Everything about Emily was warm and open tonight, from the expression on her face all the way to the neckline on her dress, which was giving him the most amazing peek of cleavage. That could all change on a dime after she heard what he was about to tell her. She could close down, get angry. Possibly leave.

There was no choice for it, because he liked this woman, and he wouldn’t continue trying to pursue her while being dishonest. He took pride in his years of service, past and current. It was one of the few things he was proud of, and he couldn’t imagine being with a woman that didn’t share that pride. So this was it.

He looked into her eyes.

“I like you, Emily.”

Her teeth bit into her bottom lip and her eyes darted toward the center of the room. It could mean many things. She was nervous, uncomfortable . . . she didn’t feel the same. Either way, he needed to get this out.

“I wanted to see you tonight just to see if there was anything between us beyond the physical.”

She nodded, and began to fiddle with a shiny bracelet on her wrist, but Reeve would not allow her obvious hesitance to dissuade him.

“However.” He paused and her eyes flashed to his. “I need to be completely honest with you. I am a military guy and I know . . . well, I know you had a problem with that.”

He waited for her reaction, surprised when there wasn’t really a change in her expression. “I know.”

“You know?” How, was the only thing running through his mind.

“That morning your mother called. You walked to the bathroom and—”

“My tattoo.” How had he forgotten about that?

She gave a weak smile.

“Damn.” Reeve leaned back against the booth and blew out a breath. “Is that why you left?”

“Yes. That was childish of me. I should have at least said something to you, but . . .”

“No, what should have happened was that I should have just told you from the beginning. But I have to admit, I really wanted to get you home.” He grinned, relieved when she laughed. God, it felt good to get this all out into the open.

“Yeah, we might not be here right now if you’d been honest that first night.” She made an odd face after that comment. Something he couldn’t quite decipher.

“So you knew that day, and yet you drunk texted me last Saturday.”

She let out a little groan and looked up at the ceiling. “I wasn’t that drunk.”

“Even better. You did it knowing and willingly.”

“Okay, I was drunk enough to alter my ability to make wise choices, but sober enough to know that I was making them.”

“I’m glad you did. It was killing me that I couldn’t track your ass down.”

A server came by and took their drink order. Reeve stared at Emily as she ordered her strawberry bruschetta—which he had his doubts about, and he chose a couple of other small plates for them to share.

“So you’re a marine?” she asked when they were alone again.

“Sort of. I enlisted the minute I turned eighteen. Served for ten years, deployed six times.”

“Wow. That’s quite a sacrifice.”

He shrugged. “It was good for me. Tough, but good. Once my time was up I didn’t know what to do with myself. I’d been overseas off and on for my entire adult life. Coming back, trying to become a civilian . . . it’s difficult.”

“How?” She seemed genuinely interested.

“Well, first of all it’s a completely different way of life. You can be a witness to some crazy shit in the military. Watch your friends die or lose limbs. You see horrible things, sometimes you even do horrible things. It’s easy to develop some pretty serious issues. Depression, guilt, nightmares. Overall I’m pretty lucky but . . . shit, I’m sorry.” He looked up at her, noticing her wide concerned eyes. “I didn’t mean to get so deep.”

“No, please. My stepfather, he shows no weakness when it comes to his service. It’s kind of nice to see a marine be . . . real. Vulnerable.”

He stared at her, nodded. “When you’re deployed, you’re constantly surrounded by men—and women—that get it. They’re living the same life you are. Same stress, same fears, same routine. You have missions and responsibilities. At night you go to sleep surrounded by your unit so then when you come back home and everyone scatters around the country and you’re alone . . . well, that can be tough. Especially when you don’t have a family to come home to. It’s lonely. I didn’t think it would be, but it is.”

“You have your mother, right? She called the other day.”

“I have a mother, yes, but that’s not necessarily the same thing as having somewhere to go.” Especially in his case. He’d done whatever he could to get out of his mother’s home and he’d had no interest in ever moving back in. Reeve assumed his response would invite her to ask him uncomfortable questions, but thankfully she didn’t.

“No, it’s not.”

“So anyway, yeah, leaving active duty is difficult. I was home awhile, working with a friend from high school. Then another friend—a fellow marine—told me he was joining the Army National Guard. At first I thought, no way am I joining the fucking army.” He laughed, thinking to himself. “Marines can be a little arrogant. I’m sure living with a general, you know that.”

She smiled. “You have no idea.”

“I bet. After I thought about it awhile, talked to some people, I decided it might be a good idea to join. I don’t regret it. I can still live a civilian life, work, have time off, and yet still be part of a team. Feel like I’m part of something. Plus, the extra money and benefits are nice.”

“So you’re now in the army?”

“Part-time Guard, but yeah. I have drills over in Fort Riley once a month and then two weeks’ training during the summer.”

“Is that common, for a marine to join the army?”

He laughed. “I got some shit for it, that’s for sure. Like I said, we marines like to think we are the most badass of all the military—which we are, by the way—but I’m not the only one in the Guard. There are several other guys who are marines. It’s fine.”

She appeared contemplative, twirling her bracelet. Their server set down their drinks and Reeve watched as Emily smiled and thanked her. He enjoyed watching her when she didn’t realize it. Had ever since that first night when she’d stuffed her phone down her dress. Emily was one of those women who were effortlessly beautiful. The way she moved, talked, carried herself: It was all classy and feminine.

As soon as they were alone again he reached out and grabbed her hand. “So tell me exactly why you had that no-military-guy rule.”

She twisted her lips, staring at their joined hands. “Well, obviously it’s because of my stepfather. Brigadier General Strickland.”

Reeve nearly bristled just thinking about it. He didn’t have a whole lot of experience with officers that high ranking, but he knew a lot of them were rather unpleasant people. Then again, many of his superiors had been really good men. Most, in fact. Yeah they could all have their moments—it was the marines for Christ’s sake—but he’d seen some of them interact with their wives and children, and they’d softened instantly. Apparently this guy wasn’t one of those. Reeve was sorry for that, for Emily’s sake.

“What’s he like?”

Her laugh was bitter. “Even thinking about him makes me angry. Let’s just say he’s a male chauvinist asshole that for years I assumed must have drugged my mother in order to convince her to marry him.”

“Wow. That sucks.” He wouldn’t press her for more, now. But he hated the thought that this asshole might have hurt her physically.

She shrugged. “I’m over it. Mostly.”

He smiled and squeezed her hand. “Your real dad no longer around?”

“He died when I was nine.”

“I’m sorry, that had to be hard.”

“It was. He was a good guy. Not perfect, but good. Kind. He always wanted the best for me, told me I could do and be anything I wanted.” She cleared her throat and pulled her hand from his. “Tell me about your family.”

He took a drink and then a deep breath, trying to decide what to share.

“Not a lot to tell. My mother lives here in Manhattan. She’s a little . . . eccentric.” He huffed out a laugh, knowing how odd that had to have sounded. But how did you tell someone that your mother lived between piles of trash and hadn’t seen her entire bed in five years? And that he’d had to live that way through most of his childhood. Had slept sharing a couch with boxfuls of junk all through high school. You didn’t say those things, was the correct answer. He skipped over to something much easier to admit. “My father left us when I was about twelve.”

“Oh, my . . . I’m sorry.” Emily’s eyes were wide, and for a moment he was almost certain she was going to reach for his hand again. She didn’t, instead gripped her glass.

Reeve shrugged. “I heard from him a few times in high school, saw him twice, but not since I was about seventeen. Honestly, I don’t even know if he’s aware I joined the marines. Doesn’t matter, really.”

“Of course it does. I’m sure if he knew he’d be proud.”

“He might.” Reeve cleared his throat. “That conversation took a depressing turn, right?”

They smiled at each other and quieted when the food was delivered. Thank goodness for strawberry bruschetta, because Emily’s face lit up with delight when she spotted it.

“You really love that stuff, don’t you?”

“I really do. Try it.”

“Okay, but you have to eat some of these sliders.” He placed a little burger on a plate and handed it to her.

“I have no problem with that. You also know we can’t leave here without chocolate chip cookies.”

“Really. I’ve never had them here.”

“Oh my goodness, seriously? Your employee over there is holding out on you. They’re the best.”

“Then I guess we’ll have some.”

They tried all of the food and he had to admit, the strawberry stuff wasn’t something he would have ever chosen on his own, but it was tasty. Though not nearly as good as watching Emily eat it. She didn’t hold back, didn’t try to be cute or girlie as she ate the Kobe slider.

“Okay, those little burgers are really, really, good,” she said. “We have to order some more.”

Reeve laughed and signaled the server. They continued to eat, talk, and drink for another hour. He’d known from the first night that he was attracted to her, and then sleeping together cemented the fact that they were compatible, at least in that regard. He’d liked her, knew that, but after this he just wanted more. More of her laugh, her voice, her body. More time together. However, he was afraid if they just ended up back in bed tonight, it would send her an unintended message. He wanted this to turn into something beyond that. This was no longer about just sex, and he wanted her on the same page.

“So tell me about your job,” he said when their plates were cleared.

“Oh . . . well.” She was back to fiddling with her bracelet. Odd, considering they’d now talked about everything from first kisses to basic training. “I, uh . . . have a job at the LAM corporate office.”

His head jerked back. “You’re kidding. My crew and I just spent nearly two weeks doing a landscaping job there.”

“Oh really? How funny. If only I’d known.” She smiled.

“Did you not ever notice the work going on outside on the patio?”

She shrugged. “I might have seen some commotion, but I’m usually kind of in my own world there.” She put her hands parallel to her eyes and motioned. “Tunnel vision at work. But I did hear the patio looks really nice.”

“Thanks, yeah, I’m really happy with how it all turned out. There’s this big willow tree out there. I guess it’s special to the owner, a memorial. Anyway, I still feel like the tree should have come out. Still a chance it will need to eventually, but hopefully everything works out.”

“Huh, yeah I’m sure everything will be fine.”

A thought occurred to Reeve and he suddenly felt panicked. He quickly debated if he should say anything and decided that since he’d already basically laid all his cards on the table, he might as well not stop now. “This is really awkward, but do you know Natalie Jones?”

Her eyebrows went up and she looked . . . startled. “I do . . . yes. We aren’t close friends or anything.”

“This is a little weird to mention here, but she hired my company to do some landscaping at her house. She actually asked me out yesterday.” He looked into her eyes, trying to decipher her thoughts on that. “I said no. I don’t know why I’m telling you this.”

He laughed, feeling like a complete idiot. There was probably no way she’d find that out in a company so large.

“What made you say no? Natalie’s very pretty.”

“She is. Yes. But I, uh . . . I just knew that it didn’t feel right. Especially after you drunk texted me.” Emily rolled her eyes, her blush traveling across her cheeks. Reeve continued. “I just knew that what I really wanted was to spend time with you. Only you.”

Their server laid the check down and Reeve’s eyes went up when he saw Emily’s hand go for it. He reached out and swiped it before she could get a grip.

“Seriously?” he asked. “Do you really think I would let you pay for this?”

“Sorry, habit I guess. I’m a little rusty at dating.”

Reeve smiled. “Then that means we need to do it again, get you back in the saddle. I’m ready to be your stallion.”

She let out the prettiest laugh. “That was horrible. So horrible.”

“It was, I’ve had too much strawberry toast,” he said, laying some cash on the table.

Emily shook her head. “You loved the strawberry toast.”

“Ha, I knew I could get you to call it that.”

Her mouth dropped open and she faked indignation, but there was no threat behind her expression. Damn, he really liked this woman. She was everything: gorgeous, smart, and sweet. Most of the time. But that little bit of spice was what made it all the perfect challenge.

“When can you go out with me again?”

“Oh, I don’t know. When would you like me to?”

“How about next weekend? We can take my bike out to Milford Lake. Bring some lunch with us.”

The happiness on her face was all the answer he needed, but her reply was the icing on the cake. “That sounds perfect.”

“You ready, then?” he asked, nodding toward the door.

“Sure.”

He took her hand and led her back through the restaurant, waving to John and then finally heading out the front door. The sun had set and the air was growing muggy. The moon was shrouded by low-hanging clouds, and even in the dark of evening he could tell that rain threatened.

They made their way back down the sidewalk, and as they rounded the corner toward the parking lot, Emily turned to face him.

“We completely forgot chocolate chip cookies.”

“Aw, we did.” Reeve stopped and grabbed her hand. “Want to go back?”

“Oh no. It’s fine. I’m really not even hungry at all. Maybe next time.”

He liked that she’d said that, next time. He should plan on picking some up to go with their picnic next weekend. He’d could ask John to bring some to work on Friday.

They continued walking and just as they hit the parking lot it began to sprinkle the lightest bit.

“Oh gosh,” Emily said, picking up her pace.

She had on another pair of those heels that did ridiculously amazing things for her legs, the sight of which did ridiculously inappropriate things to his midsection. One thing was certain, though. Tonight he was not having sex with her. That’s all they’d done, and all they’d been. A sexual relationship—which, damn, had been so good. But he wanted her to know how serious he was about her. Because he was, even more now than he’d been several hours ago.

When they reached her car she pulled her keys out of her purse and he heard the locks click open. She turned to face him, a small smile teasing her lips. “Thank you so much for tonight. This was really nice.”

He wanted to say that it was much more than nice. Wanted to tell her that this was just the beginning, but he didn’t. Instead he let go of her hand and slid his around her waist, pulling her into him before covering the fullness of her red lips with his.

She instantly reciprocated, her mouth warm and pliant as she sipped at his bottom lip. He loved the way her hands went to his neck and pulled him closer, as if she couldn’t get enough. That was exactly how he wanted her to feel, needy.

Emily’s mouth opened in invitation and he didn’t hesitate to slip his tongue inside, sliding it against hers slowly. She tasted like whiskey sour, tangy strawberries, and the fresh rain that was falling on her face. They kissed for a long moment, savoring each other. He wanted more, so much more, but he lifted his hand to brush her cheek and forced himself to pull his mouth away from hers.

She looked up at him, her eyes lit by the reflection of the rain on the cars surrounding them. “You are stunningly beautiful, Emily.”

He could feel the warmth of her breath on his lips and he was dying to kiss her again, but he didn’t.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

Reeve chuckled as the rain began to increase. “You better get in your car before you’re soaked. Can I call you this week?”

“Yes.”

He ran his knuckles once more down her damp cheek. “Talk to you soon, Whip.”

* * *

Emily was now officially the living, breathing epitome of pining desperation, because at some point she’d become obsessed with Reeve. It was Wednesday, and she sat at her desk staring out the window. All she could think about was her dinner with him Saturday night.

This was it. The reason why she’d avoided men for so long, because not only did they have the potential to be heartbreaking assholes, they cast a spell on you. Distracted you from your work, made you think about them constantly, and made you wish for silly things.

She didn’t have time for that and hadn’t thought herself truly capable of falling for that claptrap. Thousands of employees counted on her, money was on the line, and yet here she sat, wishing one man would just call her like he damn well said he would. Didn’t that mean before seventy-two hours has passed, at least? She did not know the rules of dating, but surely if you were into someone, you called them before half the workweek was over. She felt like this entire relationship had been a series of ups and downs. Passion and then waiting. Agonizing.

With a sigh, Emily laid down her phone and went back to her email. Summer was just around the corner, the company’s busy season. In addition, they rolled out their new Luxury Experience theaters at five houses on Tuesday and the new independent film line the following week. She had way too many things to be thinking about right now to spend this kind of time having a pity party.

She called Daniel’s desk.

“Hello, Emily. Did you get the email I forwarded you regarding—”

“I did get it, Daniel. Thank you. Would you please call Dave and let him know our entire itinerary for next week’s travel? And please note there will be four of us total.”

“I actually finalized those plans with Dave on Thursday last week,” he said.

“Oh, well thank you. Looks like you’re ahead of the game. I appreciate it, Daniel.”

“That’s my job, Ms. Phillips.”

They disconnected and Emily instantly felt irritated with herself. Her head was way out of the game and that was not normal. On that note, she went to the third-floor kitchen and got herself a cup of coffee and some junk food, then forced herself to put her nose to the grindstone for a few hours. It was almost three when she checked her phone again. Still no call.

Standing up from her desk, she walked over to the window and gazed down at the beautiful new patio. A few people sat at one of the tables, obviously having a small meeting. She recognized a couple of faces from her human resources department.

She sucked in a cleansing breath and focused on the present. Then another. Finally she smiled, loving that feeling she got when she stopped to think about how this was all hers.

When she’d gotten the shocking news of her grandfather’s heart attack it had been such a mix of emotions. Devastation, because he had been one of her favorite people on earth and it had hurt to lose the one man left in the world who loved her. Fear, because now a multimillion-dollar business was hers to run, improve, and carry on. But after the initial trauma and grief had subsided, there had also been an undercurrent of excitement, because she knew without a doubt that she could take over the business and make it thrive.

That was exactly what she’d done. She knew that if her dad and grandfather could see her now, they’d be proud. It was their memories that helped her get through the long days, hard decisions, and incredible stress that came with the position.

Staring at her father’s willow outside, she thought about how Reeve mentioned it would still have to come down in due time. He’d informed Daniel and Natalie that willows could be invasive and didn’t have a terribly long life compared with other trees. He knew that, but he had chosen to try to keep it for his client. Reeve was a good guy. He’d started out as her trying fantasy on for size but had turned into something else. She wasn’t sure what the ending would be, and maybe it would all backfire, but it just didn’t feel right to continue lying to him.

Emily was proud of her work, her job, and her accomplishments. She’d been beyond hesitant about him being in the military, but as she’d listened to him talk about his experience, and seen the look of pride on his face . . . she’d changed her mind. Would he be the same? If a man wasn’t capable of dealing with her position and wealth, she’d be better off knowing now than later. And if she continued to conceal the truth, when he finally found out, he would feel betrayed. She knew that.

Suddenly she felt that if she didn’t tell him right away, she wouldn’t be able to stand it. Pulling out her phone, she texted him. So much for waiting on a man. That wasn’t her style anyway.

EMILY: Hi. Any way we could get together for a little bit tonight? Get a drink or something?

She waited a few moments. Then ten. After twenty she plopped back down at her desk. It was still work hours and he was no doubt busy. When her phone dinged an hour later she snatched it off her desk.

REEVE: Of course. Is something wrong?

Emily sighed. How intuitive he was. She reread her initial text, realizing that had he sent her the same one under the circumstances she might have assumed the same. So how did she respond now without making things seem awkward or being too forward? Deciding that since they’d already spent the night together, forward wasn’t a big deal, she opted for that.

EMILY: Nothing’s wrong, just wanted to see you.

REEVE: Like hearing that. Want me to come to you?

Shit. She could have him over, and that would certainly send a message. But she’d really like to have this conversation on common ground, and since they’d already been to his house so many times, it seemed the best place.

EMILY: Or I could just come to you. My place is kind of a mess.

She added a winky face just because it felt right.

REEVE: Okay. Sure. How about 6?

EMILY: See you then.

Leaning back in her chair, Emily swallowed. She would tell him what she did for a living tonight, and then they would go from there.

* * *

Emily left the office at five thirty, hating how even this late the air was still muggy, sending her hair into uncontrollable waves around her forehead. Luckily she’d worn a light-teal dress and nude flats so the rising temperature wasn’t too uncomfortable, but clearly summer was on its way.

Instead of heading right over to Reeve’s, an idea formed in her mind and twenty minutes later she walked out of Bourbon and Baker with half a dozen giant cookies. Back in her car, her phone dinged with a text.

REEVE: You there yet? I’m so sorry but we had a small issue here on-site and I’m going to be about forty-five minutes late. If you’re at my place the garage code is 8324. Be home soon.

Whoa. She knew he liked her, but was shocked that they were at the point of him just allowing her to go into his place alone. But she had to admit, she kind of liked it. Heading to his house, she pulled up to find a middle-aged woman sitting on his front steps.

“Shit.” Emily muttered to herself. The woman had spotted her parking at the curb and began heading in her direction. Grabbing her purse and the cookies, Emily got out.

“Hello,” she said to the woman now crossing the yard. She appeared to be in her fifties, with dark hair that was matted around her head as if she’d been sitting out in this hot weather for too long. She wore khaki shorts and a floral top and her fingers were covered in rings. Her smile was sweet, but Emily noticed immediately that her eyes were red and puffy. She’d been crying.

“Are you Reeve’s girlfriend?” the woman asked, wiping at her face.

“No, no. I’m just . . . a friend of his.” Emily stepped into the yard, and the woman stuck out her hand.

“I’m Alice Miller, Reeve’s mother.”

“Alice, hello. It’s so nice to meet you. I’m Emily.”

“He’s not home and I’ve been trying to reach his cell phone for an hour.”

An hour, huh? Considering Emily had just heard from him on his cell phone about ten minutes ago, it was obvious that he was avoiding his mother’s calls. For some reason, Emily also wasn’t comfortable assuming he’d be okay with them both waiting on him in his house. She didn’t know about his relationship with his mother, but he had made a couple of odd comments in regard to this woman. Emily didn’t want to overstep her bounds so she decided to play dumb. “Oh shoot, he’s not home? I’m sure he’s had a busy day. Maybe he just hasn’t checked the phone.”

Alice’s expression was overcome with worry. “He ignores my calls sometimes. But today I really need to get ahold of him.”

Great. Emily wasn’t sure how to respond to that, but she worried that maybe something really was wrong. Obviously it was or Alice wouldn’t be here crying.

“Well, how about I try calling him?” Emily asked. She reached into her purse and retrieved her cell.

After dialing she gave his mother a hopeful smile as she listened to the ringing on the other end of the line. After his voicemail clicked on, announcing that he was Reeve Miller with Big Blue Landscaping and that he couldn’t take her call, she just hung up without leaving a message. Obviously he was too busy at this point.

“I’m sorry, he didn’t pick up. Is there something wrong? Anything I can do?”

“Oh no. I mean, yes, but, I just really need Reeve.”

“Okay, I understand.” Emily wasn’t sure what to say, especially since Reeve’s mother still stood there, arms crossed, sweat dripping as she chewed at her pinkie nail. “Well . . . hopefully he’ll get back to you soon.”

“Are you close with him?”

Emily froze, perplexed by such odd questions. “We haven’t known each other long. Can you tell me what you need help with?”

Alice looked torn, her face wrinkled with indecision. “My air conditioner is acting up and, well, I haven’t seen Mr. Boo in a few days. I’m starting to get worried.”

“Mr. Boo?” Emily asked, confused.

“My cat.”

“Oh, okay. Did he possibly escape the house? Maybe I can help you look for him.”

“Oh no, I’m certain he’s in there. He never leaves.”

“Have you tried putting food in his bowl? He’s bound to come out sooner or later if he’s hiding.”

Alice’s lip began to wobble. “Reeve really should have just let me keep Clarice. Mr. Boo has never been so happy, not since Plain Jane left, and Reeve is always taking them all away. I kept trying to tell him, but all he wants to do is break my heart.”

Emily stood there, in absolute shock. She knew who Plain Jane was, but this . . . this was beyond strange. She had no idea how to respond to that. “Alice, I’m so sorry. He should be here soon.”

Alice headed for the sidewalk. “I have to get home. If Mr. Boo comes out and I’m not there it will upset him.”

Glancing around the yard, Emily noticed there were no other vehicles. “Do you live close?” she called after the retreating woman.

“No, my neighbor Janet dropped me off here on her way to work,” Alice said over her shoulder.

Emily followed after her. “Why don’t I give you a ride home? It’s awfully hot out here. Too hot to walk.”

Reeve’s mother stopped and looked up at her. “Reeve will get upset. He’s always mad, you know? Always yelling at me. Every time I do anything wrong he tells me it’s my fault and I should have known better.”

Emily was stunned at that. Alice was describing a man that Emily had never met, and didn’t want to. This woman was his mother so who was she to question her . . . and yet something just wasn’t right. Emily wondered if the woman had some sort of mental problem. Or maybe she was having a heatstroke. Either way she couldn’t just let her walk home, no sane person would. She was distraught and sweaty. What if something happened to her? Then she’d have to explain to Reeve that she’d allowed it.

“Well, I don’t think he’ll be upset if I just drive you home.”

“You’re wrong. He’ll be mad.”

“Alice, it’s too hot out here to walk very far. Is there somewhere else I can take you?”

“No. I need to be home.”

“Then come with me. It won’t take long.”

Reluctantly Alice started back toward the house and followed Emily to her car. As soon as they were seated inside, she noticed that Alice smelled faintly of body odor. Emily asked where she lived, which was indeed on the other side of town. As they drove, Alice went on and on about Mr. Boo and Clarice, to the point that Emily tuned it all out. When they pulled in front of the house, Alice quickly hopped out of the car.

“Thank you, Emily.” Then she closed the door and was rushing toward the house. It was an older home, run-down, but the yard was mowed and the front step had a flower pot on it full of petunias. She watched as Alice struggled at the front door for a moment then pushed it open just enough to squeeze through and slam it shut. All the windows were shuttered, even the ones on the garage door.

Emily stared over her steering wheel, trying to work out exactly what the hell had just happened. Something about leaving his mother here didn’t feel right at all. She’d mentioned her air conditioner not working. Emily glanced at the temperature gauge on her dash. It was eighty-three degrees, which meant it had to be near a hundred in a home without air. She probably should have just made Alice wait inside Reeve’s house. What had she been thinking?

With a sigh, Emily opened her car door and made her way to the front door. When she reached the steps, a faint odor of rot and possibly . . . animal greeted her. She knocked.

“Alice? It’s Emily, I don’t know what I was thinking. It has to be hot in there, why don’t you just come back to Reeve’s house with me. He should be home soon.”

When no one answered, Emily knocked again. She put her ear to the door. “Alice? Everything okay?”

She pulled her cell from her pocket and called Reeve again. This time when she got his voicemail, she left a message. “Hey, Reeve, it’s Emily. This is kind of strange, but your mother was at your place. She needed you to help her find her cat. I brought her home, but her air conditioner’s not working and now she’s not answering the door. Anyway, if you get this, call me. I don’t know what to do. Sorry.”

Emily put her hand on the doorknob, hesitated, and then tried to turn it gently. It was locked. “Alice, I’m not sure what I did to upset you but please open the door. I’m getting a little worried. I called Reeve and left a message for you.”

She heard a shuffle on the other side of the door.

“Alice, please let me help you.” She waited, now knowing with certainty that Reeve’s mother could hear her.

She waited for a moment and then stepped away from the door. Why was she trying so hard? Obviously the woman didn’t want her to come in, and it wasn’t as if she were a helpless child. If she got too hot, she could come outside.

Just as she was about to step off the concrete, the front door creaked open. When Emily turned back, the door was open just a few inches, enough for Alice to peek out.

Emily smiled, trying to look helpful and genuine. Which she was, but this was all so odd. “Hi. Why don’t you let me drive you back to Reeve’s? We can wait for him together.”

“I can’t leave again until I find Mr. Boo.”

“Okay. Why don’t I come in and help you?” Although something in the back of her mind was telling her that going through that door was not a good idea.

“Reeve will be mad, but he should know better. He never helps me even though he knows I need it.”

Emily still had a hard time believing that. Something was off about Alice—and yet for some reason Emily felt compelled to help her. Maybe because she was Reeve’s mother. “Well then, why don’t you let me help you?”

“I’ve not been feeling well lately, ever since the air-conditioning broke, so the house is a little messy.

“That’s okay, I understand. My house is usually a mess, too.”

Alice stared at her a moment, clearly deciding if she could trust Emily. Finally, the door opened slowly, and Emily stepped inside.

She froze. Immediately she realized that despite her good intentions, she’d just lied to Reeve’s mother. The truth was, this was something she could never, ever, ever understand. What she was seeing . . . it took her breath away.

The living room—or so she assumed—was piled high with . . . everything. Boxes, magazines, bags from the grocery store filled with cans, unopened packages from the mail and home shopping channels. One entire corner appeared to be stacks of clothing as tall as Emily herself. Those were topped with more paper bags, full of Lord knew what. There was a pathway cleared that led down a hallway and another toward what appeared to be a dining area, but the table was either not there or no longer visible.

The worst part was the heat. It was stifling, and that combined with the stench made Emily’s stomach want to heave. She took another step into the mess, and the overwhelming sense of sadness that washed over her would’ve brought her to her knees if she’d been willing to touch anything on the floor. She wasn’t.

She turned to Alice who was eyeing her warily, probably waiting for her negative reaction. Emily forced herself not to let that happen. She remained all business, giving nothing of her horror away.

“So, Mr. Boo is in here somewhere?” Emily asked, proud of the level tone of her voice, since it was taking a great deal of effort not to gag.

Alice nodded and visibly relaxed a little. When was the last time she’d had someone inside? Surely this kind of living condition was illegal or something.

“How long since you’ve seen him?” Emily knew her voice wavered. Her breath was becoming labored.

Alice stepped over a large pile of DVDs, careful not to knock anything out of place, almost as if it needed to stay in a perfect stack. “Since Sunday.”

Sunday? That was four days. With this heat and mess, Emily was afraid poor Mr. Boo might be partly what she was smelling. “Alice. If you don’t mind telling me, how long has the air conditioner been broken?”

“Mmm, probably since last September.”

Emily sucked in a breath. Alice needed a lot of help, probably more than Emily or her son could give her, and it went way beyond the missing cat. Right now, many of Reeve’s comments and actions were beginning to make a lot of sense.

Oh, Reeve.

The thought of him made her sad. He was such a proud and honest man, and she knew without a doubt that Alice was right. He would not be happy when he found out she had come here.