No Time for Romance

by Raine English

  What did he expect her to say? I thought about you too. Most of the time, it was angrily as I tried to figure out why you left me. Instead of saying anything, though, she kept her eyes squarely on the road.

  “I understand if now’s not the time to talk about what happened between us, but we do need to clear the air,” he said in a dull and troubled voice.

  A tumble of confused thoughts and feelings assailed her. This is exactly what she feared. He’d want to talk about that night. And she never wanted to go back there.

  When he laid his hand on her knee, along with a tingle of desire, raw emotions raged within her.

  “There’s a bond between us that can’t be broken,” he went on to say. “I know you feel it too. You couldn’t have responded to my kiss the way you did if you didn’t.”

  Thankfully, she’d pulled up in front of his warehouse. To continue this conversation would be torture.

  “Let’s have dinner tomorrow. I know a nice, quiet restaurant, just a few blocks away, and we can come back here for dessert.”

  He must’ve noticed her shocked expression because he quickly added, “Don’t worry. I’m not inviting you over to make a move on you. I thought we could mix a little business with our date by having you taste my award-winning chocolate chip cookies. Kinsley wanted a few trays for the wedding, remember?” His hazel eyes, while being hypnotic, held an innocent charm that was impossible to resist.

  Chase had a way of making any situation into one she’d approve of. Besides, she just wanted him out of the car. Saying no would only prolong this nightmare.

  “What time should I come over?” There was no way she’d let him pick her up. She needed to be sure she could leave whenever she wanted.

  “How’s six?”

  “Fine. But I have to warn you, it’s going to be a very early night.”

  “No problem. Just be on time. I hate being late,” said with a smirk, before getting out.

  As she watched him enter the building, she was already regretting having agreed to go out with him. Nothing good could come from it, and she didn’t need to taste his cookies.

  When she got home, Lizzy was in the living room reading the Sunday paper with Newt curled up beside her on the couch. She looked over at Emilia with a gleam of expectation in her eyes.

  “So don’t keep me in suspense,” she said, dropping the paper down on the coffee table. “Did you get a signed contract from Chase?”

  “I only just walked in the door. Give me a chance to put down my bag,” she replied grumpily, setting the tote on the floor.

  Lizzy frowned. “Your bad mood is about to give me a heart attack. Does it mean we should start thinking of another career?”

  Emilia left the foyer to join her sister on the couch. “It means I agreed to go on a date tomorrow with Chase.”

  Her brows shot up. “And then will he cater the wedding?”

  Emilia unzipped her purse, letting the strap fall off her shoulder as she reached inside and pulled out the contract. She plopped it on her sister’s lap. “He already signed it.”

  “Good job, sis. But if it’s a done deal, why are you going out with him? And isn’t he married?”

  “Divorced.” Her tone was clipped.

  “Really? Does that mean something happened this weekend that I should know about?” she asked coyly.

  Emilia let out a loud groan. “I kissed him. Well, technically, he kissed me on the Ferris wheel, but I kissed him back, so I guess we’re equally to blame.”

  “Whoa, whoa. Ferris wheel. I thought you went to Camille to work on Kinsley’s wedding? Sounds like you did a lot more than that.”

  “We got everything done over lunch. Obviously, a lot faster than I’d imagined, even with a near bear attack.”

  “Bear attack,” Lizzy shrieked.

  “You know Hewey, the black bear at the sanctuary?”

  “Sure. He’s a cute old guy.”

  “He decided he wanted to join me on the back porch and share my carrots,” Emilia said.

  “That was nice of him.”

  “It was, wasn’t it? Even though I’m sure he wasn’t a threat, it was still terrifying.”

  “I’ll bet. I wouldn’t want to share my vegetables with a bear either. So what did you do?” Lizzy asked.

  “Chase arrived and pulled me into the house.”

  “Like a knight in shining armor.”

  Emilia shot her sister a dirty look. “Later, Kinsley and Dylan invited us to Camille’s May Festival, and it’s not like we could say no. That would’ve been rude.”

  “I agree. You had to go.”

  “But I didn’t have to let Chase think I might still be interested in him.”

  Lizzy’s expression grew serious. “Are you?”

  Emilia covered her face with her hands. “I don’t know. If I were smart, the answer would be a flat-out no, but last night after the fair, all I could think about was that ride on the Ferris wheel and how good I felt when we kissed.”

  “So what’s the problem? He’s not married like you thought, and obviously, you two still care about each other, so why not find out where it might lead? If it were me, I wouldn’t overthink it.”

  “I was trying not to, but last night I had such awful dreams, and I can’t get them out of my head. I think it’s an indication that I’ll never fully forgive him and will worry that he could leave me again.”

  “So, what now?”

  Emilia thought for a moment. “Somehow, I have to keep my distance without ticking him off. We sure don’t want him to back out of Kinsley’s wedding. But I can’t go on a date with him either. That would be a disaster. I know myself well enough that my willpower might crumble, and I’ll wind up doing something I’ll regret.”

  “Tell him something came up. You need to meet with a client.”

  “That won’t work. He’ll want to reschedule our date.”

  “Tell him you’re not feeling well. You think you’re coming down with something.”

  “He won’t buy that.” As Emilia chewed on her bottom lip and tried to come up with a plausible excuse, a light-bulb moment went off in her head. “You can go in my place.”

  Lizzy gave her a narrowed, glinting glance. “Haven’t we been down that road before?”

  “This is different. I’m not asking you to spend the weekend with him. Just go out to dinner, have a few chocolate chip cookies, and then call it a night. Easy peasy. And you can’t use Dana Keebler as an excuse not to go.”

  “What about Ron? I’m supposed to go hear him play tomorrow night,” Lizzy whined.

  “Why can’t you use the sick excuse? Tell him his music gives you a headache.”

  “Very funny. What’s the deal with the cookies?”

  “Kinsley wants cookies for the wedding, so Chase wanted me to taste the ones he plans to make.” Emilia shot her a hopeful smile. “Does this mean you’ll do it?”

  “What I do get out of it?” Lizzy asked with cold sarcasm.

  Emilia threw her arms around her neck and kissed her cheek. “A very grateful sister and the opportunity to save Kinsley’s wedding from being ruined.”

  “Isn’t that a little melodramatic?” she asked, unsuccessfully trying to hold back a laugh.

  “Seriously, I don’t think so. My sole purpose right now is to make sure Chase isn’t given any reason to back out of his contract.”

  “What if I do something wrong?”

  “Just don’t kiss him, and you’ll be fine.”

  “What if he knows it’s not you?”

  “Like I said, don’t kiss him.”

  Lizzy handed the contract back to Emilia and then got off the couch.

  “Where are you going?”

  “To my room to practice being you.”

  Emilia shook her head as her sister walked away. “She’ll do a good job, right Newt?” she asked, rubbing the dog’s head.

  He looked at her quizzically, probably trying to figure out if what she said had anything to do with food.
>
  Emilia was truly concerned, though, whether her sister could pull it off. Chase might’ve been out of her life for ten years, but he still knew her well. Her only other option was to go on the date herself, and that was absolutely out of the question.

  With a sigh, she leaned back against the cushions. Tomorrow night couldn’t be over soon enough.

  9

  As Chase adjusted his tie, he studied his reflection in the bedroom mirror. He’d been a nervous wreck all day worrying about tonight’s date. When he’d asked Emmy out, it was evident to him that there’d been some reluctance by her to accept. He didn’t blame her if she was worried that things were progressing too quickly. He had the same concerns. What if she disappeared from his life again? He still had no idea why she never answered any of his letters. He didn’t feel secure enough at this point to bring it up, and part of him was glad that she hadn’t either. As long as he had a chance with her now, they could work out their past problems later.

  When he kissed her at the top of the Ferris wheel, it hadn’t been planned. Neither had telling her that he was divorced. But the moment seemed right, and common sense slipped away, leaving him with just gut instinct. And it wound up bringing them closer than he’d dreamed possible.

  Her lips had been soft and warm, sending spirals of ecstasy through him as they kissed. He could’ve stayed on that Ferris wheel all night with her in his arms. So many times over the years, he’d imagined such a scene, but reality had been even better than anything he’d envisioned.

  Now he had to just make sure they kept moving forward and got to know each other again, but not too quickly, or they could wind up going backward. Or worse. Losing their connection altogether.

  He wanted their date tonight to be a step in the right direction, to make Emilia feel comfortable around him and be able to let her guard down like she had a few times at the fair when she’d become the carefree girl he’d fallen in love with all those years ago.

  Before slipping on his jacket, he checked the time. It was nearly six o’clock. She’d be arriving any minute. After quickly raking his fingers through his hair, he headed downstairs. A moment later, the doorbell rang.

  He invited Emilia inside, and when she walked by him, he caught a whiff of her perfume. It didn’t smell like her usual one.

  “New cologne?”

  Her brow furrowed. “What?”

  “The one you’ve worn for years had a vanilla sandalwood scent. This one smells like citrus mixed with a little musk.”

  “Um, yes. I felt like a change.”

  “It’s nice. I like the old one better, though.”

  “Thanks for letting me know. I’ll make a note of that.”

  Something was off. Her voice sounded higher, and she was more aloof than she had been yesterday. Maybe she wasn’t feeling well. Or maybe the kiss hadn’t been as welcome as he’d assumed. Hopefully, at dinner, she’d warm up to him again.

  “So this is where you do the cooking for Naturally Delicious?” she asked, wandering into his state-of-the-art commercial kitchen.

  “Yes. It’s much nicer than the one I had in my restaurant in Minnesota. This time around, I wanted to make sure everything was top of the line, and that I had enough space to cater any size event.”

  “I’d say you’ve achieved your goal. This is fantastic.”

  “Thank you. I’m pretty proud of it.”

  “I can see why.” She ran a hand over the sixty-inch, six-burner range. “Is this where you baked the cookies you wanted me to taste?” she asked, pointing to the double oven below.

  “Yep. But we need to have dinner first, so if you’re ready, we can head out to Antonio’s.”

  The Italian restaurant was only two blocks away, and seeing as it was a lovely night, they decided to walk. They passed by a number of shops, and when they approached a high-end boutique, Emmy’s steps slowed.

  “See anything you like?” he asked, as she gazed in the window.

  “That turquoise shirt is gorgeous.” She pointed to a sleeveless top on one of the mannequins.

  It was a brighter color than she usually wore, but then again tastes change, and he was thinking back to when she was a teenager. “Do you want to go in and try it on?”

  Her face lit up. “You don’t mind?”

  “Of course not. Why would I?”

  She was about to go into the store, when she spun around and said, “You know what, I don’t want that shirt after all.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive. I’m hungry. Let’s go eat.”

  They were given a quiet table in the back of the restaurant. “Would you like a glass of wine?” he asked, glancing up from reading the menu.

  “I’d love one.”

  “Chardonnay, okay?”

  “Perfect.”

  “The mushroom-filled ravioli is excellent,” he advised. “It has a combination of dried porcini and fresh mushrooms, giving it an earthy flavor. The ravioli is tossed with olive oil, grated Parmesan cheese, and chives.”

  She smiled. “Sounds wonderful. That’s what I’ll have.”

  When the waiter came by, he ordered their wine, two ravioli dinners, and a basket of garlic bread. While waiting for their drinks to arrive, they talked about Kinsley’s wedding. There was an excitement in Emmy’s voice that hadn’t been there the other day. Maybe it was there now because it was getting closer to the date.

  “Wait until you see her gown. It’s spectacular,” she said. “The bodice is covered in seed pearls, and the skirt is a shimmering sea of chiffon. But you’re a guy, so you probably don’t care much about that sort of thing.”

  He caught her gaze and held it. “You’re wrong about that. Every bride deserves to look beautiful on her wedding day, and her gown is a big part of it. Although in Kinsley’s case, I doubt she’d look bad in anything.”

  “You’re right. She could wear a potato sack and look good.”

  He laughed. “So could you.”

  Her cheeks turned a lovely shade of pink. “Thank you.”

  The waiter chose that moment to bring their wine, and it was perfect timing because it was obvious Emmy was a little embarrassed by his compliment. “Most women flaunt their beauty,” he said over the rim of his glass. “But not you. You seem totally unaware of it.”

  This time, not only did she blush, but she shifted her gaze down so that her long, dark lashes covered her eyes and kept him from seeing what was reflected in them.

  He made sure to keep the conversation light so that by the time their food came, they were relaxed and ready to enjoy a wonderful meal. It wasn’t until they were done and sipping coffee that he ventured into what might be dangerous territory. He didn’t know exactly why he was willing to take a chance. Maybe it was the wine. Or maybe it was because Emmy was in a good mood. But the time seemed right like it had when he’d decided to kiss her.

  Without overthinking it, he reached across the table and took hold of her hand. She didn’t pull back, but her eyes were inquiring, and he nearly lost his nerve. However, something compelled him to continue. “Em, I think it’s time we talk about what happened to us.”

  Her face paled. “I don’t think this is a good time.”

  “Is there ever a good time to discuss what changed the course of our lives?”

  Her fingers tensed, and for a moment he thought she might pull her hand away. Or worse, get up and leave. Instead, she stared at him with a perplexed look.

  “That night in the park, why didn’t you wait for me? I called your cell phone and left a message that my dad went to the hospital, and I was going to be late. I would’ve called right away, but things were so chaotic. I even went to your house, but your dad said you were over a girlfriend’s.”

  Her bottom lip trembled. “You never called. There wasn’t a message.”

  “I did. I swear. It might have been an hour or more after the time we were supposed to meet, but I made that call.”

  Awkwardly, she cleared her throat and then mutt
ered uneasily, “I-well, actually, Lizzy, lost the phone. I’d given it to her, thinking if I took it with me, my parents might use it to track me. I had no idea that you’d called.”

  He felt as if a hand had closed around his throat. “So, you did go to the park?”

  She stared at him in disbelief. “Of course. How could you think otherwise?”

  Anxiety spurted through him. “You weren’t there when I got there. You didn’t return my call. I even wrote you letters. Lots of them. So many I lost count. But you never wrote back.”

  “Letters? I never got any letters.” Her voice cracked, and she seemed disoriented.

  “How is that possible? I wrote to you for three years.” He felt the screams of frustration at the back of his throat as the tension between them increased with frightening intensity.

  “I’m sorry. I have to go.” She pulled her hand out from under his, and before he could respond, she ran out of the restaurant.

  He quickly paid the bill, but by the time he got outside, she was nowhere in sight. As he walked home, a tumble of confused thoughts and feelings assailed him. How could it be that she hadn’t received his letters? Not even one? If that was true, then what happened to them?

  10

  Emilia had just closed the book she’d been reading and was about to turn off the light on the nightstand when she heard the front door open. Newt, who was sprawled across her lap, raised his head and let out a woof. She glanced at the clock. It was close to nine. Lizzy was home earlier than she’d expected. A flicker of apprehension coursed through her. She hoped Chase hadn’t discovered he was dining with Lizzy instead of her. As rapid footsteps clattered down the hall, her fear that something had gone wrong grew, causing her stomach to clench tight.

  When her sister appeared in the doorway, her expression was one of mute wretchedness, and Emilia knew for sure that something terrible had happened.

  Panic rioted within her as she asked in a small, frightened voice, “Did Chase know that you were pretending to be me?”

  Lizzy opened her mouth, but no words came out. Only a moan of distress as she slumped onto the foot of the bed.