“Have I gotten myself what?” she asked.
“Pregnant?”
There was a silence so eerie on the other end of the line, I was positive she was about to confirm my worst fear. Then she broke out in a fit of laughter.
“Pregnant! I’d actually have to be having sex to get pregnant, Landon.”
Christ Almighty, the sense of relief I felt was almost terrifying.
“Well, what in the hell was I supposed to think, Emme?”
She laughed again and said, “Just meet at my place, then we can go and pick up that expensive-ass wine you’re getting from Rachel.”
I let out a sigh of relief that the woman I was secretly in love with wasn’t pregnant with another man’s baby. “I’ll be there soon.”
“Drive carefully, Landon.”
“I will.”
I pulled into the driveway of the small house Emmerson had bought six months ago. It was a historical home a block from the main square in Clifton. She had always loved the house, and when it came on the market, she’d somehow won out on the swift bidding war that had taken place. It helped that the original owners knew our families and adored Emmerson.
“Landon, how are you doing?” Mrs. O’Conner asked as she waved her free hand at me. She held onto her large black lab with the other as she stopped walking.
“Afternoon, Mrs. O’Conner. How’s business?” I called out to her.
She gave me a thumbs up. “Thank God people like beer!”
I laughed as I headed up the sidewalk that led to Emmerson’s front porch. Mr. and Mrs. O’Conner owned O’Conner’s Irish Bar, about a two-block walk from here. I had found myself drunk there plenty of times after partaking in my fair share of Guinness.
Using my key, I let myself in, then called out Emmerson’s name as I shut the door and tossed my keys into the small dish she had sitting on a table by the front door. I smiled when a small German shorthaired pointer came running and sliding across the floor as she tried to stop. I caught her right before she collided with me.
“Hey, Peaches, how are you doing today?”
“Stop calling her Peaches, you know her name is Lady.”
I glanced up to see Emmerson standing there desperately trying not to smile but losing. She was beautiful. Her light brown hair was piled on top of her head, and those blue eyes seemed to light up the entire room.
I smirked. “I’m going to get a mutt dog and name him Tramp then.”
Emmerson’s brows shot up. “Oh my gosh, you are? Oh, Lady would love a puppy friend, wouldn’t you, girl?” She reached down and scratched the dog under her chin.
With a shake of my head and a chuckle, I replied, “No, I don’t have time to watch a puppy.”
She huffed and folded her arms over her chest. “Bullshit. You could take him to the shop with you.”
I had to pull my eyes away from her amazing breasts, focusing back on the dog. “Listen to your momma, trying to shackle me down with a dog.”
“Well, better a dog than a woman.”
I glanced up at her and frowned. What did she mean by that?
“What’s this thing you need my help with?” I asked as I grabbed a ball and rolled it across the floor for Lady to chase after.
Emmerson’s teeth dug into her bottom lip and she batted her eyes like she did whenever she needed something from me. If she only knew I would give her the world. All she had to do was ask.
Her eyes lit up as if an idea suddenly hit her. “Let me pour you a drink before I tell you.”
“Oh shit,” I mumbled. I rolled the ball across the floor once again and then followed Emmerson through her living room and into her newly remodeled kitchen. Noah and I nearly died while trying to do the electrical in here, but it was worth it to see Emmerson’s face when it was all finished. We knocked down walls and made the entire first floor an open concept, giving Emmerson the kitchen she had always dreamed of—from a large, six-burner stove that had side-by-side ovens, to the massive island in the middle of the kitchen. It was decorated in a French farmhouse style, and the gray and white cabinets looked amazing with the rustic wood beams overhead and rustic wooden range hood.
It was a baker’s dream kitchen, and Emmerson loved to bake. Even though her dream had been to be a wedding planner for as long as I could remember, she had also fallen in love with cooking. Any chance she had to make something or bake some fancy dessert, she was doing it.
Emmerson was also active on social media, as was Hailey, mostly for the businesses. I truly believed Emmerson’s ability to connect with people, both on a professional and personal level, was what helped her grow her business.
“I’m in a bit of a pickle with the charity auction for the Children’s Hospital of Austin.”
I slid onto one of the barstools at the kitchen island. Our folks had always been huge supporters of the children’s hospitals in both Austin and Dallas. So it didn’t come as a surprise that when Paislie stepped down from the auction’s planning committee after years of serving on it, Emmerson had joined and filled in for her mom. Paislie had loved being on the committee, but it had begun to take up more and more of her time—and Emmerson quickly realized that the same thing was happening to her.
“What kind of trouble?” I asked as I pushed Lady off of my legs for the sixth time.
Emmerson drew in a deep breath and exhaled. “You know how I’m on the committee for the auction?”
I nodded.
She began to chew on her thumbnail while her eyes darted everywhere around the kitchen, avoiding me at all costs.
Laughing, I said, “Just spit it out. Emme. It can’t be that bad.”
A nervous giggle slipped free as she said, “I sort of volunteered your help with the auction this year.”
Was that it? Why was she so worried over that? It wasn’t like I hadn’t ever donated to the auction before.
“That’s not a problem. What do you need? A ride around the Formula One track?”
She frowned. “Shit, why didn’t I think of that?”
“Well, with me no longer racing, I doubt any autographs will really bring in much money. A ride around the track would, though. I’ve still got some contacts there.”
“It’s not anything like that. I volunteered you for something…different, but maybe that track ride would sweeten the deal even more.” She did a quick sweep over me with her eyes—and then blushed.
I narrowed my eyes at her. “What did you sign me up for, Emme?”
She pressed her lips together tightly before she said, “They begged me to have you in it, Landon. Begged! I didn’t know what else to do.”
My stomach dropped slightly. “Have me in what?” I slowly asked, dread filling every ounce of my body.
Glancing down at the floor, she mumbled something.
I leaned in closer. “What was that?”
Her head dropped back and she groaned. “The annual charity date auction. They asked me if you would be in it, and I sorta said yes on your behalf.”
I felt my mouth fall open. “You mean, I have to go out on a date with whoever bids the highest amount?”
She forced a smile. “I mean, really, how hard could it be to go on one simple date?”