“Is someone meeting you, or would you like a ride into the city?” he asked. He had the most arresting gray eyes and a deep cleft in his chin. With his blond hair and rugged build, he rather resembled Alexander Skarsgard, the actor who played her favorite vampire on
True Blood.
She turned to face him, her head still inclined on the headrest. “Jared, that’s nice of you, but I’ll
get a cab. My family wanted to pick me up, but I think coming to almost any airport is cruel and unusual punishment.”
He had a devastating smile, one that lit up his whole face. She was admiring it while he answered.
“You are a woman of great decency and common sense. And you probably wouldn’t be comfortable letting a stranger take you anywhere. I don’t blame you. I wouldn’t be too happy if my sister accepted a ride with some bum she met on a plane.”
His smile made the corners of his eyes crinkle in a very sexy way, and Emily smiled back. “You don’t come across as a bum to me, and I’m a fairly good judge of character,” she said.
“At least let me accompany you to the baggage claim and make sure you get a cab. And then maybe you’ll be inclined to let me take you to lunch while we’re here in Chicago.”
Emily hesitated a moment before saying “Maybe I will.” It was noncommittal, but she said it with a smile. He was handsome and charming, but he didn’t overdo it with the charm. He had a good sense of humor, which everyone needed when flying commercial. Air travel used to be fun and fast and now it was neither, but on this flight Emily didn’t get impatient and irascible the way she usually did. By mutual agreement,
she and Jared didn’t try to hurry off the crowded plane. They enjoyed talking to each other until the plane was almost empty. He insisted on getting her carry-on bag and rolling it down the jetway with his own bag. Emily couldn’t ever recall having a man do something like that for her since her father died. He was the last man who’d treated her like a lady. Her cheeks flushed as she realized that Jared was the first man she’d ever allowed to treat her with deference, other than Todd.
Jared was a real sweet guy, Emily decided as they reached the baggage claim. The fact that the luggage from their plane hadn’t reached the carousel yet didn’t bother him in the least. To her surprise, it didn’t stress her out either, although it would have made her crazy in the past. She’d have been mentally composing the scathing letter she was going to send to the airline and growling at everyone who got within five feet of her. Now she was just enjoying talking to Jared, who made sure that they exchanged cell phone numbers. Her bags would show up eventually, and there was no point in getting bent out of shape about it. Sure enough, the bags came out and Jared again showed what a gentleman he was by hauling the large, heavy bag off the carousel. Then he made sure she got into a cab. He did everything with such aplomb and efficiency that Emily totally missed the fact
that someone had come to meet her after all. She was so engrossed with Jared that she missed Todd Wainwright completely.
E
mily raised her hand to ring Ayanna’s doorbell, but the door flew open before she could make contact. Lucie was standing in the doorway with a huge smile on her face.
“Hey, Mom,” Emily said. “Were you standing here waiting for me?”
“Yes, I was! Oh, goodness, look at you,” Lucie said as she grabbed her for a big hug. “You look just wonderful, sweetie. Come on in here,” she urged.
The cabdriver was standing behind her with her bags, much to her mother’s amusement. After he left, her mother told her that most cabdrivers wouldn’t bring the luggage to the door.
“They usually leave it on the curb,” she said dryly. “But I can see why he went out of his way for you. You dazzled him, girl.”
By now Ayanna had come into the foyer with a smile on her face. “Is that my little sister?” she said teasingly. Her smile got bigger as she got a good look at Emily. “Oh, snap! You are too fabulous, baby girl. Take off that coat and turn around so I can see your hair.”
Emily promptly executed a graceful turn, which brought applause from her family. The ladies were joined by Ayanna’s handsome and devoted husband, who took a long look at his sister-in-law and smiled broadly before giving her a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. “You are a beautiful woman, Emily. You’re lookin’ good, sis,” he said. “Let me take those bags upstairs for you.”
They went into the huge living room of the big brick house that Johnny and Ayanna had restored. The extended family lived pretty close to each other in turn-of-the-century homes that had been remodeled, restored and put into mint condition. Johnny had two sisters, one who was married to a contractor and one who was a contractor, so naturally, refurbishing was in their blood, so to speak. Ayanna’s house hadn’t needed much work, just lots of painting and furnishing. Thanks to her creative decorating, Ayanna’s home was warm and cozy, despite the big rooms and high ceilings.
“Are you hungry? We’ll be eating soon,” Lucie said.
“Something smells really good,” Emily said, sniffing the air.
“You’re in for a treat,” Lucie assured her. “Johnny decided to cook tonight.”
“That sounds great, but before I eat, I want to see my nieces. Where are Madison and Lindsey?”
Ayanna went to the doorway and beckoned her. “I was just about to get them. Come on upstairs. You won’t believe how big they are.”
Emily was truly amazed at the sight of the two-year-old twins. They still had a little of that sweet baby chubbiness, but they were much taller. They had the same golden-brown skin as Emily and Ayanna, with curly black hair and big black eyes. They even had Emily’s dimples. The little girls remembered her, calling her Auntie Emmie and giving her lots of kisses. Her throat got a little tight for some reason.
Just because I haven’t seen them in so long,
she thought as she hugged them both.
After she freshened up, she and Ayanna each took a twin and went downstairs to the dining room, where the table was already set and her nephews, Alex and Cameron, were pouring ice water and placing a big bowl of salad on the table. They’d just come home from practice for the academic Olympics for their high school and had been immediately put to work. Their eyes lit up
and Emily was bombarded with hugs. Billie Wainwright was also there with her husband, Jason, Todd’s older brother. All in all it was quite a gathering. The only ones missing were Billie’s charming sister Dakota and her husband, Nick Hunter. Dakota and Nick were at home because one of their little ones was sick, but they would see plenty of them soon. The elder Phillipses, Johnny’s parents, were in town and that meant more festivity. It was like a big extended family because all the couples were close friends as well as being in-laws, in some cases. At one time Emily felt like the odd person out in the face of all this wedded bliss, but she’d gotten past all of that because everyone made her feel welcome.
Finally, everyone was seated around the table, grace was said and dinner, which consisted of Johnny’s excellent spaghetti and his homemade bread, was served. Emily ate until she was stuffed, enjoying the laughter and easy conversation. She usually dined alone, so this much family was a welcome change. She got up to help with the dishes, but Alex and Cameron insisted that it was their job. After the delicious meal, they all went into the family room, which was actually the former basement of the house. It had been completely finished, so it was just as nice as the rest of the house. She was so busy laughing and talking and playing with her nieces that she didn’t hear the doorbell
ring, but she did recognize the deep voice that was coming toward the stairs. It was Todd, talking to Johnny, who’d opened the door for him.
“I know you said she would get here on her own, but I went to the airport to pick Emily up and she wasn’t there. She must have caught a later flight. Did she call you?” His voice was just as mellow and sexy as she remembered, and Emily was trying not to react to it.
Todd waved and gave a general hello to everyone in the room. He glanced at Emily for the briefest of seconds before turning his whole attention to Johnny, who was looking amused. Suddenly Todd’s face froze into a strange expression, and he turned back to Emily. His eyes widened and he scanned her from the top of her head to the soles of her boots and then back again. He opened his mouth to speak, closed it and then opened it again, this time speaking directly to Emily. “My God, what did you do to yourself?” It was impossible, of course, but Emily could have sworn she heard the chirping of crickets in the sudden silence that descended on the room.
Todd felt like a total fool, but he couldn’t pull his foot out of his mouth. It was too late for that, he surmised as he looked at the identical expressions on the faces of the women. Emily looked at him as though he was a stranger, one she didn’t want to get to know. It was a surreal moment, because
she looked like a stranger to him, too, but there was something all too familiar and seductive about her. Ayanna looked at him then at Emily, and he could just about tell the exact moment when she figured out the subtext of his behavior.
“Mom, can you help me get my little ladies upstairs for a nice bath?” Ayanna sounded diplomatic and neutral, but she gave Todd a definite side eye as she took Lindsey from Emily and handed her to Lucie. She put Madison on her hip and was about to leave the room when Billie said she was coming, too. Her son, Jason Jr., was almost three and was asleep on her shoulder. She tried to stand up, but Jason took the sleep-heavy toddler from her arms and helped her stand while he gave Todd a cold stare.
The exodus took almost no time. There was no one left in the family room but Johnny, Emily and Todd. Todd expelled a deep breath and prepared himself for a mean mugging from Johnny. Emily was Johnny’s sister-in-law, and Todd knew he was on thin ice right about now. Johnny was very protective of every member of his family, including his wife’s sister. But before anything could be said by Johnny or done to Todd, Ayanna called her husband, and he left the room so he could see what she needed. He did look back at Todd and point his index finger at him as if it was a pistol. Now it was just him and Emily, and he was trying to
think of something clever and conciliatory to say to her.
Emily was apparently not at a loss for words. She rose to her feet quite gracefully and stared at him with little liking as she crossed her arms under her breasts. She looked like a different person, yet she looked totally familiar at the same time. Her hair was much shorter and was really glossy and sexy-looking. He couldn’t tell if she was wearing makeup or not, but her lips were lush and inviting and her eyes were big and smoky. She smelled good, too. There was something totally compelling about her, but he couldn’t say whether or not it was a good thing. He was totally confused by her new appearance, but captivated at the same time. Something was lurking in the back of his mind, but it wasn’t surfacing. Her cell phone buzzed and she pulled it out of her pocket. She glanced at the caller ID and looked extremely pleased before she answered it.
“Hello, Jared! I’m so glad you called,” she said happily.
It was the way she pushed her thick, heavy hair out of the way to position the phone that finally clicked in his head. He had seen her at the airport, after all. He distinctly recalled seeing a tall, pretty woman who had a tall blond guy hanging all over her. The man was obviously flirting with her and she was flirting back. Todd hadn’t
recognized Emily at all. Now that all the pieces had fallen into place, Todd was furious. And he was also jealous, if he was going to be honest with himself. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. She was just babbling away on her damned cell phone as if he wasn’t even in the room. She was probably talking to the overgrown blond right now.
“Lunch sounds wonderful, Jared,” she said. “I’d love to.”
By the time she finally ended the call, Todd felt as if his head was going to blow up. Emily went right back to looking at him as if he was a very low form of life, while he tried to say something that would get him out of the giant hole he’d dug for himself.
“So how are you doing?” he asked gruffly.
Emily raised one of her newly shaped eyebrows before answering. “I’m just fine, Todd. A better question would be how
you’re
doing, because you don’t seem to be yourself tonight,” she said in a cool, calm voice he had trouble recognizing as hers. She flicked her hair behind her ear, waiting for him to answer. She looked like a gorgeous alien; an exotic feminine life-form he’d never encountered before.
“What in the hell did you do to yourself?” The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them.
Whomp, Whomp.
“You’ve lost your mind,” Emily said incredulously. “I knew you were slightly untrustworthy, inconsiderate and trampy, but I always thought you were sane. I haven’t seen you for months, and all you can do is ask me what I’ve done to myself? I was so damned homely that only major plastic surgery would improve me, is that what I’m hearing?”
“No, that’s not what I’m saying at all. You were perfect just the way you were. Why did you have to go and do all of this?” he asked, gesturing with his hand as he spoke.
“I was so perfect so you told me we’d made a big mistake and you ran out of the house so fast you left skid marks on the floor,” she said scornfully. “And now you’re—I don’t know what you are. Upset because you don’t like my new hair-style?”
“No, that’s not it. You’re taking this all wrong,” Todd replied hastily.
“You got through medical school with that brain? No wonder the health care system is in such bad shape. Let me explain something to you, Todd. When a woman has on a new outfit, or does something different to her hair, ‘what the hell did you do to yourself’ is not considered a compliment. In any culture. I don’t know why you’ve decided
to insult me, but you’re doing a bang-up job,” she said hotly.
Todd knew he’d put his foot in his mouth again, but he kept right on like an out-of-control battering ram. “I’m not trying to insult you. I’m concerned about you,” he said. It seemed like a good start to him, but Emily cut him off again.
“Really, Todd? Wow, you’re a real friend to look out for my better interests. But why are you so concerned? Are you under the impression that I’m suddenly incapable of taking care of myself?”
She looked so striking that for a moment Todd finally understood why men said ignorant things like “you’re beautiful when you’re angry.” He went the other way, though, which was just as ignorant. “I don’t think you know what you’re doing, Emily. I know you’re as smart as Einstein and you have all kinds of degrees, but I don’t think you have a lot of experience in other things,” he said. Emily’s mouth opened as he forged ahead to make his point.
“Look, I saw you at the airport with that big blond guy. He was all over you, and you don’t know him from a can of paint. He could be a serial killer for all you know, and you’re letting him hang all over you. That’s why I’m concerned,” he added piously.
If her eyes could have shot lightning, he would’ve fried from the look on her face. Suddenly
her expression changed and she got the real calm look that’s ultimately more dangerous. “His name is Jared Van Buren and he owns five restaurants, six if you count the one he’s opening in Columbia. His mother is on the board of the hospital where you work and his father is the chief of staff. I’m sure that if you want more information on Jared, Dr. Van Buren will be more than happy to supply it,” she said in the quiet voice of a woman who knows she’s got the upper hand.
“How do you know he didn’t make up all this crap?”
“Look him up on Google if you don’t believe me. I dare you.”
While they’d been arguing, they had unconsciously gotten closer to each other, and now they were close enough for Todd to reach out and pull her into his arms for a long, scorching kiss. As soon as their mouths touched he was on fire, the same blaze that had consumed him when they were together on Hilton Head. His tongue teased her soft, full lips until she yielded to him. His hands were on her waist and he pulled her even closer, but he stopped cold when his pager went off.
“I’m on call tonight.” He let go of Emily so abruptly she stumbled, but he didn’t notice. He was walking to the door with his cell phone clamped
to his ear while Emily glared at him. Todd ended the call and turned to say goodbye.
“We have a lot to talk about. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”
He was out the door before Emily could say a word.