EMMA

After Mass ends, a stream of people pour outside the church’s iron doors to enjoy donuts and conversation. Aside from the singing and the silent prayers this is my favorite part. Everyone is in a good mood, which always feels nice. Plus it gives me a chance to connect with my cousins, Zoe, Samantha and Lexi. Nate and Hunter always take off right after, to who knows where, but I bet they’ll have to do confession for it.

As the sunlight hits our faces, Zoe takes my hand, green eyes dancing. “You excited you’re about to be an auntie?”

I call over to Samantha as she goes to buy us donuts, “Just the chocolate bar for me.”

“Got it!” she waves, straight blonde hair whipping around as she joins her redheaded sister, Lexi.

Zoe is single-minded about this. “You didn’t answer me! Ethan is the first of all the Cocker cousins to have a child! You’re so lucky you’ll have a niece already. I don’t think my brothers will ever have babies, and if they do, I will steal them.” She grins while I laugh. “But Ethan is going to be a wonderful dad! Charlie will be such a cool mom, too, don’t you think?”

I nod, “Hannah and I are becoming closer to Charlie and she’s such a good woman. So powerful it’s scary, until you get to know her.”

Baby-struck, Zoe stares off wistfully. “And they’re having a little girl! I can’t wait to meet her and hold her and then run off with her!”

Checking my outfit for wrinkles I smile, “My brother might kill you if you tried. He’s obsessed with being a dad.”

“Did you go to Gabriel’s concert?”

On a grimace I admit, “No. I guess you didn’t either?”

“I was designing the most beautiful floral arrangement, and taking pictures of it for my future portfolio. Completely lost track of time. Plus, you know me. Loud music makes me nervous. But I know Elijah wasn’t in town either. Did Hannah go, at least?”

“I’m not sure, to tell you the truth.”

“But you guys are best friends!”

Frowning at the ground I remind her, “She’s got a new best friend now, Zoe.”

My young cousin blinks at me like it’s not possible. “Tobias is her man. You’ll always be her best friend!”

Biting my bottom lip a second I wonder if I should pop the bubble Zoe lives in. She’s so damn optimistic all the time. It’s like talking to a fairy. “Maybe you’re right.”

“Of course I am! Your life doesn’t change when you find the one you love.” Her smile is sweet yet final, as if the problem never existed in the first place.

Samantha and Lexi return with warm donuts that normally make me drool. But the truth is I haven’t been able to eat since I got the call scheduling more time with Tanner.

I should be viewing this as a huge sale and a chance to show Cora what I’m made of. These other feelings are not professional or appropriate in the slightest. Had the sexiest dreams of my life last night. It’s so close to our meeting time now, since I went to twelve o’clock Mass today and it’s only an hour and a half, that my stomach won’t stop fluttering, knowing soon I will be alone with him again.

Pushing a lock of red hair behind her ear, Lexi takes a bite of jelly donut and moans. With white powder stuck to her lip, she asks, “Not hungry, Emma?” Samantha licks her thumb and smudges the sugar off her big sister. Lexi takes another bite of donut, this time leaving more on her face on purpose. “Better?”

Sam laughs, “Oh, yeah, that’s perfect.”

I take advantage of their distraction to bow out of the party and the question regarding my lost appetite. “Have some houses to show this afternoon, so I have to go. Here, take my chocolate bar.” Samantha snatches it, so much like her father, Uncle Jason, while Zoe and Lexi look at me like I’ve lost my mind. “What? It’s just a donut.”

The three of them exclaim at once, “Just a donut?!”

With a shrug I hurry away and check my phone. It’s only one-forty-five. An hour to go. What to do with all that time? But I couldn’t hang out with my younger cousins a second longer. They were a couple of heartbeats away from playing detectives and I don’t have this mystery solved yet, either. I don’t want them digging around my psyche until I know why Tanner is all I can think about.

Okay, now I’m in my car and...

I have nowhere to be for an hour.

Dammit.

Ethan’s mansion is near the one I’m showing today and Charlie will be home on a Sunday, so I could go rub her big ol’ belly. Ask her how she’s hanging in there. Last time we talked she was grouchy as hell.

Or I could see Hannah, instead. I don’t have time for both stops, but they do live next to each other now, so…

I’ll just do that.

Makes sense.

Do de do de do.

Okay, why am I ducking my head and driving by their homes this slowly?

Because…I’m a terrible liar.

Ethan would ambush me if he knew I was headed to a man Dad warned me never to be alone with. This is what they get for being so protective—me sneaking behind their backs.

This is totally their fault.

I’m just going to go to the vacant mansion and hang out there. I can read a book on my phone and pass the time, make it seem like I arrived early so I could be prepared.

Wait, why is his silver Maserati parked out front? We have almost an hour until our scheduled time. What is Tanner doing here?

Parking quickly I jump out of the car and glance inside his. It’s empty so I hurry up the long path and up the steps to find the door cracked open a little. I push on it and am about to call inside but stop myself.

I’m worried he tried to see the house before I got here so he would spend as little time with me as possible.

Struggling to stay calm I briskly walk through the house and listen for footsteps other than my own, but it’s silent, despite hardwood floors. In the kitchen I cast a quick glance out back and stop, heart skipping.

Tanner is seated on a stone bench under a live oak, grey Spanish moss floating in the breeze above. He has one foot up, the other laid comfortably on the grass, and his suit has been replaced with tan slacks and a white button up, sleeves rolled to the middle of his forearms. He’s reading a paperback book and from the looks of it, it’s not the first time he’s disappeared into its pages.

I glance down to check how I look, glad I wore this flowing, spaghetti-strapped, full-length sundress today. I took a chance, but I know coral looks great against my skin and I wanted to be as…professional as possible.

Setting my bag on the counter I walk outside with care so as not to startle him. But that’s very hard to avoid when someone’s lost in a novel and think they’re alone.

“Hello,” I quietly call over.

He jumps and drops the book, hastily picking it up and dusting off the pages as he stammers, “I didn’t hear you arrive.”

“I see that. What are you reading?”

Holding it up he announces, “Outsystem by M.D. Cooper. Ever read it?”

“Sci-fi?”

“Yep,” he stands up and looks even more handsome as the sun traces his thick waves of salt and pepper hair. “I’m a trekkie. The early stuff, from when my dad was a kid. Star Trek Next Generation, not the really old one.”

Is he trying to make himself seem younger?

“I’m more of a supernatural lover. And romance. I love romance.”

Rolling his eyes in a friendly way, Tanner groans, “Of course you do.”

Grinning I cross my arms, “What’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing,” he shrugs, clearly lying.

“You rolled your eyes! I saw you!”

With a lopsided smile he closes his book, dog-earing the page to keep his place. Off my expression he holds his hand up, deep voice warning me. “It’s my book, I’ll bend the pages if I want to bend the pages. God, between you and my sister,” he grumbles, tucking it under his arm.

“You have a sister? What’s her name?”

“You don’t want to hear about my personal life.”

He couldn’t be more wrong.

I shrug in an effort not to scare him off. “Tell me anyway.”

He considers it a moment. “Another time perhaps. Let’s see this house. It looks promising.”

I failed to crack the seal of this enigmatic man, and it’s challenging to hide my disappointment. Turning to head inside I confess, “I figured you’d have explored it already, since you’re so early.”

“I needed your expertise for the inside scoop, Little Emma, so I waited.”

My shoulders bristle at the nickname and our eyes lock. “I’m a full grown woman, Mr. Hamilton.”

Laughter dances behind his stormy eyes. “Whatever you say.”

Annoyed I throw my fists on my hips, “Don’t placate me. I am a full grown woman!”

He cocks an eyebrow. “Are you going to stamp your feet when you say that the third time?”

I stare at him a beat, and crack up, despite my best efforts to stay severe. “I hadn’t planned on it, but I should!”

“Can’t wait to watch your breasts bounce when you do.”

My eyes widen. “Any other client and I’d…” I trail off as he flashes a genuine smile. “Oh,” I mutter. “I already slapped you.”

“You did. Pretty strong hit, too, if I recall. Want to try again?”

My head tips as I wonder aloud, “Did it turn you on when I did that?”

“A little,” he shrugs. “But I’m not into that kind of thing normally.”

“A woman putting you in your place?”

That same free laugh bursts out from him as it did the other day. I don’t think I’d ever tire of the sound. He walks past me to be the first to open the mansion’s back door, holding it for me to enter first. “You’re very refreshing, Emma. I haven’t laughed this much in years.”

Frowning I head inside but stop inches away from him, regarding him with open puzzlement. “You’ve laughed twice, Mr. Hamilton. That’s not a lot.”

His eyes darken as he acknowledges how sad that sounds. “It’s a lot for me.”

I surprise us both by hugging him. He doesn’t respond or hug me back. His arms are tense and L-shaped at our sides like he doesn’t know what to do. I hug him tighter and whisper, “You need to laugh more. Everybody needs laughter.”

I walk into the kitchen, pick up my bag and begin the tour.