another. “He sent you flowers some weeks ago.” Lily tapped her fingers on the table. “I thought you went out on a few dates with him and then called it quits?”
“I did.”
“So what happened?”
“We got trapped in the elevator together when the power went out.” Emma picked up her fork and toyed with it. “Things got hot and heavy pretty fast.”
“Oh, wow,” Lily gasped.
Emma glanced at Annabelle, who was watching her intently, obviously enthralled with her story. “That’s not all.”
“What else?” Lily waved her napkin in front of her face, as if trying to cool herself down.
“Mr. Meyers almost caught us, but I escaped back to my apartment. The power went again and I went over to Tucker’s just to get some ice, and—”
“And?” Lily prompted when Emma was silent for a whole minute.
“It was amazing.” Her voice was so quiet it was almost a whisper.
Finally, Annabelle spoke. “If it was so amazing, why are you so sad?” Her friend had a way of cutting through the crap and going straight to the heart of things. That was one of the reasons Emma had wanted to see her.
“I don’t know.” She toyed with her cutlery, not able to look either woman in the eye. This was intensely personal. She might have been better off inviting them to her place to talk rather than trying to converse in a public restaurant, but she’d needed to get out of the apartment. The walls had been closing in around her.
“We’d just had the most fantastic sex ever and then we were fighting. He accused me of playing games with him, of wanting him only for sex and not for a real relationship.”
“Was he right?” Annabelle’s soft words made her flinch. “How do you really feel about him?”
“I don’t know.” That was what had kept her awake all last night. “I don’t mean to doubt him, but deep down, I don’t trust him.”
“Why not?” Lily’s voice was suddenly harsh. “What’s he done?” They both knew that Lily had little trust in men after her own ex-husband’s transgressions.
“He hasn’t done anything wrong. He’s been quite wonderful.” The waitress walked up to their table with their orders, so they waited until she’d served them and left before continuing. “It’s me.”
“Why do you say that?” Annabelle shook out her napkin and laid it across her lap before picking up her fork.
It was difficult to talk about her past, but it was necessary. “My father was a good-looking, charming man. He made people smile and laugh.” She shook her head and picked at her salad with her fork. “He married my mom because she was pregnant, not because he loved her.”
“He must have felt something for her if he married her,” Annabelle pointed out.
“Yes, he felt he would like the small inheritance she’d gotten from her grandparents the year before. It was supposed to be for her college education. Instead it became money for him to fritter. Once it was gone, he started to stray.”
Lily rubbed her hand over Emma’s arm. “I’m so sorry, honey.”
Emma nodded as Lily’s heartfelt sympathy made her throat tighten. She swallowed and forced herself to continue. “He’d come back whenever he’d run out of money and sweet-talk my mother into taking him back. He’d promise her it was going to be different, but it never was. He’d hang around until he’d saved up enough money or convinced my mom to give him whatever she’d managed to put away and then he’d take off again. I was nine the last time I saw him.”
“I still don’t understand the problem.” Annabelle laid down her fork. “I’m sorry for what happened to you and your mom, but what does that have to do with you and Tucker?”
Couldn’t her friend see? Hadn’t she just laid it right out in front of them? Annabelle was still sitting there with an expectant look on her face. Emma opened her mouth, closed it, and then started again. “Tucker’s good-looking and charming,” she began.
“Yes, he is,
“I did.”
“So what happened?”
“We got trapped in the elevator together when the power went out.” Emma picked up her fork and toyed with it. “Things got hot and heavy pretty fast.”
“Oh, wow,” Lily gasped.
Emma glanced at Annabelle, who was watching her intently, obviously enthralled with her story. “That’s not all.”
“What else?” Lily waved her napkin in front of her face, as if trying to cool herself down.
“Mr. Meyers almost caught us, but I escaped back to my apartment. The power went again and I went over to Tucker’s just to get some ice, and—”
“And?” Lily prompted when Emma was silent for a whole minute.
“It was amazing.” Her voice was so quiet it was almost a whisper.
Finally, Annabelle spoke. “If it was so amazing, why are you so sad?” Her friend had a way of cutting through the crap and going straight to the heart of things. That was one of the reasons Emma had wanted to see her.
“I don’t know.” She toyed with her cutlery, not able to look either woman in the eye. This was intensely personal. She might have been better off inviting them to her place to talk rather than trying to converse in a public restaurant, but she’d needed to get out of the apartment. The walls had been closing in around her.
“We’d just had the most fantastic sex ever and then we were fighting. He accused me of playing games with him, of wanting him only for sex and not for a real relationship.”
“Was he right?” Annabelle’s soft words made her flinch. “How do you really feel about him?”
“I don’t know.” That was what had kept her awake all last night. “I don’t mean to doubt him, but deep down, I don’t trust him.”
“Why not?” Lily’s voice was suddenly harsh. “What’s he done?” They both knew that Lily had little trust in men after her own ex-husband’s transgressions.
“He hasn’t done anything wrong. He’s been quite wonderful.” The waitress walked up to their table with their orders, so they waited until she’d served them and left before continuing. “It’s me.”
“Why do you say that?” Annabelle shook out her napkin and laid it across her lap before picking up her fork.
It was difficult to talk about her past, but it was necessary. “My father was a good-looking, charming man. He made people smile and laugh.” She shook her head and picked at her salad with her fork. “He married my mom because she was pregnant, not because he loved her.”
“He must have felt something for her if he married her,” Annabelle pointed out.
“Yes, he felt he would like the small inheritance she’d gotten from her grandparents the year before. It was supposed to be for her college education. Instead it became money for him to fritter. Once it was gone, he started to stray.”
Lily rubbed her hand over Emma’s arm. “I’m so sorry, honey.”
Emma nodded as Lily’s heartfelt sympathy made her throat tighten. She swallowed and forced herself to continue. “He’d come back whenever he’d run out of money and sweet-talk my mother into taking him back. He’d promise her it was going to be different, but it never was. He’d hang around until he’d saved up enough money or convinced my mom to give him whatever she’d managed to put away and then he’d take off again. I was nine the last time I saw him.”
“I still don’t understand the problem.” Annabelle laid down her fork. “I’m sorry for what happened to you and your mom, but what does that have to do with you and Tucker?”
Couldn’t her friend see? Hadn’t she just laid it right out in front of them? Annabelle was still sitting there with an expectant look on her face. Emma opened her mouth, closed it, and then started again. “Tucker’s good-looking and charming,” she began.
“Yes, he is,
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