night.”

  “Tell him he’s invited too,” Mari said loudly as she put away the box of tea. Emily waved at her and nodded, turning away on her seat so she could concentrate on Paul.

  “Tell her thank you, but later. I need to talk with you…” He paused, and she heard him take in a breath. Here it came, the rejection. Her hands and feet went cold with painful anticipation. “May I see you tonight? I’m worried about you.”

  She closed her eyes, his kindness palpable even over the telephone. He was a gentleman and he’d end things with her face-to-face. The least she could do was be courteous to him. “I’m supposed to eat dinner here—”

  “Invite him over. What does he like on his pizza?” Mari called out.

  “Did you hear that?”

  “I did.” Paul sighed. “I’d prefer some privacy though.”

  Emily waited, her mind a blank. Privacy for the bad news, of course.

  “Should I call tomorrow? Since you’re busy.”

  Going through twenty-four more hours of this torment was nothing she wanted to endure. Best to end it as soon as possible. “No, let’s get together. When—”

  “Where are you?” Paul’s quick question made her wonder if he was going to take Mari up on her offer of pizza. As she told him the address, Mari nodded and smiled broadly as she pulled out lettuce and other salad ingredients from the refrigerator.

  Paul declared he was on his way and hung up, leaving Emily wondering what to expect.

  Turning off the car, Paul sat still for a moment to collect his thoughts before he saw Emily again and lost track of what he should be doing. He felt like he’d been playing catch up all day, a day which should have begun with Emily’s smiles and wonderful sex, not one filled with worry, confrontations, meetings, and disappointment.

  Shaking his head and telling himself not to dwell on it further, Paul got out of his car and headed up the stone path leading to the correct door. A light was helpfully illuminating the numbers for the incoming pizza delivery, so he was sure of his destination. He pressed the doorbell and a dark-haired young man wearing glasses answered with a smile and a handshake. Introducing himself as Nicholas Sutton, Paul realized he was the son of the late lawyer who’d drawn up one of his first patents. Nicholas welcomed him in and directed him through a living room strewn with Halloween decorations and candy to the kitchen where the women waited.

  As he walked through the doorway to the brightly lit room, all he could see was Emily seated at a stool, her red hair gleaming and her eyes fixed on his. She gave him a timid smile and without thinking he walked to her. She slid off her stool and wrapped her arms around herself as he stopped at her side. Expecting her to flinch, he reached out and touched her elbow, the softness of her sweater urging him to stroke and pull her to him, but he resisted. She didn’t press herself against him like he’d hoped, but she didn’t draw away either.

  “Hi.” It was such an inadequate greeting, he was ashamed to even say it.

  “Hi,” she whispered, and he studied her pale face, sadness filling him as her eyes reddened with tears.

  “It’s going to be all right.” Paul had no idea how he was going to keep that promise, but seeing her again made him desperate to reassure her. He felt desperate in general, the urge to pull her into his arms and kiss her was blocked by an equally powerful impulse to apologize again and again.

  The sound of a clearing throat woke him from his daze and he looked up to find a smiling brunette woman watching them from the other side of the room with Nicholas standing by her side.

  “You were faster than the delivery! I’m Mari Berryhill. Can you stay for dinner?” Mari gestured at a bowl of salad and a stack of plates on the counter. He’d interrupted them.

  “I, ah…” He glanced at Emily with some confusion. If she wanted to stay, he would, but he’d rather be alone with her to discuss everything weighing on his mind. And afterward perhaps he might have a chance to kiss her. Emily tightened her lips as she looked away a
nd regarded her friend. “I think I’m going to get going. I’m sorry to bail out on the party stuff, but we need to, ah, talk.”

  Paul didn’t know what to say, he’d never burst into a stranger’s home and walked back out again, but he’d never needed to see someone like he needed to be with Emily. Neither Nicholas nor Mari seemed to be worried about the social niceties. They both nodded and made room for him and Emily to leave the kitchen.

  “I hope we see you here tomorrow. We’ll start serving ribs and beer at six and hand out candy until dark and then it’s monster movies until midnight.” Nicholas invited them with a winning grin. “This year it’s Stephen King night. Carrie, The Shining, and if we have time, Silver Bullet.”

  “We aren’t watching Silver Bullet, that one’s awful.” Mari poked a finger in Nicholas’s ribs and he laughed.

  “Fine, forget Silver Bullet. I promise to elevate the evening to higher horror standards.” Nicholas assured them with a grin.

  Paul thanked the other couple automatically for their invitation and followed Emily as she excused herself and left the kitchen. He was shocked to the core when her hand gripped his and he didn’t let go. Just that little bit of physical contact gave him hope.

  His heart pounded as they left the house and walked back down the path to where he’d parked. After installing Emily in her seat, he walked around the front of the car and attempted to gather his thoughts before he got in. But by the time he’d gotten behind the wheel, he still had nothing to say.

  Emily shifted in her seat and faced him. “How’s your daughter?”

  Her innocent question, so generous and well-meaning, almost broke him down. What was he supposed to say, his daughter was marginally less antagonistic now than she had been? “She’s working through this, I think. I didn’t get a chance to tell you, but I added insult to injury after you left by demanding my house keys back. That and I told her I’ll call the police if she took my car again.”

  Emily’s eyes widened, and she sucked in a shocked breath. “She must be devastated.”

  Paul wanted to pretend indifference, but the more he considered it, the worse he felt. “I think she was. This has been a hell of a day, but at least it’s almost over.”