“I hear you, and I think that is a big part of it. All I have ever had here is a couple of close friends and this job. I’m beginning to want more but just don’t know where to start. I’m hoping being back home will make all that easier. I am keen to reconnect with some of my old friends and spend a bit more time with my mom and dad.” She looked up at Bill, who was watching her with a concerned expression.
“Well, I will set the wheels in motion on Monday. I’m due to meet with the other partners, and I’m sure I can convince them that we need a branch office in Oklahoma.” He smiled and as they both stood, he stepped forward and enveloped Emma in a huge hug. “You know you’ve been so good for this place,” he added as he scanned the office space outside of Emma’s large room. “I just hope that we can make things work for you. I often look on you more as family than an employee, and I know the others will agree you can do this. Go now it’s getting late. You have a good weekend. We will talk on Monday.”
He released her and as he walked away Emma heaved a huge sigh of relief. Things were finally feeling a lot more positive for her and as she packed up her things, ready to meet with Bruce and Lou she noticed the message icon on her cell phone blinking. Lily had called and so had the blocked number again. Alarm bells began to ring in her head as she tried calling Lily’s number and was met by a solid tone. Trying several times again she was met by the same dead tone. If she didn’t know any better, it sounded like the number had been disconnected.
Chapter Seventeen
Emma frantically tried the number she had for Lily’s apartment as she descended the elevator to the lobby of the offices. After the elevator came to a stop on the first floor, she exited and headed to the revolving door at the front of the building. The receptionist startled her as she called over, “Miss McKellan? Could you come over here please? I have a package that has been delivered for you.”
Curious as to the contents of the small package, Emma approached the desk, “Oh, thank you. When did this arrive? Do you know who it is from?” she questioned the receptionist as she examined the small brown package. It was just slightly larger than a document package and felt like it contained some paperwork. The white label simply had her name printed in black letters with the name of the office-building underneath. She was immediately intrigued.
“No, Miss McKellan, I am sorry, but the lady who dropped it off was in a hurry and didn’t leave her name or where she had come from.”
“Lady, you say? Wonder who that could be? Did you see what she looked like?”
“No, I’m sorry, I didn’t. She was wearing a black hooded jacket and pants with black cap over her hair and dark glasses and she looked in a hurry and didn’t waste any time in leaving. She left as soon as she was satisfied I had instructions to pass this to you as soon as I saw you. She looked like a courier, although her clothing wasn’t branded at all,” she explained to Emma efficiently.
Emma was now very late and pondered briefly whether or not she should open the package or simply wait until Monday. It looked like some business documents that have been couriered over last minute and she was tired and late to meet Bruce and Lou. Thanking the receptionist and bidding her a good weekend, she threw the package into her briefcase for later. If it was work-related, it would wait.
She hailed a cab and as she gave the driver directions to M’s Place, she continued on her quest to find Lily. Thankfully the apartment phone rang through and she managed to leave a quick message on the answerphone for Lily to call her as soon as possible. Within seconds, she heard her phone ding with the sound of an incoming message. She picked it up and saw a message:
GARY Cell: Lily here. Issues with cell. Be in touch soon
Relieved, she lay back in the cab seat and closed her eyes and mulled over the events of the afternoon as they drove towards the diner.
When the cab dropped her off at the intersection opposite the diner, she could see both Bruce and Lou in the booth by the window looking relaxed and happy and surprisingly being very affectionate out in public. She knew immediately today must have gone well, especially after the message Bill had passed on to her. Bruce spotted her as she opened the door to the diner and he literally jumped and took her in an embrace, a huge smile spread across his face. “Emma, glad you finally made it! It’s good to see you,” he said as he handed her over to a now standing Lou, who towered over her with his six foot plus frame.
Sweeping her into his arms, he smiled down at her. “Darlin’, so glad you’re here! We need to get celebratin’ the fact that I can shout from the rooftops ‘bout how much I love this guy. An’ that’s all down to you and your heart to heart with my man here!”
“Hey guys,” Emma finally managed to say as she was set on her feet and walked over to their booth. She waved across at George who raised his eyebrows and nodded at the two overly affectionate guys she found herself with. He sauntered over with his order pad at the ready and greeted them all, “Well, good evenin’, Miss Emma, I see you’ve met my two other frequent customers? What can I get you all this evening?”
“Hey George, and yes, I’ve actually known Bruce for a while, in fact probably for most of the time I’ve been in New York. We do a lot of work together, but meeting like this is new.” She smiled as she turned to watch Bruce and Lou.
“Yes, it is and she is the lady I’ve been telling you about, George. She is the very same fair lady who accompanies me to most of my functions. But I am so surprised we’ve never seen each other here before today. It seems this lovely diner is the place to escape to when life gets harsh,” Bruce said for the benefit of both George and Lou.
“Well, I have to say it’s been a lifesaver for me, too. So, what can I get you all?” George replied as his eyes misted over.
“The usual for me, George,” Emma replied.
“You first, Lou, I’m still deciding,” Bruce muttered as he continued to study the menu closely.
“I’ll have the Mega Mac ‘n Cheese and can you get me a side order of them sweet ‘tata fries, too, George? An’ I’ll take my usual coffee, thanks.” Lou deep voice rumbled as he gave his order.
“What a surprise, do you ever have anything else?” Bruce laughed then turned to George.
“Oh, for a change I will try the the chili dog and fries, and a homemade lemonade. Thanks, George.”
“Comin’ right up, people.” George smiled as he took the menus from each of them and headed for the back of the diner. Emma quickly turned her attention to the two guys eager for the lowdown on the day’s events.
“So, are you going to keep me in suspense? What was Arnauld’s reaction? I’m guessing by the looks of the two of you that everything went okay today.”
“More than okay, in fact. The old faker knew all along and was waiting for me to confess. I nearly choked him when he busted out laughing and walked over to hug Lou. I swear it was the most nerve wracking thing I’ve ever had to do and the old man was just lapping up how awkward I was.” Bruce smiled fondly.
“What’s got you laughin’ there, Bruce?” Lou laughed as he pulled a curious face at his boyfriend.
“I’m just remembering back to how nervous I was when we headed to see my father. If it hadn’t been for you being there Lou, I would have run a mile.” He admitted, a scowl crossing his face.
“Hell yes, darlin’ it was a hellish experience at first an’ I was pretty relieved when the old fella busted out into the biggest grin an’ came an’ just hugged me. The old man is a pretty understandin’ gentleman, though. He kept us both goin’ right ‘til Bruce here confessed.”
“Aww, guys I’m so happy for you but if he knew why didn’t he say anything before?” Emma questioned, knowing Arnauld wasn’t usually one for holding back when it came to things like this.
“He said he had been suspicious for a long time about my sexuality and had hoped that by trying to push me into you it would have made me confess. He was of the opinion that it was up to me to come to him and was a little upset that I was so scared. He di
d say it was a bit of a shock at first and it took him a time to get his head around the possibility, but the more he thought about it the more I was still his son and no matter what I always would be. He even said how proud he was of me finally coming out.” Bruce’s voice was thick with the emotion he was feeling and as his eyes glassed over he tried hard to compose himself. Clearing his throat, he added softly, “He has also invited us both round for our family Sunday lunch. He wants to formally introduce Lou to everyone as my boyfriend. Including my mom. I’m still unsure of how she will react, but if Pop is on board with it all she will hopefully be a pushover. I can’t tell you how fantastic it feels to finally not be hiding anymore.” He glanced over at Lou with an affectionate look on his face as Lou then leaned in to give him a kiss on his forehead.
“Damned right, Bruce. I love you so much, and it was killin’ me to keep sneakin’ round all the time. I can finally show you off to the world,” a joyful Lou chipped in.
“I’m so pleased for you both, I really am,” Emma agreed. “I have some news myself, and I’m wondering if you guys may be able to help me out a bit with it.”
“Anything, Emma, I mean it. If it wasn’t for you opening my eyes to things, I might have lost Lou forever.” He replied as he took Lou’s hand in his and started to stroke his knuckles. Lou nodded his head in agreement.
George sauntered over with an armful of plates and interrupted the conversation to hand out the steaming food. Everyone dug in and Emma couldn’t remember enjoying a meal as much in a long time. Partly due to the serene feeling that slowly washed over her at her decision and also because for the first time in a long while she was enjoying good company, too.
After taking a few good bites of food, she spoke up, “I had an epiphany of my own in Vegas. I’ve not been happy for a long time living so far away from home, and although it’s been a hard decision to make, I really want to go back home. I miss my mom and dad and I have been alone for so long it’s becoming unhealthy. I’ve had a long meeting with Bill today and he agrees that I should be able to manage most of my workload from home and only have to come back to New York when I’m needed. I’m sorry if it inconveniences our business relationship, Bruce, but I can assure you I’ll do everything I can to make sure nothing changes for you,” she tried to reassure him.
“Hey, Emma, no worries. I now understand how hard things are for you so I don’t blame you one bit. Besides have you ever heard of cell phones and Skype? It’ll be like you’re still here. And no way is the fact you are moving back to Oklahoma going to stop me from still being the biggest pain in your ass on a daily basis. You’re amazing at what you do and I am sure I’ll be hard pressed to find anyone who I can work with as well as you so quit that worrying and get yourself home,” Bruce gushed as he beamed at Emma and the look on his face said it all.
“Thanks, Bruce, it means a lot to hear you say that. I still wouldn’t mind another favor, though if you were up for it? I will need someone to take care of the apartment and things when I’m gone. I have a realtor coming round this weekend to appraise the place. I’m not sure whether or not to sell or rent at this point, but would need a pair of eyes and ears on the place, either way? I know it’s a big ask but with Lou just round the corner I guessed you might be able to help. It wouldn’t involve a lot, but I’d just rest easier if I knew someone was keeping a lookout.” Emma shyly asked as if she was terrified of asking such a huge favor of her newfound friends. She was going to ask Lily, but sensed that things weren’t great with her and with the kids she felt it was too much to put on her right now.
“Of course we will, darlin’, in fact…” Lou cut his sentence short and looked at Bruce with a questioning expression. As if Bruce could read Lou’s mind, he nodded for him to go ahead. “In fact, we were thinkin’ of gettin’ a place together as soon as we can arrange it. My place is like a shoebox, so we might actually be interested in lookin’ at yours, if that’s okay. My lease is up for renewal soon an’ I love this area. With Bruce on board we’d easily be able to afford the rent between us. So whaddya think?” he suggested.
“I think that would be perfect!” Emma smiled at Lou’s suggestion. “In fact, way more than perfect. I can’t think of better tenants. You have honestly made a good day so much better. I don’t know what timescale I’ll be looking at yet, but I’ll let you know what the realtor says. She’s heading over tomorrow at two. Do you fancy lunch? Then you can be there when she calls. It will save me repeating everything. I’m not much of a cook, but I’m sure I can rustle us up a take-out from here?” she offered.
“It’s a date, darlin’, especially if it includes a cupcake or two. Nah, seriously that makes a heap of sense,” Lou offered and Bruce nodded as he finished the last of his meal.
Rubbing his lean stomach, Bruce asked, “So now we’ve sorted that out, who’s for a Blaze’s bake?” Emma and Lou rolled their eyes dramatically, but neither of them refused his offer.
After sharing more of her plans and grilling the two lovebirds about what their futures entailed, Emma became weary and announced it was time of her to leave. This week had been long and although there were many ups to the Vegas trip, the downs had affected her deeper than she had realized. Leaving the two guys sitting in full view of the masses, now looking like they didn’t have a care in the world, she felt lighter, much lighter than she had in a long time. She was beginning to feel that her life was finally getting back on track for the first time since Charlie had deserted her in that bunker eight years ago. As she wondered back to her apartment alone, she wondered just how long this wonderful feeling was going to last. It wouldn’t be long before she was to find out.
Chapter Eighteen
Sleep had come pretty quickly after she had gone to bed and as she woke she realized that it was full daylight. Glancing at the clock she was startled to see it was already ten thirty. It had been a long time since she has slept for so long and with the mountain of paperwork tackled the previous day she had little by way of work to do this weekend. She got out of bed and took a leisurely bath, enjoying the time to unwind.
Her mind kept drifting to the fact she was heading home soon and that everything was just slotting into place for her. Yet again, a vision of Charlie jumped back into her mind as she remembered what living back in Oklahoma might mean. Her guess was he had moved on, and hopefully had made something of himself. He needed to realize that he was good enough to take care of someone else and if he had the opportunity to do just that she hoped that he would take it. He deserved a shot at happiness, and although she still couldn’t understand quite why he left her like he did, she was beginning to feel less ill feeling towards him.
He had been right and she had been able to carve a career that she enjoyed for herself and perhaps had he moved with her to Harvard, things may had turned out a lot differently. Like would he have followed her to New York and settled here? Would he have been happy to live so far away from his mom? Still, she had found it almost impossible to move on from the feelings she still held for him. Quietly admitting to herself she finally realized that he had held her back from settling into a relationship.
As she got out of the bath and dried herself off, she resolved to make an effort when she moved back home to find someone to share the rest of her life with. She was still young enough at twenty-eight to be able to have it all and she realized that had Charlie still been interested, he would have come for her long before now. Her parents were still reasonably local. Although they had sold the plot of land where her home had been and bought a house in the neighboring town, he knew where her dad’s business was so he had every opportunity to find her had he wanted to. She needed to stop the one-woman pity party and move on.
After dressing and tidying up around the apartment, she headed down to the laundry room in the building and got herself up to date with the laundry. While she was waiting on the clothing to finish drying, she headed out to M’s Place and grabbed a few sandwiches and sodas for her lunch with the guys. She had hoped
to have a chat with George and fill him in on her plans. He was a gentle father-figure in her life and she was going to badly miss him when she left but vowed she would make an effort to return at every opportunity during her visits to New York. He was taking a rare Saturday off from the diner because, as she suddenly remembered, it was his middle son’s birthday weekend. So she would have to catch up with him next week.
She had just finished folding the last of the laundry as her buzzer rang out, announcing Lou and Bruce’s arrival. She jumped up and jogged to the door to let them in. Both swallowed her in a big hug as she showed them in. It was the first time Bruce had actually been inside her apartment and she could tell by the look on his face he was impressed with the space of the place.
“Wow, this is definitely not what I was expecting, Emma, this place is amazing. I’ve always loved the building though and I’m regretting not asking you sooner where you lived. I might have been able to beg an invite in sooner,” he laughed out loud at himself.
“It’s somethin’, darlin’, and I love it already,” Lou replied.
“Thanks, guys. Here, I can show you around, but would either of you like a drink first? I’ve got soda and coffee.”
“No, thanks, not for me, I’ll wait until we eat,” Bruce mumbled as he strode over to the windows at the far end of the living area and took in the pleasant views across the park. He seemed miles away.
“It’s where we used to meet in the early days, darlin’. I’ve spent many a happy evenin’, wandering the footpaths of that park with him, just chattin’ and getting’ to know him. You don’t know just how perfect this place is for us both,” Lou said as he headed over to Bruce and put his arms over his shoulders in a sweet embrace. Emma quietly moved towards the kitchen, leaving the two of them to reflect on what must have been a hard time in their lives. She busied herself getting the food ready as they wandered over. She gave them a quick tour of the rest of the apartment and they sat down at her dining table to have lunch.
Steeling My Haart Page 13