him?” he questioned.
“Again, none of your business.”
“We’re just worried about you, Emma. You don’t understand how some men are,” Jeannette interjected.
You condescending bitch. “Enough!” Emma snapped.
“No, I don’t think it is. Do you know anything about this guy? About his family? Is he aware how much money you have?”
“So that’s it. A man cannot be interested in just me. That would be madness, right?” She shook her head. “Whatever. I’m going home now. I suppose I’ll see you on Friday. That is if you can stand being in the same house as the gold-digger I’m seeing.”
“Of course we’ll be there,” Jeannette rushed to say. “I’m assuming the kids are welcome?”
“Yeah,” Emma suddenly felt very tired. “Goodbye.”
She turned and left. At the bottom of the stairs, instead of walking out the door, she detoured toward her father’s ground floor suite. Knowing her father, she went straight for his den and knocked on the closed door.
“Come in,”
Emma pushed the door open wide. “Hi, Dad.”
“Emma, honey! Is something wrong?” Henry Lawrence stood quickly.
“Nope. Just ran something over for Jeannette.” She walked across the room to him and kissed his cheek. “I wanted to say hi before heading home.”
“Come, sit down.” He gestured to the matching chair opposite of the one he’d been sitting in. “How’s the new house?”
“Great.” She sank into the cushion with a sigh. “I bought my furniture today. It’ll be delivered tomorrow.”
“Good, good. Anything new happening with you? Are you seeing anyone?”
Emma narrowed her eyes at the pointed question. He knew. Damn Mark. “I see big brother did come home right away and snitch. Will is a nice guy, Dad, and I really, really like him.”
“Have you known him long?”
“No. I met him a few days ago, but he went to school with Lynn and Hannah. Please don’t worry about me. We’re taking things slow, getting to know each other.” She wasn’t sure if it was the truth or not, considering what happened in her driveway and her foyer. But her dad could do without that information.
“It’s my job to worry about you. Doesn’t matter how old you are.”
His words and smile pushed away some of the annoyance she’d felt since coming to the house. Deep down, she did realize her family cared about her, even if they did take it a bit too seriously sometimes.
“I suppose I should head home.”
They both stood and her father wrapped his arms around her.
“Call this week, and we’ll do lunch or supper,” he said with a quick squeeze.
“I will.” She bussed his cheek and headed to the door. “Night, Dad.”
“Night, honey. Drive carefully.”
* * * *
Emma dropped her keys on the bedside table and flopped on the bed. She reached for the phone and dialed. Listening to the ringing, she closed her eyes.
“Hello?”
“Hey. It’s me.”
“Hey, girl. So how was the date?” Lynn didn’t waste any time.
“Does furniture shopping and dinner count as a date?” She laughed. “It went fine.”
“Yes, it does. And it was just fine ? That’s it? My opinion of Will Calonen has greatly diminished.”
Emma laughed. While close to her friend, she hesitated telling everything. She just wanted to savor the time she had with Will—keep it to herself for the time being.
“We bought furniture, had a fantastic supper and then went to buy some smaller things like a stereo, a TV for the living room, stuff like that. We came here but didn’t have a chance to talk or do much ‘cause I had to run something over to Mark and Jeannette.”
Lynn groaned. “You let them butt into your time with Will? Damn it, Em.”
“Don’t start. I really don’t need to get bitched out tonight, all right. And I suppose it was for the best. I want to take this slow—do it right. I really like him and don’t want to mess things up.”
“You won’t mess anything up,” Lynn protested. “Is he coming Friday
“Again, none of your business.”
“We’re just worried about you, Emma. You don’t understand how some men are,” Jeannette interjected.
You condescending bitch. “Enough!” Emma snapped.
“No, I don’t think it is. Do you know anything about this guy? About his family? Is he aware how much money you have?”
“So that’s it. A man cannot be interested in just me. That would be madness, right?” She shook her head. “Whatever. I’m going home now. I suppose I’ll see you on Friday. That is if you can stand being in the same house as the gold-digger I’m seeing.”
“Of course we’ll be there,” Jeannette rushed to say. “I’m assuming the kids are welcome?”
“Yeah,” Emma suddenly felt very tired. “Goodbye.”
She turned and left. At the bottom of the stairs, instead of walking out the door, she detoured toward her father’s ground floor suite. Knowing her father, she went straight for his den and knocked on the closed door.
“Come in,”
Emma pushed the door open wide. “Hi, Dad.”
“Emma, honey! Is something wrong?” Henry Lawrence stood quickly.
“Nope. Just ran something over for Jeannette.” She walked across the room to him and kissed his cheek. “I wanted to say hi before heading home.”
“Come, sit down.” He gestured to the matching chair opposite of the one he’d been sitting in. “How’s the new house?”
“Great.” She sank into the cushion with a sigh. “I bought my furniture today. It’ll be delivered tomorrow.”
“Good, good. Anything new happening with you? Are you seeing anyone?”
Emma narrowed her eyes at the pointed question. He knew. Damn Mark. “I see big brother did come home right away and snitch. Will is a nice guy, Dad, and I really, really like him.”
“Have you known him long?”
“No. I met him a few days ago, but he went to school with Lynn and Hannah. Please don’t worry about me. We’re taking things slow, getting to know each other.” She wasn’t sure if it was the truth or not, considering what happened in her driveway and her foyer. But her dad could do without that information.
“It’s my job to worry about you. Doesn’t matter how old you are.”
His words and smile pushed away some of the annoyance she’d felt since coming to the house. Deep down, she did realize her family cared about her, even if they did take it a bit too seriously sometimes.
“I suppose I should head home.”
They both stood and her father wrapped his arms around her.
“Call this week, and we’ll do lunch or supper,” he said with a quick squeeze.
“I will.” She bussed his cheek and headed to the door. “Night, Dad.”
“Night, honey. Drive carefully.”
* * * *
Emma dropped her keys on the bedside table and flopped on the bed. She reached for the phone and dialed. Listening to the ringing, she closed her eyes.
“Hello?”
“Hey. It’s me.”
“Hey, girl. So how was the date?” Lynn didn’t waste any time.
“Does furniture shopping and dinner count as a date?” She laughed. “It went fine.”
“Yes, it does. And it was just fine ? That’s it? My opinion of Will Calonen has greatly diminished.”
Emma laughed. While close to her friend, she hesitated telling everything. She just wanted to savor the time she had with Will—keep it to herself for the time being.
“We bought furniture, had a fantastic supper and then went to buy some smaller things like a stereo, a TV for the living room, stuff like that. We came here but didn’t have a chance to talk or do much ‘cause I had to run something over to Mark and Jeannette.”
Lynn groaned. “You let them butt into your time with Will? Damn it, Em.”
“Don’t start. I really don’t need to get bitched out tonight, all right. And I suppose it was for the best. I want to take this slow—do it right. I really like him and don’t want to mess things up.”
“You won’t mess anything up,” Lynn protested. “Is he coming Friday
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