“Oxygen deprivation causing hallucinations would be my guess,” Em said, her throat tightening at the thought that what she’d shared with Brad wasn’t real.
“You might not want to say that to Jenny and Charlotte,” Bri said. “Or to my sister and grandmother for that matter.”
“Share what? I never said I saw Brad or talked to him. Charlotte and Gus did.” She wanted to throw her Pop-Tart across the room. In her panic, she’d said too much. “Before you say anything, I know Gus can’t talk. Charlotte said Gus saw Brad, and he was sad.”
She needed to stop talking. Charlotte hadn’t referred to the ghost as Brad. The front door opened, and Em was glad for the distraction. Gus trotted in wearing a Highland Falls football jersey with Josh following behind in a black Highland Falls golf shirt that showed off his tattoo sleeves.
“Froot Loops and Pop-Tarts, the breakfast of champions.” Josh reached for her half-eaten Pop-Tart. “Do you know how many additives are in this thing? It’s not food.”
“Hands off my Pop-Tart.”
Josh raised his hands. “You’ll have to elevate your palate, Freckles. Neil is a foodie.”
“And why do I care that this Neil person is a foodie?”
“Because Neil is your date. If Cal gives you the all clear, he’ll pick you up Friday at eight.”
Chapter Eight
Instead of giving him the third degree about her date like Josh expected her to, Em pulled Gus in for a hug. The way she was holding on to the dog, you’d think she hadn’t seen him in a month and that he was her best friend in the world. Neither of which was true. It was weird, but a good weird. It looked like Em was finally bonding with the dog she’d inherited from her fiancé.
“Why is Gus wearing a Highland Falls football jersey?” Em asked, releasing the goldendoodle after one last squeeze.
“He’s our new mascot, aren’t you, boy?” Josh rubbed Gus’s head, snagging the piece of Pop-Tart Em offered the dog. They both looked at him.
“No junk food.” Josh tossed the pastry onto the plate. “It’s as bad for him as it is for you. But you’re an adult and not on my team. Gus is on my team and has to run drills. Before you say anything, he loves it, and the guys love him. He was a hit.”
“He looks happier than when he left,” Bri said, leaning in to give Gus a hug. The dog put his paws on her shoulders, hugging her back. As Josh knew, Gus gave great hugs.
Bri straightened. “So tell us more about Em’s date. Do we know him?”
“Em might.”
Em frowned. “How would I know him? Did I arrest him?”
Josh laughed, shaking his head. “Only you would ask that. He’s Gwen’s brother-in-law. Your coworker,” he said when she stared at him.
“I know who Gwen is, which is why I’m looking at you like you’ve lost your mind. What were you thinking, Josh? I can’t date a coworker’s family member. I won’t get a moment’s peace. That’s all Gwen will want to talk about, and not only her, Todd too.”
“Gwen and Todd are too busy with their own love lives to worry about yours.”
“You have met Gwen and Todd, right?”
Thinking she might have a point, he pulled out his phone. “I’ll text Neil and ask him to keep it on the downlow.”
Em’s phone pinged, and she looked at the screen and then up at him with her lips pressed in a flat line. “It’s too late.” She turned the screen, showing him a text from Gwen. It read BEST NEWS EVER!! CALL ME NOW! followed by a screenful of smiley-faced emojis with heart eyes.
“Maybe she has other news she wants to share with you,” Josh said lamely.
Em’s phone pinged again, and she held it up without looking at the screen. “I’ll bet you a hundred bucks it’s from Todd, and it’s a meme of some guy dancing and screaming ‘Best news ever!’”
“I’ll take your bet and raise you twenty.”
“Really? It’s not from—” She looked at the screen and scowled at him.
“What? You said a meme of some guy dancing and screaming ‘Best news ever!’”
“He made a video of himself dancing, and he’s holding up a sign that reads About damn time!!”
“Technically, I’m right so I win the bet, but whatever. Gwen probably told Todd. They’re like two desks away from each other, aren’t they? No one else will care.” And then his phone pinged and so did Bri’s, making a liar out of him. Cal wanted the 411 on Neil, reminding Josh he’d promised to run Em’s prospective dates by him first.
And at the rate Bri’s phone kept pinging, the Sisterhood had heard the news.
Which Em had obviously figured out because she said, “That’s it, the date’s off. I’ll get a hobby instead.”
Josh winced. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think you going on a date would rate this kind of attention. But, Em, Neil’s a great guy. I’m sure you’ll have a better time with him than you would if you took up baking or cooking.”
“Baking or cooking? That’s work, not a hobby.”
“Fine. Neil will be more fun than knitting or painting or sitting at home binge-watching Stranger Things.”
“Binge-watching Stranger Things is fun.”
“You need to get a life, Em,” he teased, expecting her to cut him down with a one-liner.
Instead, she got a serious look on her face and reached for Gus. “I know I do.”
Now he felt bad for teasing her. He was always on the wrong foot with Em.
“I hate to say this but it might be easier for you to go on the date than it would be to cancel it at this point,” Bri said.
“How do you figure that?”
“Well, for one, Gwen will be disappointed and try and change your mind. Todd too. Then there’s Neil, who might think he’s the reason you canceled. Not to mention everyone else will want to know why you did, and now that it’s out there that you’re open to dating, they’ll probably try setting you up too.”
Em glared at him. “Are you happy? You’ve ruined my life. I’ll never get a moment’s peace.”
“Hey, it wasn’t my idea. You’re the one who asked me to set you up.”
There was a knock on the front door. “If that’s someone wanting to talk about me dating Neil, tell them I moved,” Em muttered, pushing back her chair.
Bri glanced at her phone. “I’m pretty sure it’s Jenny and Charlotte.” She got up from the table. “Josh, would you mind taking Em for a walk?”
“I’m not a dog or a toddler. I can take a walk on my own, thank you very much.”
“I’d feel better if someone went with you in case you had a dizzy spell or felt faint,” Bri said. “Your blood pressure was a little low yesterday.”
“I can guarantee that’s no longer the case,” Em grumbled.
“I wouldn’t mind checking out the Seaton place if you’re up for it, Em. I overheard a few members of my team talking about it in the locker room. It sounded like they were making plans to go to Seaton House this weekend.”