me."
"It's sounding pretty serious," Emma said. "How much have you guys been talking about the future?"
Daphne's grin wavered only the faintest bit. "Oh, it's too soon to get into that."
Emma and Beth exchanged a quick, silent look, but Daphne caught it. "What?! I'm not going to rush him! I don't want to scare him off. This is a big step as it is, moving in together."
"Just as long as you're both on the same page about what you want for the future," Emma said.
Beth added, "You've talked about whether he'd like to be married eventually and have kids, haven't Page 55
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you?"
"It's too soon!" Daphne insisted. "Asking me to live with him is a huge step, and I don't think he would have taken it if he didn't see a future for us."
Emma put up her hands in surrender. "Okay, okay, you know him a lot better than either of us do. I'll be here if you need me, but I know you're confident you won't."
"Thanks for the thought." Daphne came over to give Emma a hug. "I'm going to miss living with you.
You'll come over to our place for dinner sometime, won't you?"
"Sure. And you can come down here and we'll go shopping and have lunch."
"Okay."
Daphne said her good-byes to Beth and then left.
"I hope that works out as well as she hopes," Beth said.
"Daphne and Derek?" At Beth's nod Emma shrugged. "I guess I hope so, too."
"You don't like Derek?"
"I don't know. There's nothing wrong with him, really, except that he strikes me as kind of dim. No imagination. But maybe Daphne doesn't mind that."
"Who can tell what type of partner is right for someone else? We can't even judge that for ourselves.
Speaking of which! What's the full story on this apartment and the guy who owns it, huh?"
Emma felt her cheeks redden. "Why should my getting this apartment have anything to do with romance?"
Beth raised a brow. "No way you can afford this place on your own. Belltown is muy trendy, and trendy means bucks. So come on, spill! Or better yet, let's go have lunch and then you can spill over the food.
I'm starving! But let me go to the bathroom first."
There was no shortage of restaurants in Belltown, and the apartment was within walking distance of both tourist-choked Pike Place Market and the main shopping district in the center of the city, home to upscale malls, department stores, and boutiques. They decided on a bistro a block and a half from the apartment and settled into a booth by the window, where the spring sunlight could warm their skin.
Two baskets full of bread, a bowl of lobster bisque, and another bathroom trip later, Beth put down her spoon and sighed. "Ohhh, that's better."
"You're not going to have room for your entree."
"Ha—watch me. But now, tell me what's up with the apartment."
Emma played with the remains of her salad, driving a candied pecan through an oil slick of balsamic vinaigrette. For the past twenty minutes she'd been debating how much to tell Beth, trying to guess her reaction if she heard the whole truth.
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"Like I said, the apartment belongs to a rich man whose house I was cleaning. It's been empty for a few months; he hasn't had time to find a tenant and he thinks he wants to sell the place soon, so he's letting me stay there for a very reasonable price."
Beth gnawed a crust of bread. "Mm-hm. And is he single?"
"Well, yeah," Emma conceded.
"How old?"
Emma shifted in her seat. "Thirty-six."
"Good-looking?"
"Maybe."
"Uh-huh.Isee."
Emma met her eyes, trying to keep hers innocent. "You see what?"
"Has he made a pass at you?"
"Maybe." A smile pulled at the corner of her mouth. "And it's not like I haven't wanted to lay my hands on his fine ass."
"Emma!"
"What?!"
"Naughty girl." Beth grinned. "You want him, don't you?"
Emma shrugged.
"He must want you, too. Why else would he let you have the apartment? I bet he's going to make
"It's sounding pretty serious," Emma said. "How much have you guys been talking about the future?"
Daphne's grin wavered only the faintest bit. "Oh, it's too soon to get into that."
Emma and Beth exchanged a quick, silent look, but Daphne caught it. "What?! I'm not going to rush him! I don't want to scare him off. This is a big step as it is, moving in together."
"Just as long as you're both on the same page about what you want for the future," Emma said.
Beth added, "You've talked about whether he'd like to be married eventually and have kids, haven't Page 55
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you?"
"It's too soon!" Daphne insisted. "Asking me to live with him is a huge step, and I don't think he would have taken it if he didn't see a future for us."
Emma put up her hands in surrender. "Okay, okay, you know him a lot better than either of us do. I'll be here if you need me, but I know you're confident you won't."
"Thanks for the thought." Daphne came over to give Emma a hug. "I'm going to miss living with you.
You'll come over to our place for dinner sometime, won't you?"
"Sure. And you can come down here and we'll go shopping and have lunch."
"Okay."
Daphne said her good-byes to Beth and then left.
"I hope that works out as well as she hopes," Beth said.
"Daphne and Derek?" At Beth's nod Emma shrugged. "I guess I hope so, too."
"You don't like Derek?"
"I don't know. There's nothing wrong with him, really, except that he strikes me as kind of dim. No imagination. But maybe Daphne doesn't mind that."
"Who can tell what type of partner is right for someone else? We can't even judge that for ourselves.
Speaking of which! What's the full story on this apartment and the guy who owns it, huh?"
Emma felt her cheeks redden. "Why should my getting this apartment have anything to do with romance?"
Beth raised a brow. "No way you can afford this place on your own. Belltown is muy trendy, and trendy means bucks. So come on, spill! Or better yet, let's go have lunch and then you can spill over the food.
I'm starving! But let me go to the bathroom first."
There was no shortage of restaurants in Belltown, and the apartment was within walking distance of both tourist-choked Pike Place Market and the main shopping district in the center of the city, home to upscale malls, department stores, and boutiques. They decided on a bistro a block and a half from the apartment and settled into a booth by the window, where the spring sunlight could warm their skin.
Two baskets full of bread, a bowl of lobster bisque, and another bathroom trip later, Beth put down her spoon and sighed. "Ohhh, that's better."
"You're not going to have room for your entree."
"Ha—watch me. But now, tell me what's up with the apartment."
Emma played with the remains of her salad, driving a candied pecan through an oil slick of balsamic vinaigrette. For the past twenty minutes she'd been debating how much to tell Beth, trying to guess her reaction if she heard the whole truth.
Page 56
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"Like I said, the apartment belongs to a rich man whose house I was cleaning. It's been empty for a few months; he hasn't had time to find a tenant and he thinks he wants to sell the place soon, so he's letting me stay there for a very reasonable price."
Beth gnawed a crust of bread. "Mm-hm. And is he single?"
"Well, yeah," Emma conceded.
"How old?"
Emma shifted in her seat. "Thirty-six."
"Good-looking?"
"Maybe."
"Uh-huh.Isee."
Emma met her eyes, trying to keep hers innocent. "You see what?"
"Has he made a pass at you?"
"Maybe." A smile pulled at the corner of her mouth. "And it's not like I haven't wanted to lay my hands on his fine ass."
"Emma!"
"What?!"
"Naughty girl." Beth grinned. "You want him, don't you?"
Emma shrugged.
"He must want you, too. Why else would he let you have the apartment? I bet he's going to make
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