Caleb was still glaring at the canine cock blocker. “We need to have a serious discussion about the roles and responsibilities of a proper wingman.” But he softened the words with a rub of the dog’s ears. “I’m sure he can be bribed. We’ll brainstorm that at dinner.”
Dinner. Right. The date.
Without his mouth and hands to circumvent her brain, she was back to remembering all the reasons this was a bad idea. He was younger than her. She was supposed to be working on finding herself again. She was a single parent, and despite his assertion that she was one of the most competent women he knew, she was kind of a mess.
They had chemistry. She could no longer argue that. But was chemistry enough to overcome everything else? To risk one of the best friendships she had?
“Caleb—”
He leaned in and kissed her again, just a quick brush of lips to her temple. “Seriously, Em, age is just a number. Get the anti-wingman here settled, have some bonding time, pick a name. I’ll be by to get you tomorrow night at six.” And without giving her a chance to respond, he trotted down the steps and out the gate.
Emerson lifted a hand to her lips. She could still feel him, still taste him, and it didn’t seem too dramatic to say that nothing would ever be the same again.
Her phone began to ring. Really? Did he think he needed the last last word? Rattled and uncertain, she didn’t check her phone display before she answered it. “Hello?”
“Oh my God, tell me everything!” Fiona’s excited voice nearly pierced her eardrum.
In abject horror, Emerson glanced up at the security camera mounted on the corner of the house. The one pointed in this direction. Holy hell, had Fiona actually seen her turn into a mindless, shameless hussy? Mortification burned through her, molten and bright. She was not about to talk about that earth-shattering, mind-bending kiss with her daughter. There was only one alternative: Plausible deniability.
“Emerson? Are you there?”
“I…yeah. I’m here, baby. What are you talking about?”
“Don’t play coy with me. Caleb texted and said mission accomplished.”
“He did what?” Her tone was too sharp, but what the hell was he thinking? It was one thing to kiss the bejeezus out of her and scramble her brain. It was something else entirely to tell her kid about it.
“He told me about the dog. Don’t be mad. It was my idea, so he was keeping me in the loop.”
The dog. She was calling about the dog.
“Oh.”
Said dog gazed up at her with undisguised adoration, his whole butt wagging. On a silent breath, she scrubbed his ears and headed inside the house, trying to realign her brain cells to the actual conversation. “I was going to surprise you. I guess you surprised me instead.”
“Sooo! Tell me about him!”
This wasn’t Paisley. Fi wasn’t talking about the details of how Caleb’s hard body had felt against hers or how his hand had tangled in her hair as his lips laid absolute waste to her defenses, reminding her in no uncertain terms that she was a woman with long, long denied needs.
Digging through the bags he’d piled on the counter, she unearthed a box of dog biscuits and shook it. At the sound, the dog turned joyful circles, his canine grin so wide, it made her laugh. “He’s a sweetheart. Two-year-old pittie mix. Dark brown and white, with the cutest little pink and black nose.”
“Awwww.”
She opened the box. “Want a cookie?”
The dog’s trembling butt hit the ground and he looked up with the Puss In Boots eyes.
“Oh my God, those eyes. Good boy. Here you go.”
He neatly nipped the biscuit from her fingers.
“What’s his name?”
As he aimed those deadly eyes at her and lifted a paw, the perfect one came to her. “Mooch. His name is Mooch because I have a feeling that with these eyes, he’s gonna be one.”
Fiona laughed, and the sound soothed something in Emerson’s soul. Her girl was happy. That was what mattered at the end of the day.
“You’ll have to send me pictures!”
“I will. You’ll have to come meet him. Meanwhile, tell me about school.”
“Classes haven’t even started yet.”
“Humor me. How’s the dorm? How’s the roommate?”
Deciding she deserved a people cookie after the total upending of her nice, orderly life, Emerson rummaged in the pantry for her emergency stash of Oreos. Package ripped open, she began to munch as Fiona filled her in.
But she couldn’t concentrate on the animated descriptions of people living on Fi’s floor. Her brain kept drifting back to that kiss and to the dinner date he’d announced. Should she go? She wanted to. And she didn’t.
This whole situation absolutely terrified her.
What happened if she indulged in whatever this was and Caleb figured out that she wasn’t anywhere near as interesting as he thought? Things would just flame out, and then where would she be? There was no way she could sleep with a man like him and then go back to being friends.
But…hadn’t he already changed things? Could she really go back to being just buddies after that kiss? Would she ever even be able to look at him again without thinking about it?
“—home for dinner tomorrow night?”
“Tomorrow night?” When she was supposed to have a date with Caleb.
She hadn’t said yes. He’d just made the declaration. It would serve him right for being dictatorial if Fi was here when he came over. And yet, saying yes to Fiona felt like being a big, fat coward. Wasn’t she supposed to be figuring out life without her? Reminding herself of who Emerson Aldridge: Woman actually was? Right now she was still hot and bothered and confused. Surely the best way through that was to go on the date.
“I can’t tomorrow, sweetpea. There’s something I need to do. How about Tuesday? You can meet Mooch. And I’d love to see you.”
“Sounds good. You should invite Caleb.”
It was a standard request. Maybe one that should’ve concerned her before now. They were friends, all of them. Emerson knew she’d crushed on him. That had seemed normal and natural at her age. But…Fiona was in college now. What if she was looking at Caleb as more than a friend? Emerson wasn’t at all concerned that Caleb would look back, but what would it do to Fi to find out that the two of them were involved?
Were they involved?
“Emerson?”
“Huh? Oh, sorry. I was just checking the schedule. He’s on shift Tuesday night, so it’ll be just us girls.” And that would be for the best. She didn’t want to be around them both at the same time until she’d sorted through how she felt.
“Too bad. But I can’t wait to meet Mooch. Give him a kiss for me, and I’ll see you Tuesday.”
Emerson straightened from the counter and turned. “Sounds like a pl—holy shit!”
“What? Is everything okay?”
“It’s fine. I gotta call you back.”
She hung up and looked up at the dog, who sat watching her as if she was the greatest thing since bacon. From the top of the refrigerator.
“How the hell did you get up there?”
Mooch grinned.
She lifted her phone and snapped a picture. “Well, life with you definitely isn’t going to be boring.”