She turned and said something to him, but he didn’t hear her over the fantasies running through his head. Emma put her hand on his arm, startling him back to reality.
“Will?” She was staring at him with concern.
“Hmm?”
“Do you smell something burning?”
He did. Come to think of it, the kitchen seemed a bit smoky. His brain finally found focus. “Shit! The toast.” He’d forgotten about it completely. He’d put it in the toaster right before Emma walked into the kitchen.
Will whirled around to the back counter, ejecting four black pieces of bread from the toaster. They were smoking and burnt to a crisp. Emma came over to inspect them and when Will held up the plate of pathetic toast they both burst into laughter.
Sharon chose that moment to waltz into the kitchen. “Okay, I said you could use my kitchen, Will. But not at the expense of burning it down. What’s going on in here?”
Will held out the plate of charred bread to Sharon. “Toast?”
She shook her head, but an amused smile lit her face. “Alright you two, new plan. I cook, you eat. Okay?”
“I think that’s a good plan,” Emma replied trying to stifle her giggles.
“Emma, you remember Sharon,” Will said, surprisingly nervous at reintroducing the two most important women in his life to each other.
“Of course,” Emma said holding her hand out. “It’s good to see you, Sharon.”
Sharon looked surprised by Emma’s manners. Most Manhattaner’s didn’t shake hands with the help. “And you as well,” Sharon replied, giving Will a sly, but pleased, glance.
Will led Emma to the barstools on the other side of the cooktop kitchen island. He watched as she sipped her coffee, chatting easily with Sharon, who tried to rescue their breakfast. Will couldn’t help but smile as he watched Emma and Sharon converse. It unlocked something within him and the hollowness that normally plagued him dimmed a bit more. Suddenly, his house didn’t feel so empty.
21
Emma
In a matter of minutes Sharon somehow revived the half-burnt breakfast Will had been preparing. She served them deliciously greasy breakfast sandwiches on croissants piled high with bacon, eggs and cheese, before making a plate for herself.
Sharon threw Will a warm smile when she was done. “Now don’t think this means you’re getting out of doing these dishes, hun.”
Will grinned. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”
Sharon winked at him and sashayed out of the room, taking her plate with her.
“She’s so sweet,” Emma said once they were alone.
“You only say that because she likes you.”
“How do you know she likes me?”
“She still made you breakfast after I told her you puked on the ficus tree.”
“Oh my God, you didn’t!” Emma groaned, covering her face with her hands.
Will gently pried them away but he couldn’t hide his laughter and it only made Emma’s cheeks burn hotter.
“Will!” she whined. “I can’t believe you told her I did that.”
“Relax. I’ve done way worse. Besides, Sharon said she’d cover for us as long as I replace the tree before my mother gets back.”
“Ugh, I still feel like an idiot.”
Will tugged on a loose piece of hair that escaped Emma’s bun. “Yeah, but you’re a cute idiot.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “Seriously, tell me how much I owe you for the tree. The least I can do is pay for it.”
“I don’t know . . . I kinda like the idea of you owing me,” Will teased, snagging a piece of bacon off of her plate.
Was it her imagination or was Will flirting with her? She needed to change the subject. So far things were going well between them, and if Emma was going to make this ‘friends’ thing work she needed to avoid flirtation territory.
“So, how long do we have to replace the tree before your parents get home?” she asked hoping to stay on a safe subject.
Will shrugged.
“Where are they anyway?”
“Who knows? Bali? Bangladesh? Botswana?” He replied sounding bitter.
“Do they only visit places that start with the letter B?” Emma asked trying to lighten the mood.
“No, but I can’t keep track. I usually just pick a letter and start naming destinations until Sharon stops me.”
“Do they really travel that much?” Emma asked.
“Yep.”
“But they’ll be home for Christmas, right?”
“Honestly, I’m starting to think they might not.” Will sighed. “I’ve sorta been in denial about it.”
“About what?”
“Them ditching me. I mean I know I wasn’t ‘planned’,” he said using air quotes. “The six year age gap between me and my brothers is pretty obvious, but I guess I didn’t know how desperate my parents were to be done parenting.”
Emma’s heart faltered. Will looked so sad that she had the sudden urge to leap into his arms and kiss away every last trace of frown disgracing his perfect lips. Friend zone, Emma. Keep it in the friend zone!
She sighed, shaking her head. “Parents suck.”
“I’ll drink to that,” Will said raising his coffee mug.
Emma pretended to shiver. “Don’t say the word drink.” And she was pleased to see it brought Will’s easy smile back to his face. “When did Christmas become such a crappy holiday?”
Will only shrugged.
Emma sighed. What was wrong with their parents? Couldn’t they see how messed up everything was? She sipped her coffee seriously hoping Will’s parents wouldn’t ditch him for the holidays. It was obviously bothering him, and as she looked around his enormously empty home, she could see why.
Emma didn’t know Will’s parents that well. She’d only met them a handful of times at functions or galas when she used to live in the city, but it’s not as though she had meaningful conversations with them. They seemed nice enough. Certainly not like the type of people to abandon their son on Christmas. But then again, Emma was learning that it was hard to ever really know someone. And parents were no exception.
She decided the best thing she could do for Will was to let him vent if he wanted to. She knew it would’ve made her feel a lot better if she could rant about her father’s shortcomings to someone who understood. Emma swiveled toward Will on her barstool and stole a crumb of bacon from his plate. “Well, you’re not alone if that makes you feel any better. I’ll be having a crappy Christmas right next door.”
Will huffed a laugh. “Thanks, but that doesn’t really help.”
“I know. It just sounds pathetic, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah, we really should do something about that.”
“Like what?” Emma asked.
Will scratched his chin, thinking for a moment. “What was your favorite part of Christmas when you were a kid?” he asked.
“Probably Christmas dinner. My parents would stay home all day and we’d cook for hours. Ham and homemade mashed potatoes and every type of cookie I could dream of. I just remember my parents laughing so much.” Emma was quiet for a moment, holding onto the memory. “What about you? What’s your favorite part?”
“Okay, so I know it’s kinda silly, but we have this family tradition where every year we drive to Emmerich Tree Farm upstate and pick out our Christmas tree. We cut it down and everything.”
Emma laughed. “How very Griswold.”
“We’ve been doing it since I was born. When I was really little, my brothers used to let me ride on their shoulders so I could scout for the best tree. And when I got older we would play hide and seek in the trees and have snowball fights. Oh and the apple cider is the best thing ever!”
Will’s blue eyes seemed to glow from within as he reminisced about his holiday tradition. It made Emma’s heart ache. She wished she could give him that kind of Christmas again. Or anything that would keep his eyes that bright.
Will ran a hand through his messy hair. “I
know I’m almost eighteen, but I was sorta looking forward to having one last trip to Emmerich’s.” He shrugged. “I’m not ready to give it up yet, ya know?”
Emma nodded. She did know. She’d been looking forward to one more Christmas in New York with her father. It wasn’t fair. Everything would be changing soon. Graduation and college were looming around the corner, and she was excited for what the future could bring, but the inevitable change made her want to cling to the familiarity of childhood even more. Just like Will, Emma was still hoping to get this one last holiday to be a kid again.
Renewed determination flared in Emma’s chest. “Maybe we can still save our holidays. Mine, not so much, since hell will probably freeze over before my parents share a meal together again, but we could still go up to that Christmas tree farm and get your tree.”
Will smiled sadly and reached over to squeeze her hand. “Emma, I love you for trying, but it’s probably time I let it go.” He stood up and began clearing their dishes. “It hasn’t been the same since my brothers stopped coming anyway.”
Emma knew how much Will missed them. She even missed them. Well at least she missed Gabe. Emma had Will’s brother Gabe to thank for their friendship. It wasn’t until Gabe went off to college that she and Will had become inseparable. Will was desperately lonely without Gabe around, prompting him to practically become Emma’s shadow. But she hadn’t minded. Especially since that was also when she first became aware that she hoped one day she and Will could be more than friends.
Emma stood, trying to shake away those not so distant feelings for Will. She rounded the island to help him with the dishes praying she could keep her heart in check.
She dried while he washed. “Ya know,” Emma started, when the silence had stretched out between them. “If you’re desperate for brother time, I have a super annoying one next door. You can borrow him anytime.”
“Colin?” Will smirked. “That kid’s awesome.”
Emma frowned. “Um, there’s no way you’re talking about the Dothraki-speaking pain in the ass who stole my bedroom.”
Will’s laugh rumbled through Emma as he handed her a dish to dry. “That’s the one.”
She rolled her eyes.
“Aw, come on, Em. You just gotta give the kid a chance,” Will said, bumping his hip into hers.
“Easy for you to say. He’s not your brother.”
“I’d love to have him as a little brother. He’s a riot. And hella smart, too.”
“More like hella weird,” she grumbled.
“That’s just because you don’t speak boy.”
“I speak boy just fine, thank you very much. It’s dorky insta-brother I have a problem with.”
“Well I’d love to have an insta-little brother.”
Emma blinked up at Will, startled by the honesty in his sparkling blue eyes. “Why?” she asked.
“I’ve always wanted a little brother. You get to sculpt his little mind and introduce him to the world. Plus, you get to be a super hero to him, Em. That kid’s gonna look up to you for everything.”
Will’s words filled Emma with guilt. She hadn’t thought of it like that. She hadn’t even given Colin a chance. None of this was his fault. Plus, how could she shirk him off when she’d been him. She remembered how desperately she’d wanted siblings when she was his age. It was lonely being an only child. It was obvious that Tara wasn’t the warm and fuzzy type. And Emma knew from experience her father wasn’t either. From what Emma could tell, it seemed like Hodor was Colin’s only friend, and that did not bode well for his future.
Words were tumbling out of Emma’s mouth before she could stop them. “Do you think you could help me with Colin?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re right. I don’t know how to talk to him. All he does is watch cartoons or ask me to play in his room. I don’t know how to relate to that. But I don’t want to be an awful sister.”
Will smiled. “All any kid wants is someone to spend time with them.”
“So . . . just do stuff with him?”
Will nodded.
“But what kind of stuff?”
“He’s from South Carolina, right?”
“Yeah. So what?”
“So, this is his first Christmas in New York. Show him how great our city is.”
“Like take him ice skating or on a sleigh ride through the park?”
“Yes, he’d love that.”
“You think?”
“Hell, I’d love that.”
Emma toyed with the too long sleeve of her borrowed lacrosse hoodie. “Would you . . . maybe wanna come with us?”
Will looked up from the dishes, a sly smile on his handsome face. “Are you asking me out, Emma?” he asked nudging her with his elbow.
She nudged him right back. “No, I’m asking you to help me get to know my little brother.”
Will grinned. “I’d love to.”
“Great. How about tomorrow, when I’m less hung over?”
“It’s a date.”
22
Emma
Emma slipped quietly into her father’s sleek white apartment and released a sigh when it appeared she was alone. She hadn’t been looking forward to explaining where she’d been all night or why she was dressed like a lacrosse player’s chew toy. But then again, that would require her father noticing her—something that hadn’t happened since she’d returned to New York.
Still, Emma had expected Tara would’ve told her father how terribly she’d reacted to babysitting Colin, prompting another, “be a team player,” lecture from him. She tugged the hem of Will’s oversized hoodie down further, but it did little to improve her appearance. She still looked like she wasn’t wearing anything underneath thanks to the shortness of his rolled boxers. She made her way over to corner where her luggage rested sadly in a pile. She dug through her clothes until she found a pair of pajamas and then scurried to the bathroom to change.
Emma swapped Will’s underwear for a pair of her own only to feel immediately embarrassed about what to do with them. Did she return them? Keep them? Burn them? Ugh . . . why did she still have these feelings for him? It made everything so much more complicated.
She tugged on a pair of red plaid pajama pants, letting the worn-soft material comfort her. Emma looked at her reflection in the mirror. She’d intended to change into her own top, but as she stared at herself in Will’s hoodie she couldn’t seem to find the strength to take it off. It was so warm and cozy and . . . Will. It smelled like him, or rather his Valentino cologne—a mixture of sage and mandarin, with a hint of spice. Emma was addicted to the smell and all the desire it conjured. She inhaled deeply. God, how she’d missed that smell.
Two days ago, even the faintest whiff of it would have filled her with anger and regret. But now . . . well now it gave Emma a feeling that frightened her even more—hope.
Will
Will couldn’t stop grinning. Things were going better than he’d hoped. He already had a date with Emma, when all he’d been aiming for was a full day without a fight. Today they’d managed breakfast, dishes and conversation without arguing or any mention of the dreaded winter formal. That was major progress.
He stepped onto the elevator on his way to meet the delivery guys with the new ficus Sharon had located. When the doors dinged closed, Will glanced up. The mistletoe was merrily swaying above his head and for once, it didn’t seem to be taunting him. Will felt his heart warm as he thought about all the times he’d ended up under it with Emma in the past few days. He believed in signs and this was a good one.
Emma
Emma was deep in her hangover movie marathon when she heard the keys jingle in the apartment door. Colin came bounding in with Hodor on his heels.
“Emma’s home! Emma’s home!” he shrieked practically tackling her where she sat on the couch.
“Colin, honey, inside voices please,” Tara called from the kitchen. “And remember what we said about personal space?”
Colin�
�s happy face immediately crumpled as he slid off of Emma, moving to the far corner of the couch. “Sorry,” he mumbled.
“It’s okay,” Emma replied, trying to remember why she thought subjecting herself to an entire day with Colin was a good idea.
“Cool shirt,” Colin remarked. “My friend Will has the same one.”
Emma couldn’t hide her smile. “Yeah, I know.”
Tara came into the living room, arching a perfect eyebrow at Emma’s rumpled appearance as she noted the lacrosse hoodie. Emma stared right back, daring Tara to say something. She had no right to judge what boys Emma spent her time with after ruining her parents’ marriage.
Tara seemed to catch Emma’s hostility and wisely, her only comment was to Colin. “Honey, why don’t you leave Emma alone? You’re disrupting her movie.”
Colin pouted, but started to move from the couch.
“Actually, Tara,” Emma said staring directly at her aloof soon-to-be step-mother. “I was going to ask if I could take Colin out to the park tomorrow.”
Tara looked startled. “Really?”
“That is, if you want to go?” Emma asked looking at Colin.
“Best idea ever!” he exclaimed leaping back onto the couch to throw his arms around her neck.
Emma laughed. “I guess that’s a yes?”
“Definitely yes!”
“Good. It’s a date.”
Colin clapped his hands and bounced up and down, sending Hodor into a barking fit.
“Okay, okay. That’s enough excitement, Colin. Why don’t you go wash up for dinner. It’ll be here soon.” Tara waited until Colin darted out of the living room before turning to Emma. “We ordered dinner from Café China. I didn’t know you’d be home. Would you like me to call back and add to our order?”
Emma grabbed another slice of pizza from the box she’d ordered when her stomach began rumbling a few hours ago. “Nope. I took care of myself. But thanks,” she added without sincerity, since it was obvious that Tara had forgotten to consider Emma in the family dinner plans. So much for one big happy family, she thought bitterly.
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