by Olivia Miles
“Then—”
Lucy narrowed her gaze. “This has nothing to do with you, Scott,” she said sharply. “Emily is my coworker and a very good friend of mine.”
“I’m sorry,” he huffed in response. He stared down the road, wondering what Emily thought about all this. It hadn’t slipped his mind that Max Hamilton had suggested they all meet up for a drink at the event and that Emily had looked like a deer in the headlights.
“What ever happened between you and Emily?”
Scott whirled to face Lucy, his chest pounding. “What do you mean?” he asked, but the hardened edge in his tone only confirmed his guilt.
“You used to like her when you were kids and now...” Her eyes searched him, crinkling in confusion, her mouth a thin line of displeasure. She shook her head. “It’s too bad. She’s a really nice girl.”
“I know that,” Scott bit back.
“Then why do you get so shifty every time her name is mentioned? If you’re worried about sending her the wrong message, I can assure you, you don’t need to worry.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Lucy tipped her head, a sadness taking over her features. “Emily keeps to herself. She doesn’t date much, and she’s the last person I know who would assume someone was interested in her romantically. Especially you.”
“Why would you say that?”
Lucy gave him a knowing look. “You broke her heart.” Scott began to protest but Lucy raised her hand to stop him. “You were eighteen then. It’s forgivable. But you’re a grown man, Scott. What’s your excuse now?”
Scott stood at the base of the porch, his eyes shifting from Lucy to George and back again. What’s your excuse now? He squared his jaw and thrust a fist into his pocket, his mind whirling somewhere between rage and hurt so deep he thought he might just shout out loud—scream out the truth of his actions, of his reasons behind breaking up with Emily. It was an excuse all right, and a damned good one. It would be sure to get his sister off his back about his interactions with Emily. But it might also kick her out of his life for good.
Suddenly brightening, Lucy waved over Scott’s shoulder and shoved past him without another word, calling, “There you are!”
Scott turned to follow Lucy’s gaze, his chest tightening as he saw Emily strolling up the sidewalk in a navy blue sundress and lavender cardigan, her chestnut hair flowing softly around her shoulders. Her smile was bright and unsuspecting, and Scott felt the knot in his stomach loosen, offering a smile in return as she met his gaze.
“Hi,” he said, and then cleared his throat as his voice caught.
“Hey.” Her voice was pleasant and sweet, the simple word so melodic that he longed for her to say something more.
“Ready to go?” Lucy asked, ignoring Scott altogether.
Emily stopped walking as they bridged the gap, and Scott soon found himself at her side, grateful for her nervous chatter that overshadowed the heavy, heated silence emanating from Lucy. When they arrived at the town square, Lucy muttered a quiet excuse and walked away with George in tow.
Scott turned to face Emily head on, finding her gray eyes bright, her full pink lips curving at the corners. “Alone again,” he said with a slow smile he couldn’t fight.
“That’s becoming a theme with us.” She held his gaze, perhaps in challenge, perhaps in curiosity.
Scott felt his pulse take speed. “Is that a good thing or not?” Tell me, Emily, because I don’t know anymore. His world seemed so clear when he was away from her, so black-and-white, so factual. He was responsible for her father’s death. His father had covered the entire thing up. He would have to tell her. She would hate him. How could she not?
But when he was with her like this... Scott inhaled deeply. Everything was different when he was alone with Emily. The situation was as gray as the irises of her large searching eyes. All reason and strength left him, and all he wanted to do was grab her by the shoulders and press her close, to feel the smooth curves of her body against his, to beg her for forgiveness or maybe to never tell her at all, but instead to just go on like this...forever.
“Well,” Emily said shyly. She lowered her eyes, causing Scott’s gut to pull taught. Looking up, she said softly, “I was sort of thinking it was a good thing.”
“I was hoping you would say that,” he murmured, the release of the words sending a rush of air to his chest. Just admitting that one small truth lessened the burden that had weighed on him for so many years.
It was just like that age-old saying—the truth shall set you free. In this case, however, he couldn’t help but wonder once again if the truth would do more harm than good.
* * *
Emily forced herself to remain as outwardly calm as possible, even though her heart was racing. Scott sat next to her on the grass under the shade of a large maple, resting his elbows on his knees. Sitting close to him like this, sipping at her ice-cold lemonade, Emily couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sadness. It was just so perfect. So achingly, terrifyingly perfect.
She slid a glance at Scott, letting her eyes roam greedily over the broad width of his back, the wide, chiseled shoulders and the confident grace of his profile as he looked out onto the square, taking in the scene. She wondered what he was thinking, if being here made him want to stay. She sighed, fearing that it might make him just want to leave all the more.
Emily quickly looked around the square, hoping to spot a few friendly faces in the crowd. She spotted an older couple she recognized as regular guests of Holly’s at The White Barn Inn and waved. With a sharp turn, the woman—Evelyn Adler—peered at her, her expression transforming into something altogether more interested when she noticed Scott.
“Well, hello there, young lady,” Evelyn said to Emily as she approached, but her eyes rested firmly on Scott. The woman pinched her lips like a little bird while her deep blue eyes glimmered with awareness. “And hello,” she cooed to Scott, widening her gaze hopefully while her husband stood dutifully at her side. She patted her graying hair girlishly.
“Hello,” Scott said pleasantly, though Emily detected an undertone of curiosity.
“I don’t think we’ve had the pleasure of meeting,” Evelyn purred, the intensity of her gaze sharpening like a hawk about to swoop in on its prey.
“I don’t think so, either,” Scott said, standing to extend his hand. At the gesture, Evelyn stepped back in shock, unabashedly raking her eyes over the length of his body as her lips curled into a hundred-watt smile. “Scott Collins. I just came back to town, so you must have moved here while I was away.”
Emily was standing by now, brushing a bit of grass and dirt off the skirt of her dress, and she noticed Max and Holly watching the exchange in the distance. Holly was shaking her head in dismay while Max laughed heartily. She waved them over as Evelyn continued, “Oh, we don’t live here. We just visit every few months. Have you been to The White Barn Inn? It’s blissful!”
“Well, thank you for the compliment!” Holly said as she joined the group. She slipped a wink to Emily and Emily nudged Max in the ribs. Scott’s gaze passed over the three of them, clearly realizing that he was at a disadvantage when it came to the persistent Evelyn Adler.
“It’s good to see you here, Emily,” Evelyn said pointedly, making an obvious show of shifting her eyes to Scott and leaving them there. “It seems that Maple Woods is just bursting with lovebirds this year!”
Emily felt her face blanch. She could feel the steady shaking of Max’s laughing torso beside her and she watched as Holly gave him a warning glance, fire in her eyes.
“We’re old friends, Mrs. Adler,” Emily said as her cheeks began to burn.
“Pity,” Evelyn huffed, folding her arms across her fragile chest. She glared at Emily, as if this were somehow her fault. “A handsome man like this? In my day, men and women weren’t ju
st friends. But then, in my day, a woman didn’t strut around town in pants, either.” She clucked her tongue as her gaze lingered on Scott, and Emily could hear Max chuckling.
“Come on, Mrs. Adler,” Holly said, taking the older woman by the elbow and giving Emily a knowing glance. “I’ve entered my raspberry preserves in a contest and the judging is about to start.”
“Exciting times,” Max said with mock enthusiasm, and Holly swatted him playfully. Undeterred, he shot a grin at Scott and said, “You gotta admit, this town’s got a hell of a lot more going for it than we city guys are used to.”
“Young man!” Evelyn’s sharp cry punctured the din of nearby conversations. “Did you just curse?”
Affronted, Max took a step back and then pressed his lips together, laughter shining in his eyes. “Guilty as charged, Evelyn,” he admitted, holding up two palms as he pleaded his innocence.
“Well...” Evelyn bristled, her brightly painted lips twisting coyly. “I could never stay mad at a young man as handsome as you.”
With a chuckle, Max led the group away and Emily laughed to herself as Holly turned back and shook her head. “Sorry about that,” she said to Scott, whose eyes were searching hers for some sort of explanation. “I didn’t mean to throw you to the wolves.”
“Who is that woman?”
“Evelyn Adler.” Emily sighed, falling naturally into step beside him as they weaved their way through the stalls selling everything from local artwork to children’s clothes. Julia was even selling a bunch of knitted goods she’d created on her downtime at the shop. “She’s a regular at The White Barn Inn. She’s a little eccentric, but we love her dearly.”
They settled into a spot near the gazebo. Scott grew silent and rested his forearms on his knees. “So, old friends, huh?” He glanced at her sidelong, and Emily felt her stomach drop.
Her gaze fell to the grass, and she plucked a few dandelions before tossing them to the side. “Seemed like the easiest thing to say.” She stole a glance in his direction, her breath catching at the intensity in his eyes.
“You were a hell of a lot more than just a friend to me,” he said, and Emily looked away, frowning.
What was done was done. When her father died, she had learned to savor the moment, to not take the present for granted. Sometimes it was easy to lose sight of that, especially more recently when she was too busy getting lost in the future and all of its conflicting possibilities.
She straightened her shoulders. There would be no thinking about the future today. Today was all anyone really had.
A little shiver down her spine told her that today she had everything she had ever wanted, anyway.
* * *
“Tell me they won’t do the Chicken Dance,” Scott said with a grin as he watched the couples spin on the dance floor.
“Maybe the Hokey Pokey,” Emily replied with a wink that sent a surge of heat straight to his groin. He tempered his desire with a sip of his beer. The sun had faded nearly an hour ago, and the band had picked up on its cue. Evelyn Adler was front and center on the dance floor, dragging her poor husband along for the ride. Max Hamilton lifted his hand in a wave and then twirled Holly until she threw her head back, laughing. Emily rubbed her arms as a cool breeze cut through the trees, rustling the leaves. It was all the ammunition he needed.
“Want to dance?” Scott asked with a slow smile, tipping his head in the direction of the dance floor, where half of the townspeople were bouncing around the band’s whims.
Emily hesitated just long enough for him to wonder if he had stirred up an old wound and then turned to him with a smile that took his breath away.
“I’d love to,” she said, hopping out of her folding chair. With one hand on the small of her back he guided her onto the makeshift dance floor and then curled his arm around her waist, his free hand taking hold of hers as they fell in step with the beat.
She kept her gaze lowered aside from a few telling glances from the hood of her lashes, her lips curling into a smile that pulled his heart so tight, he thought the ache would cut off his air. The music was too loud to make conversation possible, but Scott didn’t mind. Without words, he could focus on her presence, on the way her smooth, soft palm felt so small in his own, and the way his arm rested so perfectly on the curve of her hip. He grazed the soft cotton of her dress with his fingertips, remembering how her bare body felt in his arms.
As the dance continued, he gradually pulled her closer, and she didn’t resist, instead curling herself naturally into his chest, her chin hovering above his shoulder. He craned his neck and closed his eyes, drinking in the smell of her hair, feeling the pounding of her heart through his chest, wondering what it would be like to hold her like this forever.
If he tried hard enough he could almost be that kid again. The kid who had no awareness of what he had once done. The kid who was just crazy in love with Emily Porter.
Emily pulled back as the song ended, but he kept a hand on her hip, unable to let her go just yet. The strings of light cast a glow on her face, catching the glint in her eyes. Something deep within him began to stir.
“Want to take a walk?” he suggested, noticing that the band members were stepping aside from their instruments for a water break.
Emily nodded and they walked into the shadows of the trees, the buzz of the party behind them soon fading. The night was clear and quiet once they were well beyond the square, and the sound of crickets could be heard at random.
“I love that sound,” Scott murmured.
“What sound?”
He stopped and leaned back against a fence post. “The sound of town, I guess. It’s soothing.”
Emily glanced around with a shrug. “I guess I don’t even notice anymore.”
“It’s funny, you know? I’ve been gone for so long, I didn’t think I would remember any of this, but being here...it’s like no time has passed at all.”
“I was thinking the same thing,” Emily said with a small smile.
“I’m really sorry about how things left off with us, Emily,” he said, his voice husky. Just say it, just say it. “I never meant to hurt you. Believe me when I say that I only ever wanted you to be happy. I still do.”
Emily held his gaze, searching his eyes with hers as if trying to confirm the validity of his words. Eventually, she nodded. “I am happy,” she said, and Scott felt a jolt. He hadn’t seen that coming.
“Really?” he asked. He had to know.
“Everyone has sad times, Scott. You know that. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t been happy. I mean, look around...I get paid to do what I love. I have a great boss. I live with my sister, and even though she can be a handful, she’s still my best friend. There are a lot of reasons to be happy.”
“And now?”
“Am I happy right now? In this moment?” A smile played at her mouth. “I’m very happy.”
He had taken so much from her, stolen her innocence with the blink of his eye. Yet here she was, standing before him with eyes soft and longing, lips parted and waiting. He could reach out and touch her; he could try to fill the part of her heart he had left empty. Her father was gone, and nothing could bring him back, but there was another wrong that Scott could set right. He had a chance, right now, here in this moment, to take back that day all those years ago and make her see how badly he had wanted her then. How much he still did.
He took a step forward, watching as Emily’s eyes widened ever so slightly as he lowered his mouth to hers. His lips grazed hers softly, a caress so light it sent a shiver down the length of his spine, until her mouth parted to his, hesitantly at first as their tongues began their dance. He tightened his hold on her waist, pulling her body close to his chest until heat flared deep within him. Her hips pushed against his groin until his need grew with each lace of their tongues, and he claimed her mouth with determined
energy, needing to be as close to her as she would allow him.
She sighed into his mouth as his kisses became urgent, but instead of pulling back as he feared, she dug her hands deep into his biceps and then up and around his shoulders, raking her fingers through his hair as their mouths persisted hungrily and their bodies fused. He could feel the swell of her breasts against his chest, and as desire drove him forward, he traced a hand around the curve of her hip, snaking his way up her stomach until he cupped her breast in his palm, feeling her chest rise and fall under his hand as her breathing became ragged.
Breaking the kiss, he locked eyes with her for the briefest of seconds before clutching her so close he felt he could break her, and she sighed into his ear as her hair cascaded down her back, glistening in the moonlight. He ran a hand through her chestnut locks, a memory seizing his chest as he rested his head on hers.
If they could just stay like this. If it could only be so easy.
Chapter Nine
“Well, there you are,” Julia said as Emily shuffled into the kitchen, yawning. Leaning a hip against the butcher block, she added, “I was beginning to wonder if you made it home last night.”
Emily glanced sleepily at the freshly brewed coffee and smiled. “Sorry I lost track of you at the festival,” she said, filling her favorite mug. “Did you manage to sell a lot of your knitting samples?”
“Oh, the stand did fine enough, but when I couldn’t find you anywhere, I got a little worried.”
“Sorry, I should have called you.” Emily sat down at the table and wrapped her fingers around her mug. She eyed the clock, making sure she didn’t lose track of time.
Julia finished spreading some of Holly’s raspberry preserves on her toast with quick, determined strokes. She pursed her lips into a coy smile. “So I take it you and Scott had a nice time—”
“Oh, don’t you start!” Emily cried, rolling her eyes. Across from her, Julia looked mesmerized, but for once she held her tongue. “Before you say anything, you should know that there’s nothing going on between Scott and me. We’ve decided that we’re just...old friends.”
