The After of Us (Judge Me Not #4)(26)

“Hey.” She squeezes my shoulder. “About Will…”

“Yes”—I sigh—“about Will.”

“Just have fun tonight, okay? You deserve a nice dinner with a good-looking guy like him.” She sighs. “Just don’t go messing things up, like I did way back when with Chase. Play it cool, Emma. Don’t give in to that damn Gartner charm.”

“Ha, that’s easier said than done.”

“For real,” Missy agrees, blowing out a breath.

Missy has a history with Chase. Their encounter happened long before Missy married Chase’s business partner, Nick Mercurio, though. It also occurred before Chase knew Kay. Nonetheless, for a long time afterward, Missy lusted hard after Chase. Understandable, since he is really hot, just like his younger brother.

Clearing her throat, and mercifully changing the subject, Missy says, “So, those shoes really match your dress perfectly, don’t they?”

“They do,” I agree as I straighten the hem of the black lacy dress I have on. I motion for Missy to follow me into my bedroom. “Hey, come on in and talk with me while I finish my hair. The flat iron should be hot by now.”

At the doorway, Missy leans on the jamb while I get to work on straightening my naturally wavy hair.

Eyeing me curiously, she asks, “So, why did you agree to go out with Will? I mean, apart from the fact that he is a stunning specimen of man that would be hard for any woman to resist.”

I lower the flat iron to my side and come clean. “Truth is, I really like him, Missy, more than I should.” Our eyes meet in the mirror. “That’s the problem, too. I don’t want to like him.”

“Why? Is it only because he’s leaving?”

“Well, yeah, there is that. But I also think it’s screwed up he can’t commit to his daughter.”

Missy shrugs. “I don’t know how true that statement is, hon. Kay tells me Will is great with Lily.”

I resume working with the flat iron, and Missy comes in the room and sits on the edge of my bed.

After a minute, I dismally declare, “Anyone can be great with their kid when it’s only for a week.”

“It’s not just for a week, Emma. Will’s taking Lily with him to New York, right?”

I bark out a laugh. “Yeah, but not till he basically has round-the-clock daycare set up for the kid. I don’t know about you, but I sure don’t call that being committed.” Sighing, I add, “I hate to imagine what he’d be like in a relationship, seeing as even his daughter has a lower priority than his precious career path.”

In a soft voice, Missy says, “Do you think maybe you’re seeing a little too much of yourself in Lily?”

I set the iron down with a clatter. “She’s five years old, Missy!”

“And you were seven when your dad left.”

Missy’s hit a nerve, but I try to stay calm and reasonable. “Look,” I say, “I don’t deny I have abandonment issues. But this situation with Will, it’s not just that. Sometimes, he just…really…irks me.”

Missy eyes me knowingly. “That’s because you’re really into him.”

“And there it is, we’ve come full circle,” I admit with a groan.

Missy shoots me a small commiserating smile. Every woman knows that feeling of misplaced affection, the one where you pretty much have to give in, because fighting is useless.

With my hands covering my face, I mumble through my fingers, “Ugh, you’re so right. God help me, but the truth is I really do want to start something with Will.”

Yes, God help me indeed.





Will



I don’t plan to tell Chase I’m going out on a date with Emma. I suspect he wouldn’t approve of a) me going out on any date when I’m leaving in four days, and b) me going out with Emma, specifically.

Dressed casually in jeans and a navy button-down shirt, I jog down the stairs to find Chase and Kay in their living room, watching TV.

I stick my head in the room and say, “Hey, guys, I have a few errands to run in town. Can you keep an eye on Lily while I’m gone?”

They agree without questioning me, so I get the hell out of the house before they figure out I’m being less than forthcoming.

In my car—the BMW that arrived a few hours ago—I call Emma.

Still set on not calling this what it is, a date, she refuses to let me pick her up. “I’ll just meet you at the restaurant,” she tells me.

She’s stubborn, but I kind of like it.

When I arrive at the bistro, I have the hostess lead me to a quiet table in the back. Before she leaves, I ask her to let Emma know I’m here already.

When the waiter comes around for the third time, ten minutes have passed. Emma is late, so I go ahead and order a bottle of wine.

Emma arrives, finally, just as the wine shows up.

“Ooh, going all out for our non-date, I see.” She nods to the bottle.

There’s teasing in her tone, and a smile playing at her lips, so I know she’s not mad.

“I hope you like pinot grigio,” I reply.

“Love it,” she says as she sits down in the chair across from me.

Damn, she looks good. For someone who claims this isn’t a date, she sure has dressed like it is. Not that I’m complaining. In those sleek heels, her long legs seem to go on forever. I can’t help but imagine how much better they’d look wrapped around me if we were to ever—