Love Like You've Never Been Hurt (24 page)

“Oh, I see. Is that all?”

“No, that is the very least of it.” He came to stand
behind her wrapping his arms around her waist and lowering his mouth
so he spoke right next to her ear. “You, my darling, will be up
in that bed of yours with no one to protect you. I won’t be
able to sleep a wink for worrying about you.”

“Is that so?”

“Sure is.”

“Well then, how about you come to my bed with me and protect
me, if that’s what you’re calling it. That way we’ll
both know I’m safe and I won’t feel responsible for your
loss of beauty sleep.”

He hadn’t expected her to let him stay while the others were
around.

“So, you don’t mind what the others might think about
my ‘protecting’ you, huh?”

To his surprise, she grew serious. “I don’t care what
anyone thinks. We’re both consenting adults and it’s none
of anyone else’s business!” She relaxed a little,
“Besides, every single one of them has sung your praises and
told me to give you a chance. So they can hardly say anything. Not
that they would, anyway.”

“Well, alrighty then.” He was pleased by her
decisiveness. “I shall come to your bed and ‘protect’
you no matter who is around. How about that?” He gave her his
best sexy smile.

She laughed. “If you keep that up, I might drag you there
now.” He stepped forward hopefully, but she put a hand on his
chest to stop him. “Much as I would like to, I have to finish
up here. So why don’t you go and get your shower and call Pete
while I make us some dinner?”

He took her hand from his chest and brought it to his lips. “OK
then, but I won’t be long and I’m hungry.” He let
his gaze travel slowly down her body and smiled as he watched the
flush spread over her neck and chest. He was learning what aroused
her and intended to put it to good use real soon.

Emerging from the shower Jack dialed Pete’s cell from the
computer so he could finish getting ready while they talked. He
toweled himself dry as it rang.

“S’up, partner?” Pete answered.

“Doing great. You?”

“Yep. Looks like the deal with Bowers is in the bag.”

As they discussed the Bowers deal and a few other projects, Jack
finished drying himself off and dressed in jeans and a black sweater.

“You had time to look over my proposal for tomorrow?”
asked Pete.

“Went through it this afternoon. I think you’ve
covered everything we talked about.”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah, but what? I know that tone.” He hoped this
wouldn’t take long, he wanted to get back to Emma. He really
was hungry and wouldn’t mind at all if they skipped dinner.

“You want me to lay it on you straight?” asked Pete.

Jack frowned, “I’ll
be pissed if you don’t!” This wasn’t like Pete.
Part of the reason they worked so well together as friends and as
partners was that they were always honest with each other; neither
pulled any punches, ever. Most of the time they seemed to read each
other’s thoughts anyway, but whenever they didn’t,
neither was afraid to tell it like it was.

“I want to be sure that you really want to go after this
one?”

“Damn, Pete! You’ve seen all the work I’ve done
already, the drafts of what we can do out there. I didn’t do
all that for fun, did I? Why would you think I’m not on board?”
Then realization dawned. Pete was thinking about Emma. “Sorry,
I get it.”

“What do you get?”

“You’re concerned that if things don’t work out
between me and Emma, I won’t want to be tied to a development
up here, right?”

“That’s about it.”

“Well, thanks for the concern, but I’m working my ass
off here to make sure things will work out. And to be honest with
you, Bro, if they don’t I’ll be glad to still have a
reason to be out here, hanging around the lake, hoping to still catch
a glimpse of her! Satisfied?”

“That bad, huh?”

“You have no idea.”

“Well then, you’re going to hate me even more, but I
have to do this.”

“Do what?”

“I’ve asked her to have lunch with me tomorrow.”

“Yeah, she said. You’re coming over at noon, right?”

“Yeah, but sorry Bro, you’re not invited.”

Jack frowned. He wasn’t sure he was getting this. “OK.”

“
Jack, I told you,
she’s like my little sister. Before we tie up several million
bucks in this thing, I need to know that she’s thought it
through. I have to ask how
she
would deal with you still being up there if things don’t work
out between the two of you. Believe me, I really hope they do. But,
if they don’t, I don’t want her feeling she has to leave
because you’re around. You know that’s what she’d
do if she were uncomfortable with it. I’m sorry, but I feel
responsible for her. It’s her home and her Gramps.”

Jack was silent a long time.

“You mad, Bro?”

“Nah, man, I get it. I’d do the same in your shoes.
It’s just… well, it’s weird to think that if she
runs back to her mouse hole when you ask her about it, we’re
going to kill the deal, right?”

“I think we’d have to, don’t you?”

“I guess so.”

“I feel bad about this, Jack, but I’d feel worse if it
ends up with us working up there and Emma leaving because of it. We’d
both hate that.”

“I know, and I’m with you. But if you force her to
decide right now, she might scare off just because she’s not
ready yet.”

“I know and I’m sorry, but do you have a better idea?’

Jack racked his brain, but he
had to admit that Pete was right. “The only thing I can come up
with right now is to get on over to her place and continue to
convince her what a great guy I am,” he laughed, “and to
somehow add in that if she decides she doesn’t want me, I’d
still be a great friend to have around.”

Pete snorted. “Sounds like your best plan. Good luck, Bro.”

Jack ran his fingers through his hair as he paced the RV. Damn. He
understood that, as Emma’s friend, Pete wanted to be sure that
he wasn’t about to hurt her by committing her to either having
to still be around Jack or leave if things didn’t work out
between them. He just hated that Pete was going to force her to think
about it, and decide about it, right now. Maybe they could wait a
while before pulling the trigger on the deal? Give him chance to
spend more time with her first? But no, Joe wanted to sell soon and
if it wasn’t to them it could well be to Armstrong – had
Pete thought about that? He would have to hope that Emma had come far
enough to think of him as a real friend whom she really wouldn’t
mind having around, even if they weren’t together. The thought
made him go cold. Even after such a short time, he couldn’t
think about the rest of his life without her in it. Maybe he should
talk to her about it tonight? Would that be fair? What could he say?

‘Hey, Baby, could you please decide now how you might
handle our breakup if we have one, and of course I’m only
asking because I don’t want one’, NO, he wasn’t
going there! But he did want her to have more time to think about it.
Not just the length of a lunch with Pete tomorrow. He dialed Pete’s
number again.

“S’up?”

“OK, I feel like a schoolgirl.”

“I don’t think that would help your case with Em,”
laughed Pete.

Jack couldn’t help but laugh with him. “Damn you,
Pete. Take this seriously, would you. My whole life is on the line
here.”

“Now you sound like a schoolgirl. Quit with the
melodramatics and tell me already.”

“Would you call Emma now and tell her why you want to talk
to her tomorrow?”

“Sure. Only reason I didn’t was that I didn’t
want to ruin you guys’ evening if it puts her in a spin.”

“I’ll risk it. See, this way she’ll have more
time to think about it. I was going to bring it up myself, but I
don’t want her to feel like I’m pressuring her. This way
if she wants to talk to me about what you’ve said she can. If
not, she won’t even mention it.”

“OK,” said Pete, “I do think it’s better
to give her more time. I’ll call her now.”

“Thanks. And Pete?”

“Yeah?”

“When you get off the phone with her, will you call me back
so I can get over there?”

Pete laughed again, “Sure thing. And when I see you tomorrow
can we whisper behind our hands and giggle together too?”

“I know, I know! It’s ridiculous, but she’s
fragile. I want to do this right and I don’t want to lose her.”

“I know, I’m sorry. It’s just so weird to see
you like this. Give me ten to talk to her. I’ll text you when
we’re done.”

Jack paced the RV again. He did feel a little ridiculous. Asking
his friend to call his girl had never been his style. But nothing
about this was his normal style. He was dealing with a woman who ran
at the slightest risk of hurt and he was in danger himself of getting
very badly hurt if she ran out on him now. His impatience grew as the
minutes ticked by. “Come on, Pete,” he muttered. This was
driving him crazy.

After fifteen of the longest minutes of his life his phone beeped.

“All yours,” said Pete’s text.

He locked up the RV and jumped in the truck.

She was in the kitchen when he arrived.

“Pizza for tonight. I hope that’s all right?”

“Wonderful, thanks, and this should go pretty well with it.”
He presented her with a bottle of Merlot. “The winery belongs
to a friend of mine up in Napa. Maybe I could take you up there to
meet him one weekend?”

Her eyes shone with pleasure. “I’d like that. I love
Napa.”

“Let’s plan on it then, shall we? Want to go in a
couple of weeks, since it’s Gramps’ birthday next
weekend?”

“Yes, let’s. It’ll be fun,” she smiled
mischievously, “We can take my car if you like?”

“Yes, Miss Douglas. The way things went yesterday, we didn’t
get to talk about your Mouse-Mobile, but you do surprise me. We could
go to Napa in it on one condition.”

“What’s that?”

“That I get to do some of the driving too.”

She laughed. “So, you don’t disapprove? Everyone else
thinks I’m nuts.”

“Disapprove? I’m envious! I almost bought one myself
when I got to LA. Do you know how hard it is to get hold of a blue
one?” He smiled, “Of course you do. You got one.”

“I do and I did,” she laughed. “If you tried
yourself then you’ll know the lengths I went to and from that
you’ll understand how badly I wanted it.”

“Believe me, if anyone understands about getting hooked on a
car, I do.”

She certainly didn’t seem to be put out by Pete’s
call. He hoped that was a good thing.

Since it was a much cooler evening they ate their pizza in the big
kitchen.

“This is wonderful.” Emma swirled her glass, enjoying
the wine.

“I’ll get you a crate when we go up there. They make a
great Cabernet Franc too.” He loved the idea of taking her away
for a weekend. Showing her his favorite haunts in Napa, showing her
off to his friends up there.

“Pete called while you were gone.”

“Here goes,” he thought. “At least she’s
going to talk to me about it.”

He didn’t say anything but raised an eyebrow, waiting for
her to continue.

“You know he’s coming for lunch tomorrow? Well, he’s
really coming to see if I’m OK with the whole Four Mile Creek
deal.”

Jack said nothing. He felt like an ass. He couldn’t bring
himself to ask questions he already knew the answers to.

She continued, “He thinks that if we mess this up, I might
leave the lake if you’re still working here.”

He nodded again, he couldn’t do this. “I know, Em. He
told me he was going to call you about it.”

“Oh.”

What did that mean? He looked at her and to his surprise she
laughed at him.

“You’re giving me the puppy dog eyes again.”

Huh? He shook his head. That one hadn’t been intentional.

“I need to know what you think?” His heart was
pounding.

She looked puzzled then, “Oh, you mean about Pete?”

“Yes, about whether us working out there is a bad idea?”

She reached across the table and took hold of his hand. “Jack,
I told him not to be so silly, of course!”

A mixture of shock and relief rushed through him. “I’m
afraid I was being the same kind of silly, Baby. I was scared of what
you might say.”

“Oh, Jack.” She squeezed his hand a little tighter. “I
know I’m a bit unpredictable, but really. Like I told Pete,
you’re a good man, it’s a good deal for you two, and for
Ben. If we don’t work out,” she shrugged her shoulders,
“this town is big enough for the both of us and I would like to
think that no matter what else happens now, we will still be friends.
My little talk with Holly the other day really opened my eyes.”

Jack made another mental note to thank Holly when he met her.

Emma gave him a little smile that melted his heart. “I may
act like a scared little girl when it comes to relationships, but
other than that I really am quite a competent, mature adult.”
Her words took him back to their first meeting with her juvenile
banter with Pete and the cool composure afterward. He’d been so
caught up in reassuring the little girl that he’d forgotten
about the strong, capable woman.

“Sorry, Em. I guess I was so invested in not scaring you off
that I got a little scared myself.”

She rose from the table and came around to sit in his lap.
Wrapping her arms around his neck, she kissed him. “It’s
OK, Jack. We’re both learning this as we go along.”

Wow, now she was reassuring him. They really were making progress.

Emma smiled at Pete as she watched him eat his Philly cheese
steak. He was savoring every mouthful as they sat out on the deck.

“You know, for all your big company and your mega millions,
you still eat like you did in the cafeteria in grade school,”
she teased.

He slowly finished chewing and swallowed deliberately before
answering.