by Dawn Brower
“Okay, start from the beginning.”
Colt took a deep breath and told her everything. From the moment he walked into Dr. Ellwood’s office and found Emma flirting with Ian Ellwood—to the present. It had taken all of his self-control not to stake his claim on Emma. Ian was an up and coming cardiothoracic surgeon. Intimidating? Hell yeah.
“So we were sitting there talking and she blurts out that she thinks we need to, well, get along.”
“As you should.”
Colt nodded. “I agreed. I mean I want more, but it’s a start. It gave me a tiny ping of hope. I mean it’s progress right?”
“It is. So what led her to believe you and I are more than friends?”
He sighed and sat back in his seat. “She said she didn’t want there to be any tension between us now that she is dating again. It would be awkward now that we are in the same social circles.”
The smile on Alison’s face fell. “Oh, you poor thing. I mean I want to say good for Emma, but she’s being stubborn. She has to realize things didn’t go the way she thinks they did with you and Missy. At the very least she has to now know you are not that little girl’s father.”
“I’m sure Tori’s made her aware of that at least. Hell, it was in the news for over a week. The whole world should know that.” Colt ran his hands over his face and sighed. “I didn’t know how to react so I did without thinking.”
“You need to be honest with her. Tell her you fibbed because you didn’t want to look like a loser and not dating anyone. Oh, wait you are.” Alison stole a piece of bread out of the basket, unwrapped it, and broke it in half. She shoved a piece in her mouth. “That’s heavenly. I love food.”
Colt sat back as shock filled him at her words. How could she suggest he tell Emma he was a loser? She’d never take him back if she still believed he was a worthless bastard. She’d dumped him and didn’t want anything to do with him. He had to prove to her he was worth her time again. That someone else might want him too.
“I can’t tell her that!”
“Why not? It’s the truth.”
“I need to win her back, not alienate her further.”
“Okay, you lost me. How would dating me make her want you back?”
“If someone—namely you—thinks I’m worth dating, maybe she’ll think so too.”
Alison’s mouth hung open for several seconds. Her eyes scrunched down and stared at him. “That’s the biggest load of bull crap I’ve ever heard.”
“Come on Ali, help me out here. I need you,” he begged.
She sat back and crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. “Oh, good grief, you are truly hopeless.”
“So you’ll help me?”
“What am I going to have to do?”
He shrugged. “Not much. Pretend to like me when Emma is around us.”
“I do like you. I don’t have to pretend. You’re such an idiot” Alison stuck her tongue out at him.
Colt laughed. “I know.”
“Emma isn’t going to believe this nonsense. She’s going to want proof then what are you going to do?”
“Why don’t we cross that bridge when we get to it?”
Alison shook her head. “No, I want a game plan in place now. I want an end date to our supposed dating too. I’m not going to pretend for very long.” She shuddered. “It’s already giving me the heebie-jeebies.”
“Fine. What do you think we should do?”
Alison took her spoon and dipped it in her chili. She brought it up to her mouth and pushed it inside. After she was done chewing she wiped her mouth with her napkin. “Your goal is to get Emma to notice you right?”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“Then you need to make her jealous. You’ve already given her pause to think by saying we’re dating.”
“Oh, I see your point. How are we going to start making her jealous?”
Alison let her spoon rest on the side of her bowl. She formed a bridge with her hands and rested her chin on top of them. “She doesn’t believe it’s real. If she did she wouldn’t be so amiable.”
“I’m not following you.”
“She volunteered to cover for me so I could meet you for lunch. A jealous woman does not give her replacement help to see her ex—especially as messy as your breakup was. She doesn’t think we’re really dating—and of course she’s right, we most definitely are not.”
“She could be over me.” Colt hated to even think she was. He loved her so much and couldn’t imagine not having her in his life. He wanted to marry Emma and spend the rest of his life with her.
“She’s not. I’ll give you that she’s quite good at faking it, but trust me Emma still loves you. She doesn’t want to though.”
Could Alison be right? Did Emma still love him? He didn’t want to hope, but he couldn’t help it. He’d been without her for so long. “What do you suggest?”
“Didn’t she mention she’s dating?”
“Yeah, thanks for reminding me of that.”
Alison shook her head. “Don’t get all melancholy yet. Who’s she dating? I assume she gave you a name since you jumped on me as your would-be girlfriend right off the bat.”
“Dr. Ellwood’s son, Ian.” Colt sighed. “He’s starting his residency at U of W’s medical center. I guess he’s an up and coming cardiothoracic surgeon. His father can’t stop gushing about how proud he is of him.”
“Well, it’s good to see one of you display such a wonderful amount of jealousy.”
“Glad I could entertain you.”
“Don’t be that way. I’m here to help you.” Alison twisted her fingers together. “First, I’m going to arrange for us to somehow meet while they are out.”
“How are you going to do that?” Colt didn’t know Alison could be so devious.
“Easy. I’ll ask Emma and then we can see if there is a way to finagle a reservation at the same place. If we’re lucky maybe even share a table.”
“I’m going to have to trust you. I don’t see how it’s possible.”
“Leave the hard part to me, but I have to ask—are you prepared to go the distance with this?”
“What do you mean?”
“You know kiss me when necessary or hold my hand. Emma needs to believe we are a couple.”
Colt sat back stunned. He hadn’t thought he’d have to do that, but if he was going to make Emma jealous he would have to. “Yeah, I can do it.”
“You don’t need to sound so enthused. I’m not looking forward to it myself, but since you’re my bestie I’ll take one for the team so to speak.” Alison laughed.
“Thanks, Ali. You are the best friend I’ve ever had.”
“Don’t mention it. I mean ever. Once you get Emma back, I never want to speak of this again. Now finish your food. I need to get back to the office as soon as possible and begin our plan of attack.”
Colt smiled and did as she told him to. He figured she’d know what to do. It’s why he called her and begged her to meet him. He and Alison had become good friends when she moved out west to continue on as Tori’s assistant. He’d been absolutely miserable for a long time and only found a way to smile again when he started hanging out with her. He’d been blessed the day she’d come into his life. Now she was going to help him get the love of his life back. If she managed to accomplish that, he’d owe her forever.
Chapter Six
Emma walked into the Italian restaurant with Ian. She’d always been fond of pasta and looked forward to a night of good food and even better company. Besides, she owed Ian. He’d allowed her to have a good excuse to leave Tori’s condo and avoid Wes a little bit longer. She knew she was being silly, but she didn’t want to listen to another lecture or watch Wes glower at her for the rest of the evening.
“I don’t know, are you sure you want to wait? I swear I made reservations—or at least I thought I had…”
Emma jolted at the sound of Colt’s voice. He stood in front of her with Alison at his side. He looked so good
dressed up in a nice suit, dark blue to compliment his eyes. So far, neither one noticed her and Ian walk in, at least as far as she could tell—it gave her a moment to study them both. Colt’s hand rested at Alison’s waist, an intimate gesture of familiarity. He appeared to only have eyes for her and didn’t pay attention to anyone around them. It stabbed her in the heart—pain she’d not been expecting. It made her realize she hadn’t believed Colt when he’d said he and Alison were dating. Why would she? He hadn’t been very convincing. Now, seeing them, it caused her to recognize something she’d been unwilling to admit. She still loved Colt. She didn’t like seeing him with someone else—apparently happy. Now she’d have to swallow a very bitter pill and wish them both happy. Even if she could forget how he betrayed her and let him into her life again, he’d decided she wasn’t worth fighting for anymore. Emma had pushed him away too much.
Ian led Emma toward the hostess podium and stopped suddenly. “Say, isn’t that the football guy from earlier today?”
“Yeah,” Emma admitted, begrudgingly.
He studied her a moment and said, “Does it bother you seeing him here with a date?”
Hell yes, it bothered her! “No, of course not.”
At her words, Alison turned around and said, “Oh, Emma, how nice to see you again. Do you two have reservations here?”
No, they thought they’d come in and hope they’d get lucky. Emma bit back the nasty retort because here Colt and Alison were without reservations. Some people probably did hope to find a table by just walking in. “Yes, we do.”
“You’re lucky. Colt forgot to call in a reservation—even if he swears he did.”
“I’m telling you I talked to someone on the phone earlier. They must have forgotten to write down the reservation.”
“Ours is right now. If you want I can see if they can get a table for four instead of two,” Ian offered.
Emma wanted to scream ‘no’ as loud as possible. The last thing she wanted was to spend the evening watching Colt administer all his charm and affection on Alison. “That’s a good idea. Why don’t you go ask the hostess if it’s possible?” Please, if there is a God, let it not be.
Ian nodded and walked up to the podium and talked to the hostess. She was in an animated conversation with him for a few minutes and walked away. Ian returned to their side and gave them the scoop. “She’s going to go make sure, but didn’t see any reason why she couldn’t get a table for all of us.”
“Oh, how wonderful. It’s nice of you to let us crash your party,” Alison gushed.
Emma wanted to smack her. Colt didn’t say a word just stood next to her all broody and so gorgeous. She clenched her hands at her side to keep herself from reaching up and running her fingers through his hair. Something she used to do out of habit—she’d adored the feel of the silky strands.
“It’s no problem really. We don’t mind.” Ian turned to Emma and said, “Do we?”
“Of course not,” she agreed.
As soon as they were seated she would order a drink. She’d need a lot of alcohol to get through the evening. Maybe she’d order a whole bottle. Of course, if she did that they’d assume she wanted to share it. Instead, she should order something stronger, a piña colada—or two—like the Garth Brooks song, one for each hand.
“Your table is ready if you all would follow me,” the hostess interjected, interrupting Emma’s plans of an alcoholic coma.
They all followed her to their table and sat. It wasn’t until they were all seated that she realized Colt would be right next to her for the entire evening. She had him on her left and Ian on her right, with Alison directly across from her. Emma was in hell.
“So why did you two choose to come here tonight?”
“I heard it had good food, and it seemed like a good place for us to try,” Colt explained.
“So neither one of you has eaten here before?”
Colt shook his head. “No, I haven’t gone out much—and well since the season started I haven’t had much time in the evening.”
“We haven’t been seeing each other very long,” Alison explained. “We’ve been hanging out for a while now, but only recently decided to try for something more.”
“Ah I see,” Ian said.
Really? What did he see, and could he explain it to her? As far as Emma could see they looked awfully cozy together even if they’d only recently started dating. There had to be something there for them to take the next step. Damn her traitorous heart. She really shouldn’t care that Colt had moved on. For all he knew, she and Ian were also on a date. He didn’t know they’d decided to just be friends.
“Hi, my name is Melissa and I’ll be your server for the evening. Can I get you something to drink to start?”
Emma looked up and gasped. “You have to be kidding me.”
In front of her stood the one woman she never wanted to see again. She had black hair cut into a cute pixie style. Her brown eyes widened in shock when she noticed who all sat at the table. She backed up into another waitress with a tray of drinks, and one toppled over the side. A glass of red wine dripped down and landed on top of Emma.
“I’m so sorry…” Melissa grabbed a towel and began to pat Emma dry. “I didn’t mean for that to happen, I swear.”
“Stop it. Stop being helpful,” Emma screeched. This really wasn’t her night. Could it get any worse? “Just go, please.”
Missy jerked back as if Emma had slapped her. She nodded, her whole body stiff, turned on her heels, and rushed away from the table.
“Missy wait,” Colt called and went after her.
“Of course he would chase after her. Got to make sure she’s all right doesn’t he,” Emma muttered cynically.
“You’re being a bit hard on him don’t you think?” Alison raised an eyebrow and mocked her. “He’s only doing the decent thing. If you weren’t so bitter, you’d see that. Missy was upset. She is at work. She didn’t expect to run into Colt, let alone both of you.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t feel sorry for her,” Emma retorted. “I can’t and I won’t.”
“You shouldn’t and I’m not saying you should, but at least be the bigger person. She did you wrong, but you don’t have to be a bitch about it.”
“It’s easy for you to say—she didn’t rip your whole world apart.” Emma glared at her. “You can sit up there in your tower and judge me all you want, but I will never feel anything but contempt for that woman.”
Alison grinned. “Why is that Emma? Shouldn’t you have let it all go by now? It’s been over a year, and you’ve moved on. Why hate Missy any longer?”
Why indeed? Because if not for her, Colt wouldn’t be here with Alison. They’d still be in love and planning their wedding. Instead, she sat at a table with Colt’s new girlfriend, and she didn’t even have a drink to swallow down the bitter pill. What baffled her the most was how pleased Alison appeared to be. She wanted to punch her smug smile off her face.
“Because I want to.” Emma glared. “You think we can get a different waitress? I need a drink.”
“I’ll go ask,” Ian said as he pushed his chair back and stood.
Ian had been quiet the whole time. Emma had forgotten he was even with them. She’d been a moron and yeah, a bitch as Alison pointed out. As soon as she got the chance she’d make it up to him.
“Ian, wait,” she called.
He stopped and turned. “Yes?”
“Can we leave? My dress has wine all over it, and I find I’ve lost my appetite.”
“Sure we can do that,” he agreed.
“Thanks. I’m sorry I’m being so difficult. Maybe we can do this another time?”
“Absolutely.” He nodded his head at Alison. “Please give our regrets to Colt. I hope you both have a better evening than it’s started out.”
“I will,” Alison said. “Emma, call me tomorrow. I think perhaps we need to talk.”
Alison was right. They probably did need to talk, but Emma didn’t really want to. She
knew the other woman had a lot of questions. Emma had given them her blessing, and now she was acting like a spoiled child in the throes of a temper tantrum. She clearly didn’t know what she wanted. Before she could have a conversation of any kind with Alison, she’d need to get that straight in her head.
“Okay,” she agreed. What she didn’t say was she had no intention of calling her anytime soon. In fact, Emma actually planned on avoiding her for a while. At least long enough to get a grip on her unwanted emotions. She would not be discussing anything with Alison until she could admit she no longer had any romantic inclinations toward Colt. She owed it to Alison and herself to eradicate them from her heart. She’d pushed Colt away one too many times, and now he was lost to her for good. It was time she found a way to live without him in her life. It hurt, a lot more than she thought it would, to realize she had to let him go. Somewhere in the back of her mind she’d believed he would always be there. What a fool she’d been.
“You want to explain what that was all about?” Ian asked as they walked out of the restaurant.
“It’s a long story.” Emma sighed.
“I’m willing to listen if you want to talk about it.”
Emma could feel tears form in the corner of her eyes. Damn it she didn’t want to feel this pain welling up inside her heart. “Missy is the one that claimed she was pregnant with Colt’s baby.”
“I see. I do remember seeing that in the news.” Ian tilted his head and studied her. “She’s the reason you two broke up.”
“Yeah, pretty much.”
“I heard the baby isn’t his.”
“So they say…”
“You don’t believe it?” he asked, startled.
“No.” Emma waved her hand. “That’s not it. I don’t know—I’m incredibly sad right now. I’m not good company.”
“You still love him.”
“I guess I do.”
“Then why don’t you tell him that?” he asked, baffled. “If the woman I loved still wanted to be with me I’d jump at a second chance.”
“I can’t. It’s too late for us.” Emma wiped the corners of her eyes. The tears wouldn’t be held at bay. “He’s happy again. I’m not going to ruin it for him.”