moment.
“You’re very talented, you know,” he said as he sank his fork into the pie. “Have you ever thought about pursuing your culinary skills?”
Emily’s brow seemed to furrow slightly at the question, but she recovered quickly. “Well, I work at Sweetie Pie,” she pointed out.
Scott nodded. “True. I guess I just meant something of your own. With your talent...well, there must be something you could do with it.”
As he met her bewildered expression, his heart tensed with regret. Damn, he couldn’t do anything right with Emily!
“Well, I didn’t have the means to go to college, and my mother needed my help here,” Emily said, and Scott felt the evidence of his shame heat his neck. “But then, you knew that.”
“I didn’t mean to upset you,” he protested, his eyes searching the small oak table for retribution. “I honestly meant it as a compliment.”
Emily offered him a slow grin. Scott shifted uncomfortably on the stiff wooden chair to ward off his growing attraction.
“Don’t worry,” she said easily. She lifted her chin and chewed thoughtfully. “If I didn’t know better, I might think I make you nervous.”
A scoff released from his lips, but he didn’t bother to deny it. He’d done enough lying for one lifetime. “Would that be so hard to believe?”
“As a matter of fact, it would.”
“Well, you do make me a little nervous,” he admitted with a wink.
Emily guffawed, but her eyes shone with interest. “Since when?”
Scott shrugged. “Since always. You were...special.” He held her eyes from the hood of his brow. “I guess that’s why you meant so much to me.”
Her mouth thinned. “Not enough,” she said matter-of-factly, glancing down at her plate.
It was the moment he had waited for, alone with her, calm, simple. He wanted to tell her the truth and shield her from it all at once. “I know you still don’t believe me,” he said, swallowing hard. “I did love you, Emily.”
Her brow furrowed. “You sure had a weird way of showing it,” she said, but he could hear the pain scratch through her voice. He could take the confusion away in one simple sentence. Give her the reason she craved for why he’d left so suddenly. But doing so...
He couldn’t do it. He’d lost her once. If she knew, she’d be gone forever. He didn’t think he could face that. Not yet.
“Young and dumb.” He forced a casual tone, smiling tightly. He held her eyes with his, watching the light flicker through her wide black pupils. “Guess some things aren’t meant to be.”
“Guess not.”
Silence stretched in the room, and Scott forked off a piece of the crumbling crust. When he’d cleaned his plate, he cut another thick slice, noticing Emily’s watchful eye across the table. “Sorry, couldn’t resist,” he said with a grin.
She smiled. “Enjoy. The leftovers are yours. If there are any,” she added, and then started giggling into her napkin.
Scott chuckled and broke through the lattice crust with his fork. “I don’t know how you keep your figure working in that place,” he said, dragging his eyes over her slim shoulders and taught waist.
“If you’re trying to butter me up, you don’t have to go that far,” she said, but a flush had crept over her soft porcelain cheeks.
Scott leaned across the table. “It’s Julia I really need to worry about kissing up to now, isn’t it?”
Emily gave him a sly grin. “I think she’s had her say and now she’ll let it drop.”
Scott watched her, unconvinced. “I’m not so sure.” Emily’s sister had always been a spitfire, even when she was younger. He could still remember the time he’d had to bribe Julia to keep quiet with a bag of candy after she’d spotted him through parted curtains giving Emily a good-night kiss on the front porch. Looking back, he almost chuckled aloud. Emily’s mother wouldn’t have minded. It was his parents who had never supported the relationship.
Emily waved her hand through
“You’re very talented, you know,” he said as he sank his fork into the pie. “Have you ever thought about pursuing your culinary skills?”
Emily’s brow seemed to furrow slightly at the question, but she recovered quickly. “Well, I work at Sweetie Pie,” she pointed out.
Scott nodded. “True. I guess I just meant something of your own. With your talent...well, there must be something you could do with it.”
As he met her bewildered expression, his heart tensed with regret. Damn, he couldn’t do anything right with Emily!
“Well, I didn’t have the means to go to college, and my mother needed my help here,” Emily said, and Scott felt the evidence of his shame heat his neck. “But then, you knew that.”
“I didn’t mean to upset you,” he protested, his eyes searching the small oak table for retribution. “I honestly meant it as a compliment.”
Emily offered him a slow grin. Scott shifted uncomfortably on the stiff wooden chair to ward off his growing attraction.
“Don’t worry,” she said easily. She lifted her chin and chewed thoughtfully. “If I didn’t know better, I might think I make you nervous.”
A scoff released from his lips, but he didn’t bother to deny it. He’d done enough lying for one lifetime. “Would that be so hard to believe?”
“As a matter of fact, it would.”
“Well, you do make me a little nervous,” he admitted with a wink.
Emily guffawed, but her eyes shone with interest. “Since when?”
Scott shrugged. “Since always. You were...special.” He held her eyes from the hood of his brow. “I guess that’s why you meant so much to me.”
Her mouth thinned. “Not enough,” she said matter-of-factly, glancing down at her plate.
It was the moment he had waited for, alone with her, calm, simple. He wanted to tell her the truth and shield her from it all at once. “I know you still don’t believe me,” he said, swallowing hard. “I did love you, Emily.”
Her brow furrowed. “You sure had a weird way of showing it,” she said, but he could hear the pain scratch through her voice. He could take the confusion away in one simple sentence. Give her the reason she craved for why he’d left so suddenly. But doing so...
He couldn’t do it. He’d lost her once. If she knew, she’d be gone forever. He didn’t think he could face that. Not yet.
“Young and dumb.” He forced a casual tone, smiling tightly. He held her eyes with his, watching the light flicker through her wide black pupils. “Guess some things aren’t meant to be.”
“Guess not.”
Silence stretched in the room, and Scott forked off a piece of the crumbling crust. When he’d cleaned his plate, he cut another thick slice, noticing Emily’s watchful eye across the table. “Sorry, couldn’t resist,” he said with a grin.
She smiled. “Enjoy. The leftovers are yours. If there are any,” she added, and then started giggling into her napkin.
Scott chuckled and broke through the lattice crust with his fork. “I don’t know how you keep your figure working in that place,” he said, dragging his eyes over her slim shoulders and taught waist.
“If you’re trying to butter me up, you don’t have to go that far,” she said, but a flush had crept over her soft porcelain cheeks.
Scott leaned across the table. “It’s Julia I really need to worry about kissing up to now, isn’t it?”
Emily gave him a sly grin. “I think she’s had her say and now she’ll let it drop.”
Scott watched her, unconvinced. “I’m not so sure.” Emily’s sister had always been a spitfire, even when she was younger. He could still remember the time he’d had to bribe Julia to keep quiet with a bag of candy after she’d spotted him through parted curtains giving Emily a good-night kiss on the front porch. Looking back, he almost chuckled aloud. Emily’s mother wouldn’t have minded. It was his parents who had never supported the relationship.
Emily waved her hand through
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