Of course the overhaul hadn’t ended there. Meeting Camilla O’Neal had also had an impact on her. The striptease lessons had gone a long way toward building confidence in the way Emma handled herself and the way she moved. She only had basic moves for pole dancing down, but Camilla had helped her master the art of striptease, which she planned to try out on Duke and Gage soon.
A thrill raced through her when the doorbell rang. She grabbed her evening bag and her overnight case, because she’d promised to spend the whole night with them. Her cell phone was turned off because she was not on call for that weekend. She turned out the lights in her bedroom and hustled down the hall to answer the door.
Duke and Gage stood there looking like movie stars. Gage was dressed in a long-sleeved, white button-down shirt, worn untucked over gray trousers, and Duke was dressed in a lightweight, black sweater that hugged his biceps and lean, muscular chest.
Her jaw dropped, and she smiled when they had the same reaction to her. “Come in. You both look so handsome.”
“Emma. Wow,” Duke said as he took her overnight bag from her shoulder. He gestured for her to turn for them, and she complied, ignoring the self-conscious voice that whispered they would see all her flaws as she turned. Emma fought down the urge to self-consciously wring her hands together, remembering Camilla’s instructions. “You’re…stunning.”
Those two simple words made all the expense, work, and sore muscles worth it. Both men kissed her gently as though they were concerned about messing up her hair or makeup.
She took a slow breath and felt herself relax as she replied. “I know this is not how you are used to seeing me. I’m glad you like it.”
Duke’s eyes shone with approval as he said, “This is just another part of you that we get to enjoy, Em. In different ways, we were all out of our comfort zones. We’d usually be dressed in flannel and jeans on a Saturday night, playing Call of Duty with friends, not dressed up to take you out to a five-star restaurant.”
Admiration glimmered in Gage’s eyes as he nodded in agreement and said, “You look sexy as hell in those high heels. You’re absolutely beautiful, angel.” Their words filled her with pleasure, and she felt herself stand up a little straighter because of them. Gage pulled the bouquet of red roses from behind his back and held them out to her. “We brought you something.”
With a gasp, she took them and lifted the fragrant flowers to her nose and, with heartfelt gratitude, murmured, “They are beautiful, thank you.”
Gage asked, “Ready for your evening out?”
Emma nodded and said, “Let me put these in a vase.” While seeing to that task, Emma asked, “Where are we going first?” They’d asked her to be ready at four o’clock, which led her to believe that their plans included a drive somewhere.
“Our first stop is Tessa’s, a little out-of-the-way place in Morehead that was highly recommended. We’re getting there early so we can take you out for a night of dancing afterward.”
“Oh, I’ve heard of Tessa’s!” Boy, have I heard all about Tessa’s!
Duke chuckled and said, “We have a table reserved in the main dining room. We had to get on a list for one of the private dining rooms. I hope you’re not disappointed.”
“Not at all, Duke. I’m sure I’ll love it.”
“I did put us on the waiting list, though,” he added as she placed the rose-filled vase on the kitchen counter. The girls had hinted at the intimate dinners several of them had enjoyed at Tessa’s, and her heart thrilled that they had that experience to look forward to.
“Ready to go?” Gage asked as he reached for her hand. A flush warmed her cheeks as they looked her over appreciatively once more.
Chapter Ten
Duke couldn’t believe his luck as he drove his truck down Main Street in Divine. Between him and his cousin sat a woman who constantly amazed him.
The relationship forming between the three of them was unlike anything he could’ve imagined. Maybe it was because they had started out with the idea of tackling goals and dreams with their bucket lists.
Playing it safe and developing a regular routine hadn’t happened. Because of their work schedules, they’d had to seize any moment they had together. Their adventures had added an element of “comfort zone-less-ness” to his life that he never would’ve thought he’d be at ease with. He knew, and hoped, that eventually they would settle into the flow of a normal relationship, but these excursions forced the three of them to explore what was really important to them in their lives.
For Duke it was making a difference with the technological talents he possessed. Gage had voiced similar thoughts, and Emma had told them she loved being a healer. But in the process of helping others they’d lost that little spark in themselves. They were reigniting that inspiration with these adventures.
In his eyes, Emma was the girl next door. Fresh faced, ponytailed, always ready with a smile and an encouraging word. It was exciting to discover this other facet of her persona. When she’d opened the door he’d been floored by the difference in her. Since the other night when she’d surprised them with a visit, he’d noticed there was a new confidence in her, in the way she moved and how she responded to them.
Tonight she’d transformed herself into a sultry temptress in a little black dress that fit her sleek curves so well his cock had stirred instantly to life. She was wearing high heels that nearly brought her to eye level and made her legs look even longer and so incredibly sexy.
He caught Gage’s glance and could practically read his mind. Someone else was antsy to get the evening started as well. He decelerated as he caught up to a slower-moving vehicle in front of them. The road and speed limit didn’t really allow for passing and they were in no hurry, so they traveled the short distance through town behind the little silver Mazda sedan. Gage sighed softly, and Duke grinned to himself.
They drove through the busiest part of the shopping district, pausing for stoplights and the heavier weekend shopping traffic. A cool front had blown in that weekend, and the cooler temperatures had brought out more shoppers to the area. Evidently the owner of the Mazda was new in town because the driver braked repeatedly as though unsure of where to turn. Duke backed off to allow ample room for them and to avoid having an accident in case the driver slammed on their brakes. Adjusting her eyeglasses, Emma leaned forward and squinted at the vehicle.
“They must be lost,” Gage said distractedly as the vehicle suddenly turned into the parking lot of the large shopping center where Stigall’s was located.
Emma frowned and pulled her phone from her purse and said, “Something is wrong with the driver. Slow down, Duke.” Her phone beeped as it powered back on. “Oh, no,” she said as she pointed.
The three of them watched in surprise as the driver slumped over behind the wheel. The Mazda sedan swerved, barely missed a parked car, and careened into the limestone and glass windowed storefront of Clay Cook’s Jewelers. The bumper took out a few of the bricks, and the large plate glass window shattered and collapsed onto the hood of the vehicle.
Emma dialed nine-one-one. “Stop the truck, Duke.”
Duke pulled into the parking lot a safe distance away and parked. Gage helped Emma out, and they ran to the car. Others had already started to gather.
“Damn it. I wish I had my kit—Dorothy, this is Emma Guthrie,” she said into the phone to the emergency dispatcher. “I’m on Main Street. Single-vehicle accident, in front of Clay Cook’s Jewelers. Send an ambulance. The driver appears unconscious.”
Mindful of the broken glass, Gage opened the door of the vehicle, and Emma crouched down to check the driver’s pulse. The passenger-side door was pulled open by another man who had run out from the jewelry store. “Female driver, mid- to late-thirties…no sign of head injuries, the vehicle wasn’t moving very fast when it struck the building.”
Duke stepped away to keep the crowd back that was gathering while Emma worked, checking the woman over as she filled the emergency department in on the detai
ls. Gage shifted the gear lever into park and shut off the ignition.
Emma interrupted her conversation with the dispatcher to admonish a woman who looked vaguely familiar away from the vehicle. “Tabitha, stop taking pictures. There’s glass everywhere and you’re going to get cut. Move over there.” She pointed back to the doorway of the shop where the woman had originally come from, armed with her camera phone. It hit Duke suddenly that this woman had been their downstairs neighbor for a while. She pouted a little but did as Emma asked, while sending a text message.
The hospital was close by, and almost immediately he heard the sound of a siren. A police car pulled up, and Duke greeted the sheriff as Hank Stinson took over the scene.
Duke returned to Emma as the other man assisted her in carefully laying the woman on her side in the vehicle. Emma asked, “Clay, do you know this woman?”
The man, who must be the owner of Clay Cook’s Jewelers, gently swiped the woman’s wavy brown locks from her face and looked closely at her. “No, Emma. I—I don’t think—actually, I’m not sure. Something about her is…familiar. It doesn’t look like she hit her head or anything. She’s awful pale.” Duke noticed the man, who was evidently Clay Cook, stroked the underside of the driver’s chin.
Checking her pulse, Emma said, “Rapid heart rate. She’s in shock.”
EMS arrived, and Emma gave them a rundown of the woman’s condition. After she was finished, Hank took a report from the three of them regarding what they’d seen. The EMTs carefully removed the woman from the vehicle and lifted her onto a stretcher. Clay grabbed her purse and handed it to one of the technicians. He stood there, seeming at a loss, as they loaded her into the ambulance.
Duke started the silver Mazda and parked the vehicle beside the store. It appeared to Duke that the driver of the vehicle might have been in the middle of moving day. Boxes and luggage filled the backseat of the sedan. The damage was mostly to the front bumper and the hood, but Clay’s window was a total loss.
Clay asked, “Did you see it happen?”
Duke explained what they’d seen and that Emma had asked them to stop.
Clay stuck his hands in his pockets, watching the ambulance with a faraway look in his eyes before turning back to them. “Oh, so you’re friends of Emma’s?”
“Yeah. You?”
“She treats me for allergies. She’s a good person. That’s obvious, since she stopped to help someone she didn’t know.”
Duke was relieved the guy was her patient. He’d felt a mild prick of jealousy when they’d spoken to each other like old friends earlier. Duke locked the doors on the car and handed Clay the keys. “Not sure what to do with those. Do you have any plywood for your window?” Clay put the keys in his pocket and watched distractedly as the ambulance pulled away and then realized Duke had asked him a direct question. “Huh? No—I mean yes, I do.”
Duke looked around for Emma and saw her still chatting with Hank. Gage nodded at him, and Duke turned back to Clay and said, “Looks like Emma is still tied up talking to the sheriff. Why don’t we help you with the window?”
When it was all said and done, they were an hour late for their reservation and lost their table at Tessa’s. Sitting in a secluded table in one of the smaller dining rooms at O’Reilley’s, Duke said, “That was a nice thing you did, stopping to help that woman. Do you have any clue what happened?”
Emma shook her head. “Her symptoms indicated she was in shock, but I couldn’t find any outward cause. It could have been from an infection or internal bleeding. The emergency department at the hospital has probably already determined the cause. I’m sorry about our reservations. This is what happens when you’re a doctor.”
“That’s okay,” Gage replied. “We’re still on the waiting list for one of the private dining tables at Tessa’s. We’ll get there eventually.”
“Speaking of lists,” Emma said as she glanced at the party of five at the table next to them, “I know something else I want to add to my list.”
Gage and Duke both leaned toward her when she beckoned them, and Duke asked, “What’s that?”
Surreptitiously, Emma pointed in the direction of the table next to them. “I’ve been watching that family while we’ve been talking.”
They sat back and got a look at who she was talking about. The group consisted of two adults, probably in their late fifties, a younger couple, and a toddler seated in a wooden highchair.
The younger couple sat close together and the husband’s arm was around his wife’s shoulders. Duke watched as the young woman gazed up at her husband as though she wanted to drink him in. Her eyes were shiny, and her chin trembled a bit as though she fought back tears. The husband was clad in the green-and-tan battle uniform of a senior airman, indicated by the green patch with three blue stripes on the sleeve of his jacket hanging on his chair.
Judging by the deep tan from many hours in the sun and the sandblasted, worn appearance of his uniform, he had just returned from Iraq or Afghanistan. He looked at his wife as though he wanted to devour her on the spot. He leaned toward her to whisper something in her ear, and the young woman blushed.
The older man spoke to the young man, and Duke could see great pride evident in his eyes. Duke and Gage looked back at Emma when she nudged them and gestured in another direction across the small dining room.
Next, she pointed at another table where three more elderly couples sat. “See those three men sitting with their wives?” At their nods she continued, “I’m acquainted with all three of those couples. The men all served together in Korea and two of them did tours in Vietnam. All three are decorated combat veterans.” She smiled as though at a memory and said, “You should hear some of their stories. Anyway, they are my heroes. So is the airman at the other table. I’d like to do something for all of them.”
Duke got their waitress’s attention and made the necessary arrangements with her. The three of them watched with enjoyment as the groups at both tables finished their meals and then got the news that someone had picked up their entire bills. Emma bit her lip, trying to appear nonchalant as the recipients of her random act of kindness looked around the room, probably wondering who would do that.
Emma smiled when they both clasped her hands under the table, and she asked, “So what’s next?”
Duke murmured, “The Dancing Pony.”
“I’ve always wanted to go there,” she said, clapping her hands. “I learned some dance moves this week, so hopefully I won’t embarrass you too much.”
Gage grinned in appreciation and said, “You did?”
Emma nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, I was afraid of stepping on toes or falling on my face. The girls taught me how to two-step and waltz. I think I shocked them that I didn’t know how, but I’ve never been to a place like The Dancing Pony where I could learn.”
Duke grinned, wondering what she would think if she knew that Summer had taken them both in hand the weekend before and showed them the very same dances. The woman was wily with her matchmaking. Duke just hoped and prayed he didn’t look like Wile E. Coyote out on the dance floor, a disaster waiting to happen.
* * * *
Emma felt heat steal into her cheeks when she caught Duke and Gage gazing at her admiringly as she rose from their booth to visit the ladies’ room. The lessons with Camilla had helped a lot with her body confidence. There was a time when she’d have been terrified of every awkward step she’d take in the high heels she wore tonight.
As she made her way gracefully through the main dining room at O’Reilley’s, she remembered what Camilla had taught her. Back straight, breasts proud, relaxed hips, and tummy tucked in. She could hear the dance music playing in her head that made a perfect rhythm for walking, which was how Camilla had her practice. She made it to the ladies’ room without landing on her ass and was quite proud of it.
She was lathering her hands in the sink when the restroom door swung open behind her. “Oh, my gosh. It is you!” her friend Jane said as she walked in.
“Hi, Jane. How have you been?” She watched Jane in the mirror as Jane looked her up and down with a frown on her face. Emma looked down, disappointed by the reaction. It would’ve been nice if Jane had complimented her improved appearance.
“Great. Why haven’t you returned my calls?”
“I’ve been busy in the evenings. Work is the same as usual.” Truthfully, Emma wanted to avoid being around Jane’s constant negativity. Her comment about being spinsters together had really bothered Emma. Things had changed a lot in her life in a short period of time. It was obvious Jane didn’t completely approve of the changes.
Jane crossed her arms in front of her and shrugged as Emma turned to face her while drying her hands on a paper towel. “So…you’re here on a date. I saw those two guys. Are you meeting someone else here? Maybe you and I could double-date with them sometime.”
Emma nearly swallowed her tongue at the thought and covered for her reaction by fiddling with the closure on her evening bag. Jane was the type that never let go of something once she’d latched on to it. She’d expect a response to her suggestion.
“I’m sorry, Jane. I’m out with them. We’re not meeting anybody.” Emma bit her lip, hoping that there was no one privy to this private conversation in any of the stalls.
Jane’s eyes got big, and then she rolled them and put out a hand when Emma would have said more. “Say no more. Have fun. Talk to you later.”
Emma frowned in disappointment as her friend stalked out of the restroom. Jane was jealous and probably a little hurt because Emma hadn’t spent much time with her. Leaning against the vanity, it occurred to Emma that if Jane was really her friend, she’d eventually understand. If she wasn’t, this was as good a time as any to let her go.
* * * *
An hour later, Duke helped Emma from the truck, admiring her long, shapely legs once more. He and Gage escorted her through the front door of The Dancing Pony. The rhythm of an upbeat country song pulsed in the air as they entered the dimly lit nightclub.
Rainier, Heather - Their Divine Doctor, A Holiday Ménage [Divine Creek Ranch 9] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 11