EMMA

Sitting on Hannah’s kitchen counter in my casual after-work clothes I changed into before coming over, I glance around, bare feet swinging. “It’s still so strange to me that we don’t live together. I mean, you have a whole house now…with someone else.”

“You mean the love of my life?” she smiles while slicing a green apple for us, blonde hair in a braid. “I feel the same, though. It’s not weird having you here, but so weird that you won’t stay and just go into your bedroom, here again in the morning making a bowl of cereal like all those years.”

I take the offered apple slice from her. “Thank you. Where is Tobias?”

She tosses the core-fragments and unwanted seeds in the trash below her sink. “Training. He’s got a fight coming up. Won’t show his face in here for hours.” Crunching away, she says with her mouth half-full, “I realized earlier today that you never told me, how’d that showing go?” Chewing quickly and swallowing, she adds, “I know it takes a while to complete a sale, but did this Tanner guy seem interested? Have you heard from him since that first day?”

I peel the skin off my apple slice. “Meh.”

Pale green eyes inspect me. “Emma, you’re the worst liar I’ve ever met, except for Zoe.”

Hating that everyone thinks I’m so damn nice, I challenge her, “Oh really? I successfully lied to my dad yesterday and he didn’t know it.”

“Was this on the phone?” she shoots back.

Frowning, I straighten up. “Yeah, why?”

“Because it’s your eyes not your voice that gives it away. If we can see your face, any of us can tell you’re lying.” She points at me. “Windows to the soul, and yours aren’t capable of dishonesty.”

“Thank God,” I mutter before taking a bite.

I’m not going to tell her about how one showing turned into twenty-two, why I lied, that amazing kiss I can’t stop thinking about, or how I finagled another meeting with Tanner after Cora told me their ties had been cut. I’m going to keep it all to myself until more is revealed and I know what’s going on.

Hannah opens the fridge and pours us some water, slicing fresh cucumbers into it while describing a new restaurant that’s opened up. How she and Tobias made out in the locked bathroom stall. “We were going to do more but someone knocked and shouted at us. Still, it was so fun, Emm. I hope we always sneak sexy moments in public places,” she wistfully smiles, so in love.

“I met a guy.”

Her head swings to me. “You did?!”

“Well, he’s not a guy. Too sophisticated. Probably over forty.”

Hannah’s eyebrows twitch. She mulls it over since she and I are nearly the same age. She’s the oldest cousin, I’m second in line. “Early or late forties?”

“Early, but with salt and pepper hair.”

“Okay.”

“Very rich.”

“Go on.”

“Dad ordered me to stay away from him.”

My cousin’s hip rests against the counter as her head tilts, eyes flashing, “Excuse me, but how did Uncle Jake meet this new man of yours, and I’m only now hearing about him? What the fuck, Emm? I’ve been spending a lot of time with Tobias,” she motions between our bodies, “but we’re still us!”

“No no no! I haven’t introduced him to my parents, are you crazy?”

She eyes me. “Now I’m really confused.”

While we make some potato chips, the apple, and every drop of water in our glasses disappear, I tell her the details I can remember.

Which is all of them.

Hannah asks a lot of normal questions to keep up and when I’m done she stares off, tugging on her braid in a considering way.

“Wow, this is dangerous, Emm.”

“I know.”

“Your dad is going to flip.”

“He can’t ever find out.”

“Cora’s going to be furious when she discovers you stole a client from her. I mean, I’m all for it because she has been a total nightmare to you.” Hannah opens the fridge to refill our glasses. “Doesn’t respect you at all! But it’s flirting with chaos to go about it this way.”

“I’m not stealing him! Rachel ordered her to drop him, and I’m sure she didn’t want to lose that sale. And this way I still get to do what I want.”

Hannah lifts her glass and I lift mine. We share a conspiratorial smile and tap them together. “Naughty Emma. Never saw this side of you before.”

I bite my tongue and remind myself what I’d forgotten. There are some things I’ve never told Hannah. For example, she doesn’t know about Andy.

Cleaning up our mess she casually asks, “When do you see him again? I mean, wait, let me correct myself. When do you show the first client of your very own his next enormous mansion? Just the two of you? Alone with plenty of walls to fuck against.”

I jump off the counter. “Stop it! You’re not making this crush any easier.”

“Crush?” she teases. “Already a crush?”

Changing the subject I announce, “I’m going to split the commission with Cora, by the way. That way she can’t be too upset, I imagine. Plus, it’s only fair since it was hers to begin with. Or maybe I’ll give it all to her and use this as a way to impress her, in hopes she’ll give me more prospectives like this. She only dropped him because Rachel made her! She’ll probably thank me!”

As we drop to the patio furniture in her pretty backyard, she smirks, not allowing me to divert her. “Crush, come on! More like an infatuation. You should see your face! This is you: Oh I’m just doing this to help Cora, the bitch who verbally abuses me every damn day. That’s all! You want this guy bad!”

I wince and mutter, “He’s incredibly sexy. For a jerk. But that doesn’t matter! I’m not going to mess this opportunity up. I’ll keep things professional.”

“Bullshit!” she snorts, pale eyes catching in the waning light. “There is nothing professional about this decision. Opportunistic maybe, but not for work!”

I smile, “Stop!”

Hers fades. “Seriously though, I’m keeping you in reality. Sorry Emm, but you’re messing with fire which means someone will get burned. Do you think it will be him? He sounds like a seasoned ladies man. Be careful.”

We go silent, sipping our water, her staring at me, me at the grass to avoid her.

After it becomes too awkward I meet her eyes. “Everyone has to get their heart broken at least once, right?”

Slowly she shakes her head with love-filled compassion. “Oh, Emma, poor thing, you are already signed up.”