A reason to stay, p.12
A Reason to Stay, page 12
“I can tell,” Emma murmured with a kind smile. “You definitely seem at peace here. And I know what you mean about Sharpe. You couldn’t ask for a better friend. He’s helped Aidan and me in so many ways since we’ve come to town.”
“Really?” David threw back his head and laughed. “I wonder how you managed that?” he asked, verbally poking at his friend. “No—I take that back. I think I can figure it out.”
David’s green eyes were gleaming with mischief.
Don’t you even, Sharpe thought, though he didn’t speak what he was thinking. If David started teasing him, Sharpe was afraid he was going to be slinking out of the kitchen in thorough mortification.
Thankfully, David didn’t follow through with the thoughts clearly going through his head, although he did continue to look between Sharpe and Emma with a knowing smile on his face.
“Did Sharpe tell you about the pumpkin catapult he and Aidan made? He said he’s been looking for the perfect way to add his own special touch to Winslow’s Woodlands, and that was it. I’m sure you’d probably love hurling and smashing pumpkins as much as the rest of the male population around here seems to. You should come over sometime and try it.”
“His special touch, huh?” David said, raising a blond eyebrow. “I thought that was only supposed to happen once a Winslow tied the knot. Is there something you two aren’t telling me?” He grinned and looked directly at Emma’s left hand.
Emma’s gaze widened, and Sharpe swallowed hard around the lump in his throat. “It was all Aidan,” Sharpe protested when he could finally form words. “He came up with the idea, planned it out on paper and built it all himself.”
“And somehow that’s supposed to convince me there’s nothing special going on here?” David said with a laugh.
Emma was now gaping, not at David, but at Sharpe, her expression clearly expecting him to somehow talk his way out of this mess.
“Emma and Aidan are returning to LA just after Thanksgiving.”
“Yes,” Emma said, looking relieved. “I have to get back to work at the marketing agency,” Emma continued. “I’ve used up all my paid time off and family leave just to take care of things here.”
“I see. Well, that’s good, I guess,” David said, although he sounded questionable about the subject.
Sharpe was feeling the same way. He wasn’t relieved that Emma was going. Quite the opposite. But he had no idea how to convince her she had any reason to stay.
Chapter Nine
Seeing David at his sheep farm had been another eye-opening experience for Emma, not only because the way he’d worked his sheep with the border collies had been nothing short of amazing, but because she’d gotten to see the special relationship between Sharpe and his best friend. She was so grateful God had rescued David from his time on the streets. How awful that must have been for him.
More than that, though, was the feeling she’d had during the time she and Sharpe had visited David that there was more to her relationship with him than mere friendship. She’d been physically attracted to Sharpe since the moment she’d met him, even when she’d only seen him as a surly, intimidating cowboy, but now that she knew what he was really like, that heart of gold he tried so hard to hide, she cared for him even more.
She had no idea if he felt the same way toward her, but what difference did it make when she was leaving in two weeks?
Her heart plummeted.
Was it awful that she was grieving more over having to leave Whispering Pines, the Winslow family and most especially Sharpe than she had over the deaths of her parents?
Did that make her a bad person—that she enjoyed living with and caring for her nan, who would never admit she needed any help?
And what about Aidan? He loved it here. He’d gone from a sullen city boy to a carefree country kid in just a matter of weeks. How would he react to living again in a small, claustrophobic city apartment where they couldn’t have a yard, much less a dog? She had the feeling he was going to hate his new life almost as much as she disliked thinking about what her future was going to look like.
But what if it could be different? Was there any way she could change their future?
It gave her pause to think and pray.
This evening she was casually dressed in jeans and a white knit Aran sweater. Her calf-high boots had heels, but only an inch high, and they were block heels, so it was easy for her to walk in the couple of inches of fresh snow that covered the ground. For some reason known only to Nan, she had insisted they walk the short distance down the main street to get to Sally’s Pizza, even though she had to use a walker to do so.
“The weather is perfect for walking tonight,” she’d said.
Emma knew never to argue with Nan when she had her mind set on something.
It probably had something to do with Gramps, but she wasn’t going to push the subject and spoil Nan’s fun. She’d really come alive lately, and Emma was thrilled for her.
All the Winslows were meeting at Sally’s Pizza for open mic night, where Frost would be performing, and they’d invited Nan, Aidan and Emma to hear him play. The Winslow clan took up most of the restaurant just between all the siblings and their families.
As soon as she entered with Nan, Sharpe’s gramps appeared to whisk her away into a far corner, where he’d reserved a table so they’d have some privacy. Those two lovebirds put everyone else to shame, and there was no shortage of teasing from the bantering Winslow family.
Moments later, she saw Sharpe waving her over to a table close to the platform where Frost would be performing.
“Can I go play in the arcade?” Aidan asked, pulling on the fabric of Emma’s sleeve. He was referring to the old-fashioned game room on the opposite side of Sally’s Pizza.
“Sure. Come back when you get hungry, okay? Pepperoni, right?”
“Yep. And extra cheese,” he exclaimed, then headed back toward the arcade with money he’d earned himself working for Sharpe.
“Wow. It’s already noisy in here,” she said, sliding into the booth opposite Sharpe. “We’re right next to the platform, and it’s still going to be hard to hear Frost play.”
“They’ve got a good speaker system,” he assured her. “It’s always noisy when my family is around. It doesn’t matter where we are—we’ll increase the volume tenfold. And it’s not even the kids making all the racket.” He gestured toward Jake, who was howling with laughter over something Avery had said.
“What do you and Aidan want to eat?” Sharpe asked. “I’m buying.”
“You don’t have to do that,” she said, her face heating.
His smile made his eyes gleam in the low lighting. “I know I don’t have to. I want to. Now, what’s your and Aidan’s favorite kind of pizza?”
“Aidan likes pepperoni with extra cheese. I’ll have a go at the salad bar.”
“We’re at a pizza joint and you’re eating salad? Don’t even tell me you’re on a diet, because you definitely don’t need to be.” He smiled at her.
“No, no diet,” she assured him. “And I absolutely like pizza. I’m just feeling like a salad tonight, and that salad bar looks fresh and full of goodies.”
“It is. Sally stocks it with the best.”
“Great, then. I’m sold. What are you getting?”
“Everything and the Kitchen Sink, minus anchovies,” he answered.
She laughed.
“No, really. That’s what the pizza is called. Everything and the Kitchen Sink.”
“That’s clever.”
“That’s Sally.”
Speaking of Sally, she appeared just then at their table, taking their food and drink orders. “I saw Nan and Gramps over there,” she said with a hoot of laughter. “Looks to me like they’re giving you two a run for your money.”
“I’m sorry—what?” asked Emma, confused.
Sharpe groaned and hid his face in his hand. “Don’t ask.”
“Don’t bother denying it, Sharpe Michael Winslow.” Sally wagged a finger at him. “I’ve known you since you were knee-high to a grasshopper, and I’ve never seen a smile like the one that plastered all over your face the moment Emma walked in the door.”
Emma felt embarrassed to be caught out this way, but she had to laugh at how Sharpe looked as if he wanted to hide under the table.
“Maybe if you say it a little louder, everyone in the whole restaurant will hear,” Sharpe complained. Emma noticed he didn’t try to deny his feelings, only throw Sally’s words back at her.
“Honey, everyone here already knows. Your secret is out. The only ones who are pulling the wool over your eyes are the two of you.”
She playfully swatted him on the head with her order pad, then made her way back to the kitchen, where her husband did the cooking.
Emma practically gawked after her.
Sharpe laid his palms flat on the table and stared down at them. His face was flaming a bright red. “Well,” he said, and then took a breath. “That just happened.”
“It bothers you that much to be seen with me?” she teased.
“Yes… No! I was afraid she was embarrassing you when she implied that we were a couple.”
“It doesn’t bother me,” she admitted in such a low voice she wasn’t sure if he’d hear her or not. And she wasn’t about to repeat herself. It had taken all her gumption to say the words once.
“Really?” He looked up and caught her gaze, his own glinting in the low overhead lighting. “You don’t care if…” He swallowed so hard his Adam’s apple bobbed. “…if everyone thinks we’re together?”
“As long as it doesn’t bother you, I don’t see where the state of our relationship is anyone’s business but ours.”
That said, they’d never discussed any kind of a relationship between them, so it wasn’t even their business.
Yet.
Butterflies took flight in her stomach as she continued to meet Sharpe’s beautiful blue-eyed gaze. She waited for him to say something, to indicate whether or not anything was happening between them, but he said nothing, and after a moment his gaze dropped back to his hands on the tabletop.
She took the out he was giving her and grabbed her salad plate. “I’m going to visit the salad bar. I’ll be back in a moment.”
Sally’s salad bar really was well stocked with a variety of items, and by the time Emma returned to the table, the moment with Sharpe had most definitely passed. Frost was now onstage, playing soft acoustic guitar in the background. Sally had returned with their sodas and pizzas, and Aidan had slipped into the booth next to Sharpe.
“What did you do in the arcade?” Sharpe asked, grabbing a slice of pizza and taking a large bite.
“They have some really cool old-school pinball machines in there,” Aidan exclaimed before taking a big bite of his own pizza. What was with guys cramming as much food into their mouths at a time as they could? Chewing with his mouth full, he said, “I’m a pinball wizard. I even made the siren and the red light on top go off.”
“Wow. That’s impressive,” Emma said, pouring blue cheese dressing onto her lettuce. “I’ve never been any good at pinball. I always hit the buttons a second too late. I do the same thing when I try to hit the ball in softball. I miss every time.”
“I’ll have to teach you how to do it right,” Sharpe said. “It’s all in the technique and the timing. You’ll be a pro on the church softball team before you know it.”
Emma stared at him, trying to decide if there was an underlying message to what he was saying or if he was just making small talk. Church softball was played in the spring, wasn’t it? And they’d be long gone by then…
Unless they wouldn’t be.
She was so confused. Was he saying he wanted her to stay?
And what would she do if she did? Try to find a job that would give her enough money for Nan, Aidan and her to live on, save for the future, and provide all the benefits they needed?
For a moment she allowed her mind to think about her dream of opening a business of her own. She’d intended to keep saving toward being a business owner for another five to ten years, but that was all before Aidan had come into her life. She owed it to her brother to do what was best for him, though she wasn’t even sure what that was, exactly. Even if she had the money to open a business, what could she do in a small mountain town like Whispering Pines? What did a town like this even need that it didn’t already have?
*
The three of them kept up small talk while they ate, although it was mostly Aidan chattering about this and that. Emma appeared oddly inattentive to the conversation, staring off into space and often looking lost in thought. Sometimes he had to repeat questions to her, and her answers were brusque or only one word.
Had Sally’s teasing gotten to her? Was she only being kind in saying it didn’t bother her that some of the people here thought they might be a couple?
If it bothered her, then it definitely bothered him, because more and more, he was beginning to feel as if that was something they ought to pursue. It was hardly practical, since she was leaving, and long-distance relationships rarely worked out well. Even if she visited her nan once in a while, it wouldn’t be enough.
Was there some way he could convince her to stay in town? He really didn’t have a lot up his sleeve to tempt her with. For all the good he saw in mountain living, he knew it wasn’t for everyone, and although Emma had relaxed and become more casual over the past few weeks, she’d arrived here as a fashionable city girl, and he knew that was in her blood.
“Who’s in the mood for dessert? I’m thinking of taking a trip to the ice cream parlor,” came Gramps’s gravelly voice as he and Emma’s nan approached the table. “And before you answer, I’m only asking those who are under five feet tall here.”
Sharpe raised his eyebrows. He was clearly being cut, and Emma was at least five-two, which left her out.
“It’s a good thing I filled up on my salad, then, isn’t it?” Emma asked with amusement. She didn’t look taken aback at all. “I couldn’t eat another bite.”
“I’m still hungry, especially for ice cream,” Aidan said enthusiastically. “And you guys aren’t supposed to come with us, anyway. Gramps and Nan are taking me, and you have to walk Emma back to Nan’s house, Sharpe.”
“Shh!” Nan said, holding her forefinger over her smiling lips. “Don’t give our plan away to them.”
“Your what?” Sharpe demanded.
“Nothing, nothing,” Nan insisted. “Now, we’re going to take the boy out for ice cream, and you two are going to walk back to my house. Slowly. Meander may be the word I’m looking for. Give yourselves plenty of time to talk.”
“Talk about what?” Sharpe asked. Nan had given them pretty clear directions up to this point. She might as well finish by giving them the entire script she expected them to follow.
“Son, if you can’t figure that part out, you’re more hopeless than I thought,” Gramps said with a snort. “Use that noggin of yours.”
“Never mind your noggin,” Emma’s nan said, shaking her head. She put her palm on Sharpe’s chest, over his heart. “Think from here.”
Sharpe chuckled—until he noticed how wide-eyed Emma looked. Stunned, like the proverbial deer caught in headlights.
Not good.
“I have my truck here,” he said, trying to reassure her. “I know it’s a little chilly outside. I’ll be happy to drive you back to your nan’s, if you want.”
“You will absolutely not do that,” Gramps said. “If Natalie and I can brave the weather, so can the two of you.”
“I don’t mind walking,” Emma said.
That was apparently good enough for Gramps and Nan. They took off with Aidan bouncing between them, leaving Sharpe and Emma to walk home alone.
“Well, what do you think?” he asked as he wrapped her coat around her.
“About what?” she asked, zipping her puffer jacket and adjusting the hood around her head before pulling on her white knit gloves.
“About being set up. No question that was what just happened.”
“No question whatsoever. You’d have to be blind not to notice. Although I do wonder why they thought they needed to do that.”
“Because as they said, they’re hoping I’ll do something smart for once in my life—like maybe ask you out on a real date?”
“Could be. Clearly, we’re moving too slow for them,” Emma replied. “Which really doesn’t make sense, because at this point, dating would be moving too fast, since I’m leaving in two weeks. Wouldn’t you think?”
“Everybody has an opinion,” Sharpe said with a groan. “But I gotta say, feeling as if I’m not keeping up with my eighty-year-old grandfather does make me feel a bit like I’m losing a game of chess.”
“I never understood the game of chess,” she said. “Or softball. So I may take you up on your offer to teach me sometime.”
“Really?” His heart skipped a beat. “You’d let me teach you?”
“Depends on how good you are.”
They waved to the family, and he held the door for her as they made their way outside. There was a definite nip to the air, but it wasn’t too chilly. Still, as he gestured her down the street, he moved to the outside of the sidewalk and wrapped his arm around her shoulders to offer what warmth he had.
They were quiet for a minute while Sharpe tried to figure out how to ask what his heart was burning to know.
“So…are you trying to tell me you’ve considered staying in Whispering Pines?” he finally asked, holding his breath as he waited for her answer.
She stopped and turned to him, her hand on his waist. He wrapped his other arm around her, so they were standing face-to-face.
“The short answer is yes. I’ve considered it. I’m still considering it. As far as Aidan is concerned, I know he would be all for staying here in town and growing up a country boy. And my nan would like us to stay close by. Those are on the pro list, among other things.”
