Emily's Choice

by Heather McCoubrey

  Where the hell was she?

  That was the question that kept rolling around in his head . . . and he imagined it would be the same question he would ask until he found her. He popped another dose of Advil and paced his room.

  Looking at his watch, he noticed it was a little after eight. His heart sank. They’d be leaving the reception about now and heading into Santa Fe for their wedding night. And tomorrow morning they’d be boarding a plane for Hawaii.

  He heard a knock at the door and got up to answer it. The last thing he felt like was company, but his father was already retired for the night and there was no one else to answer the door.

  He opened the door and found Tyler standing on the steps. Unsure of his welcome, Jason kept the screen door in place.

  “Have you heard from Emily?” Jason asked urgently.

  Tyler growled. “No.”

  Jason could see a glint in Tyler’s eyes and watched his jaw working in anger. Sighing, he popped open the screen door and motioned Tyler to enter. He knew why Tyler was here, and it wasn’t to chitchat. Better to get the unpleasantness over with.

  “It’s probably better if you come out here,” Tyler said. “I don’t see this conversation ending well.”

  Nodding, Jason walked outside and down the steps into the dirt and gravel of the driveway.

  Turning to face Tyler, Jason held up a hand. “Your father was here this morning.”

  “I know. After getting an earful from Grace when I woke up, he barged his way into the house and gave me a second helping.” He took a step closer to Jason, who held his ground. “You know, if you didn’t want to marry her, you should have been man enough to say something. This was a low-down dirty cheap shot, and you’re lucky to still be alive.” Tyler grinned, though the mirth didn’t reach his eyes. “Sure would love to know how you sweet-talked your way out of an ass-kicking this morning. Dad was fit to be tied.”

  “I noticed,” Jason said, rubbing his still sore jaw. “Do I get to tell you my side of the story or are you going to just take Emily’s word for it all?”

  “She’s the one who’s gone, Jase. She left everyone behind, and you’re still here.”

  “I swear, I didn’t have sex with Lila. I was still fully clothed at six thirty when I woke up, hung over as all hell.”

  “That’s not how Dad saw you when he came by.”

  “I know. I took some Advil, ditched my clothes, and went back to bed. I didn’t wake up until I heard your father downstairs.”

  “Where was she?” Tyler demanded. “Jake and I brought you up to your room, and I didn’t see her anywhere.”

  “I don’t know. I swear,” Jason said, hands raised in front of him. “I don’t remember a thing from the point we left that bar in Santa Fe. We did those shots as soon as we got back in the limo and after that, nothing. I’ve got nothing from that moment until I woke at six thirty.”

  “It stinks. The whole thing stinks. There have been those rumors off and on since Lila got here. Emily has been sick over them for years. I think the only time she’s been at ease has been while you guys were in Santa Fe. They started back up again once you two came back. Did you know that?”

  Jason shook his head. He wasn’t lying, either. He hadn’t heard any new rumors, but then again, it wasn’t like he’d been listening. He’d been focused on helping Emily plan the wedding and his job of house-hunting, all while doing his own duties around the ranch. Truth be told, he wasn’t much of a listener of rumors anyway.

  All the rumors that Emily had brought to him their last two years in high school had been news to him. He went to the same school, had the same classes, but never heard one rumor until Em brought it to his attention. He’d done a lot of consoling and reassuring, but he’d never resented it. Em was the love of his life, and he’d go through hell to prove it to her, and anyone else, who didn’t believe him.

  “How are you so oblivious?” Tyler roared.

  Jason knew him well enough to know that Tyler was on the verge of losing his temper. “I don’t know. I just don’t listen, I guess. Or no one talks around me. It’s not because I’m in cahoots with her, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

  “What I’m thinking is that you’re a low life. A cheating bastard. I’m thinking you broke my sister’s heart, and you should pay for it!” Tyler took two steps and swung his fist at Jason’s face.

  Knowing he deserved it, if for nothing else than not doing enough to deter Lila from her machinations, he stood still and took the punch on the jaw.

  Tyler quickly followed it up with a left hook to the face and then pummeled him in the gut. Jason bent over from the force of the gut punches and Tyler laid him out on the ground with another punch to the face.

  “Seriously? You’re not going to fight back?” Tyler fumed, standing over Jason’s prone body.

  He shook his head. “Nope, figure I deserve this.”

  “Pathetic,” Tyler spat.

  “You get this one time, Ty. You come at me again, on a different day, and you’ll get a different scenario.”

  “Well then, I guess I better take care of you once and for all,” Tyler said, placing a well-aimed kick to Jason’s ribs.

  Clutching his ribs, Jason slowly got to his feet. He glared at Tyler. “Well, come on. Finish me off,” he taunted.

  Tyler shook his head and waved a hand. “You’re not worth it. I’d advise you to stay away from the house for the foreseeable future. Dad was telling Grace he was leaving his shotguns by the doors and she was to use them if you showed your face on the property. He’s furious, and I’m right there with him.”

  “I didn’t cheat on her.”

  “Whatever man. Seems to me you’re protesting too much, and the evidence is damning. Did you forget Emily was planning to come by? You need better lessons in juggling women, Jase. You don’t invite the whore over the night before the wedding, especially when your pregnant fiancée is waiting by the door for your return.”

  Jason watched him turn on his heel and walk across the yard to the house. He waited until Tyler had passed through the trees before he turned and shuffled up the steps and into the house. He walked into the kitchen and got another beer out of the fridge and a bag of peas out of the freezer. He went into the living room, fell into the La-Z-Boy and cracked open the beer. After taking a swig, he leaned his head back against the chair and carefully set the bag of peas on his face.

  What the hell? He had to find Emily. He had to explain. Hell, he had to find out what happened last night.

  He tipped the bottle up to his lips and took a large gulp of beer. He didn’t dare show his face anywhere Lila might be, and he couldn’t ask her. She’d never tell him the truth, and if anyone saw them together, no amount of protesting, pleading, or begging would convince them of what he was doing. So if he couldn’t go to the source, how was he going to find out?

  All this thinking was making his head pound even harder. Where was Emily? He knew if he could just talk to her they’d be able to straighten the whole thing out. He was sure it was something simple, something easy to fix. Cold feet, nerves, something silly that was probably 99% hormones. Or stress. They’d just graduated, she was pregnant and searching for a place to open her design business. They were getting married. She was doing the heavy lifting on everything but the house-hunting. That was his job. He had several showings set up for when they returned from Hawaii, but what he really wanted to do was to build a house on the other side of his father’s property, kind of like Tyler had done. Close enough so he could still work the ranch with his father but far enough away that they were alone.

  All the stress along with the hormones . . . maybe it was too much and at the last minute she just snapped. Dammit, he needed to talk to her. Why wouldn’t she answer her phone?

  Chapter Six

  A Month Later

  “Emily Camancho?” a petite brunette asked.

  “That’s me,” Emily said, struggling to her feet. Would she ever get used to her new center of gr
avity?

  “Ms. Nickerson will see you now.”

  When she’d arrived for her interview with Kendra Nickerson of A Touch of Flair, she hadn’t expected the interview location to be a house. She’d been shown into the living room and had sat on the most comfortable couch she’d ever sat on in her life. Ms. Nickerson was on the phone when Emily entered the dining room and she was glad. It gave her the opportunity to observe the woman she hoped to work for. She had long, red curly hair and was dressed in a dark blue pinstripe suit with a bright white shirt underneath. She was studying the paperwork on the desk in front of her, so Emily couldn’t see the color of her eyes, but she could see that her skin was flawless and pale. She had freckles everywhere, as most redheads were affected.

  Taking a deep breath, Emily sat in the chair opposite Ms. Nickerson and waited.

  “I don’t care what it takes, Ed. I want that office space by the end of the month.” She hung up the phone, moved the papers to her file bin, and cast the greenest gaze on Emily’s face.

  “Sorry about that, Emily,” she said, smiling and holding out her hand. “I’m Kendra Nickerson. Nice to meet you.”

  “Likewise,” Emily said, returning the handshake.

  “So, you’re here . . .”

  “Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!” A tiny redheaded girl ran into the room and straight toward Kendra. She climbed into Kendra’s lap and wrapped her chubby arms around her neck. “Aiden is poking me.”

  “Where’s . . .”

  “I’m so sorry, Ms. Kendra,” a plump, gray-haired woman with a Spanish accent said as she hurried into the room. “I turned my back to scold Aiden and she ran right out of the room.”

  Kendra turned apologetic eyes on Emily and smiled. “This is why I need that office space.”

  Emily grinned.

  “It’s okay, Juanita. I understand.” Kendra pulled the little arms away from around her neck and set the toddler on the floor. “Izzy, you can’t run from Ms. Juanita, and you can’t bother Mommy when she’s working. Ms. Juanita will take care of Aiden. Go back upstairs now.” Kendra gave the little girl a hug and then playfully swatted her diaper-clad bottom. “Shoo!”

  The little girl laughed and clutched the hand of her nanny. Emily watched them leave the room and rubbed her hands over her belly. Soon, very soon, she’d have her own to love.

  “Never a dull moment around here.” Kendra laughed. “Shall we start again?”

  “Not necessary,” Emily smiled.

  “You’re here to save me from the mountains of work I’m drowning in?”

  “I hope so,” Emily said as she passed Kendra a copy of her resume and letters of reference. Kendra glanced through everything quickly then looked up at Emily. “When are you due?”

  Emily sighed and tried not to let her disappointment show. “December fourth. I only plan to take the six weeks and then come back to work. I know it’s a pain to hire me only to lose me so soon, but I promise you won’t regret it.” With her heart racing and her clammy palms clenched in her lap, Emily finished her passionate plea.

  “I wasn’t asking so I had a reason not to hire you. I asked because I was curious,” Kendra said, smiling. Emily relaxed.

  “Do you have any experience with AutoCAD?”

  “Yes, I interned at Santa Fe Designs for four years while I was in college. AutoCAD was my not so best friend,” she answered, smiling.

  Kendra laughed. “Yeah, it can be a pain, can’t it?”

  Emily nodded, and Kendra continued with her questions.

  “What is the standard height for a kitchen countertop?”

  “Thirty-six inches.”

  “Have you passed the NCIDQ?”

  She leaned forward taking two papers out of her briefcase and passing them to Kendra. “Yes, here are my certificates. One from New Mexico and the one from Massachusetts.”

  Kendra quickly looked them over and then shuffled them under Emily’s resume, which she was glancing at.

  “It says here on your resume that you were part of the team to redesign the Governor’s mansion?”

  Nodding, Emily leaned back in the chair, trying to ease the pain in her lower back.

  “It was a fun project. I was a junior designer; it was my second year in school. We completely redesigned the main level of the mansion. Kitchen, bathrooms, living spaces. I brought photos with me, if you’re interested?” Emily motioned toward her briefcase.

  “I would. Let’s finish up this interview, and then we can get to the fun stuff.” At Emily’s nod, she continued, “What is your favorite color combination?” Kendra asked her.

  “Right now it’s cream and deep purple.”

  “What type of window treatment would you put in a living room with south-facing windows?”

  “Sheer draperies layered with blackout panels.”

  “Why?”

  “The light-blocking curtains will keep the room cool and dark during the strong light of the day. The sheer curtains will allow the user to open the room, while still having some privacy, so they don’t feel claustrophobic all the time.”

  Kendra nodded. “What is your favorite design?”

  “Simple and uncluttered.”

  “When can you start?”

  “Wha . . . ? Um. Seriously?”

  Kendra smiled and nodded.

  “Right now. Tomorrow. Whenever.” Emily grinned.

  “I think tomorrow morning is soon enough.” Kendra stood up and walked around the table. She held out a hand and helped Emily to her feet. “You’ll be my right hand . . . and probably my left. Let me introduce you to Jenny, my receptionist and office manager. Next week, we’ll talk about getting an intern in here to fill in for you while you’re out on maternity leave.”

  Emily stopped mid-stride through the kitchen. “Thank you so much,” she said, reaching out and awkwardly hugging Kendra.

  Kendra laughed and returned the hug. “We’ll see if you’re still thanking me in a week when you realize how much work there is to be done.”

  When Emily got home, she called Gina to tell her the news.

  “That’s great, Em! So, I guess that means you’re staying in Boston for a while?”

  “At least for the foreseeable future.”

  “I miss you. I was hoping you’d be coming home soon.”

  “Is Jason still there?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Then I can’t come home. I’m not ready to see him.”

  “He still loves you. He’s so confused, Em. He swears he didn’t cheat.”

  “I’m sure,” scoffed Emily.

  “I’m serious. He cornered me at The Dustbowl the other night when Fred and I were out with some of his buddies from the station. Anyway, he was in there drinking, and he came right over when he saw me.”

  “And you let him speak to you? I thought you were my friend!”

  Gina groaned. “Seriously, Em? He’s miserable. It took everything I had to keep your secrets.”

  “Don’t say another word to him, Gina! Have you forgotten what he did? The night before our wedding?”

  “Of course not. But he was trashed. Fred said some of the guys had to carry him in the house and up to his room.”

  “I saw them carry him inside. And then I saw what he was doing with Lila. He didn’t look drunk to me.”

  Gina sighed. “Maybe you should talk to him?”

  “Talk to him?” Emily said quietly. “I’m the one who has to reach out? The one who has to make the effort?”

  “Who else? You won’t let anyone tell him where you are.”

  “It’s not my problem.”

  “I just wish you could see for yourself that he’s hurting.”

  “Oh, and I’m having the time of my life?”

  Sighing deeply, Gina said, “I know you’re hurting, too. I hate to see either of you this way. I just want it fixed and you both happy and together.”

  “He ruined it. I’m in Boston with no family except Hope. Instead of running my own business, I’m working for
someone. Instead of having a husband, I’m single and about to have a baby on my own. He has everything, and I lost everything.” Emily kept her eyes tear-free and her voice strong. She would not shed another tear over him.

  “Em.”

  “Enough. Drop it. I don’t want to waste any more time, or tears, on this subject. I want . . . no, I need to concentrate on my career. Concentrate on building a new life. Concentrate on being the best mother I can be. Concentrate on loving this baby. But most of all, I need to concentrate on moving on.”

  “Consider it dropped.”

  “Thank you,” Emily said curtly.

  “So, have you picked a name yet?”

  When Hope got home later that afternoon, they decided to go check out the baby shop. They found several cute outfits, and Emily couldn’t leave without the soft white bunny toy.

  After exhausting themselves with shopping, they decided to let someone else cook and stopped at Legal Sea Foods for dinner. After giving the server their orders, Hope turned to Emily with her serious eyes.

  “I talked to Mom today.”

  “How is she?”

  “She’s good. Have you spoken to her recently?”

  “Over the weekend, but not so far this week. Been too busy interviewing.”

  Hope nodded. “Well, you know Jason has been showing up there every day, right?”

  “What?” Emily asked, sitting up straight and almost spilling her water as she set it down on the table with a loud bump.

  “Okay, you didn’t know.”

  “No, I didn’t know.”

  “I guess he waits until Dad leaves, and then he knocks on the kitchen door. Mom lets him in, and he’s been asking every day where you are and how you and the baby are doing.”

  “Well, at least she hasn’t told him where I am. Does she tell him about the baby and me?”