She gives an unflattering huff. “Oh yeah. Highlight of my day. Love having my blood pressure spike. It’s such an aphrodisiac.”
“Glad to be of service.” I raise one brow and move closer to her. Emerson’s eyes widen and she takes a step back. I move around her to take a seat, uninvited, on her sofa. There are several soft pillows at my back and I sink into them.
“What are you doing now?” Emerson folds her arms over her chest and the fuzzy sweater molds to her upper body. She tilts her head.
“Relax.” I glance around. “So, your sister lives with you?”
“Yeah. Why?”
I shrug. “Just didn’t know that. I’m realizing I don’t know a lot about you.”
“Listen,” she says. “I bailed you out. You helped me with the car stuff. We’re even. You don’t have to pretend you’re interested.”
“Why do you have such a problem with me?”
Emerson unfolds her arms and places them on her hips. “I don’t have one.”
“Then sit down and talk to me. Unless I make you nervous for some reason.”
“God, you’re full of yourself.” She takes a seat across from me. “I can...well...um, visit for a few minutes and then you have to go.”
She does in fact look a little antsy. I stretch my legs out and fold my hands behind my head, searching for something to get our conversation headed in a better and less antagonistic direction. All I can think of is the whole stripping thing and how it doesn’t make sense with her. Think of something else.
Asking about that will definitely get me booted out of her apartment. Maybe literally by the look of those killer boots she’s wearing.
“Have a rough day?” I finally say, giving it that neutral chit-chat tone.
“Really? You want to know?” Her mouth quirks. “As a matter of fact, I did. I worked at the health club this morning, went to my classes—”
“You work another job?” I should have let her finish, but she keeps surprising me.
She glances away from me uncomfortably. “Well, yeah. You guys pay me plenty, but it’s not enough to cover my bills. A girl’s gotta eat.”
“We need to give you a raise.” I’m serious when I say this. Emerson keeps me from worrying about doing much around the house. She does some of our laundry, vacuums and dusts, makes our grocery list. Where else would I find someone who does all that she does? Add in the fact that she only works one day a week. Now that I think about it, I’m ashamed that we’ve depended on her for this much and haven’t compensated her more.
Emerson crosses one leg over the other and swings her booted foot. She tilts her head. “You can talk about a raise with Jordy and Collin. But tell them that it’s your idea, because I didn’t ask for it. I’m thankful for the job.”
I lean forward to put my elbows on my knees. “I’m really sorry about that whole firing thing. I should never have said that either.”
“I didn’t think you meant it. But I don’t need the stress of you threatening me either. Now that I’m back in college, I need every dime. I have some debts to pay off. That’s why I worked at Earle’s in the first place. Do you have any idea what I made in one night there?”
“You can forget about Earle’s. You’re not going back. No. Way.” My mouth tightens at the thought.
She narrows her eyes at me. ”You are so bossy.”
“Well, you’re irreplaceable. We need you.”
“You better say that,” she answers. “Or else I’m taking all the important stuff in your house hostage.”
“I bet. And then I’ll be forced to hold you hostage until you divulge the locations of my necessities.” The thought has a lot of merit. I like sitting here with her in this quiet room. The reading lamp beside her chair lights her pretty face. Dark hair, blue eyes that glitter, high cheekbones.
For several months, I’ve been very busy not looking at Emerson.
“Oh, I know more hiding places in that house than you can imagine. You guys think it’s only a place to sleep, but I know all its secrets.” One sly corner of her mouth quirks up. She’s wearing crimson-colored lipstick. Fresh lipstick.
“Are you going somewhere?”
“Oh, um, in half an hour.” She glances at a silver clock on the wall. “You said you brought me a check?”
I examine her without moving to get my wallet out. She’s wearing jewelry and the cashmere sweater that makes her look soft and sexy and she has not answered me about where she’s going. My something’s-not-right-here Spidey sense kicks in. “Want to grab a bite to eat?” I ask casually.
“I can’t.” That’s all she says before pressing her lips together as if she’s afraid she’ll say more.
“Your boyfriend wouldn’t like that?”
She stares at me with her mouth forming a tiny, thoughtful rosebud. Finally, she shakes her head. “No, it’s just that I’m going out.”
“On a date?”
“I don’t think that’s any of your business.”
“With the boyfriend? What’s his name?”
“Again, none of your business.” Her eyebrows crinkle with a cute, confused look.
“You do have a boyfriend, right? That’s what you said the other day.”
She examines the toe of her boot, swinging her foot to and fro. “I wasn’t exactly...truthful.”
“Oh yeah?” I love watching the embarrassment wash over her face as one corner of her mouth lifts. “Any reason you weren’t straight with me the other day?”
She straightens and looks at the clock. “I lied. Okay? It’s one of those things that’s really nobody’s business. But I am meeting somebody for coffee tonight, and I’ve got to go. Are you giving me the check or not?”
“Coffee, huh?” I get my wallet out and remove the check. “Thanks for bailing me out. I owe you.”
“No problem,” she says with a shrug. She stands and moves to close the distance between us.
I get to my feet and place the check in her outstretched hand. “Have dinner with me. Tomorrow night. As a thank you for bailing me out.”
“Babysitting.”
“Wednesday night?” I take a step forward and catch a whiff of her perfume.
“I have a paper to write.”
“Thursday.” She can have coffee with some guy but not dinner with me?
“Still writing the paper.”
“You’re saying no because of my stripper comment. How am I going to redeem myself from that?”
“Dylan.” She folds her arms under her breasts. Her sweater falls, baring one shoulder in an alluring invitation.
My mouth goes dry as my gaze lingers on her smooth skin then moves down the graceful line of her throat to her collarbone. I force my gaze back to her face. “You know you want to.”
“I really don’t have time. And you tried to fire me when you were in a bad mood the other day. What’s going to happen when you and I don’t get along on a date? I’ll be out of a job.”
“One dinner.”
“No,” she says stubbornly. “Absolutely not. You and I? Worst idea ever.” She shakes her head.