by EmMz
My fingers trailed lightly over the Anderson’s console table in the empty entertaining room I was in. What would it be like to have someone so in love with me I’d feel safe and protected forever? Chase was right. I used to have a crush on Taylor—okay, so it was a huge crush. But, now, looking back I see how much I was just bowled over with him being Taylor Anderson, and I didn’t dig deeper into the person that Chloe saw. He was just the one guy every other girl was in love with, so it was really easy for me to imagine myself in love too.
I want to be in love. That thought stunned me a moment and I froze, thinking it over. I do want to be in love. I want to have someone see me, the real me and love me anyway. With a groan, I sat down on the nearest sofa. Why does everyone think I’m such a snob? There was no way I was going to find the guy of my dreams if I couldn’t attract him. What guy—besides shallow losers like Elton—would want someone who thought they were conceited, anyway? Which brought me to a much more contemplative thought—Am I conceited?
“Emmalee! There you are.”
I turned my head and tried not to sigh when I saw Claire making her way toward me. Can’t a girl get any privacy? “Hi, Clair—”
“I was wondering where you were! I’ve been trying to find you this whole—Wow! What a pretty fireplace! Can you believe the size of this house—we love this house! It always makes me so happy to come—Chloe is just so lucky. None of us could believe it when my big sister captured Taylor’s heart. I mean the Taylor Anderson—he, he, he! I giggled for three days straight when I heard they were going out! He’s so nice too—don’t you think he’s--? Oh! Look at this couch! Wow! It’s so comfortable! You have to try this one—oh, never mind I see yours and mine are the same—but aren’t they so--? Cassidy! Come in! You have to try these cushions out. See, sit here by me. Now aren’t they—this reminds me of when Ethan came over earlier. Doesn’t it remind you of when he came over, Cass? He sat on our couch and we all talked about the coziness of the cushions—he ate a lot for dinner! Emma, have you ever seen Ethan eat?” She stopped and looked up at me expectantly.
Oh, is it my turn to talk? “Uh, no. I haven’t.” And then before Claire could break in again, I quickly added, “I’m sorry, did you say Ethan Franklin was at your house for dinner today?”
“Yep!” Claire was all smiles. “Not only did we have Ethan, but we had all the Franklin’s over! Even Madison, Chloe’s friend was there and her dad, and then of courseTaylor.”
Ethan went to their house for Thanksgiving dinner? Holy cow! The Hart’s had better guests than we did! Good grief! “So, um—” How to say this delicately? “Why are you—?” Why are you here? And then all at once I knew the answer, before Claire could confirm it. The Hart’s came because of Taylor. Even though, they had already had a full slew of guests, they obviously ended their evening early so they could come for dessert here.
“Emma, can you help me clear off the rest of the plates?” My mother’s look reminded me that in no uncertain terms was I allowed to disagree.
I smiled. “Sure.” Reaching around Mrs. Hart’s arm, I collected her used plate while she chatted away to Chase’s mom. Chloe’s dad was quick to pass me his plate along with Chloe’s and Taylor’s. “Thanks,” I muttered. Turning to head into the adjoining kitchen, I reached down to fetch another plate to add to the pile when the dishes in my arms began to slip.
“Whoa!” Chase was at my side in an instant. “Here.” He settled the plates in my arms. “You take those into your mom, and I’ll follow you with the rest.”
“Thanks.” My smile was wasted. Chase had already turned and begun collecting the rest of the Anderson’s china. I wandered into the kitchen and gently set the mass of dishes on the counter next to my mom. She had filled the sink with hot soapy water.
“And before you say anything, young lady—” she thought it informative to remind me, “Yes. We are going to wash all of these dishes ourselves—and no, the Anderson’s maid is not here today. She got the day off to spend with her family.”
Great. Just my luck. “Did I say anything?” I asked innocently.
“You didn’t have to,” Mom mumbled. “I know you well.”
“So is there a reason why we do this every time we’re over here?” I complained as I scraped excess pie crusts and filling into the sink with the disposal. “I never see theAnderson’s help us with our dishes.”
My mother gave me ‘the look’ and took the first plate from my hand. As she rinsed it she reminded me, “No matter how many blessings you have been accustomed to, I hope you will always remember the times before I married Adrian Bradford, and you were just Emmalee Glumm. We didn’t have a dishwasher or anything. To wash someone’s dishes is a sign of respect. It’s a way of saying thank you. And no matter what—whether they return the favor or not—we love our friends and will wash their dishes for them.” She dunked the plate into the soapy water and I watched her gloved hands use the sponge to clean them.
Chase was so close to us, it made both my mom and I jump when he spoke. “Here are the rest of the plates. If you’ll scoot over Em, I’ll set them down right next to you.”
My face flamed and I wondered if he had heard my ungraciousness. Whether he did or not, I couldn’t gauge anything from him, because he kept his head turned toward my mom.
“Thank you, Chase.” She flashed her smile up at him. “You are so nice.”
“No problem.” He shrugged and the turning to me asked, “Need help drying?”
“Uh, sure.”
“Great.” He turned around and made a full circle before he sheepishly asked, “Do you know where the dish towels are? I think I know your kitchen better than my own.”
My mom laughed. “Third drawer down on your right.”
“Where?”
“Here.” I walked over to the towel drawer and handed him one. “You do know how to dry dishes, don’t you?” I raised an eyebrow up at him.
“Again, I did work for that toughest manager in all of New Mexico, remember?” He flipped his towel expertly in the air and rested it on his shoulder.
“So. I thought you couldn’t hand dry dishes in restaurants?”
“Dang. You know that?” Chase grinned impishly at me.
I laughed and rolled my eyes. “Are you ready for your first lesson?” I leaned over and collected one of the growing pile of plates my mom had stacked on the counter. Just as I was about to dry it my cell rang. “Oops! Hang on.” I handed the plate over to Chase and fumbled with the phone in my pocket.
Top of Form
“Hello?”
“Hey, Emma. This is Ethan Franklin.”
“Ethan?” Oh my gosh! He called me! Eeeh. I beamed up at Chase and then over at my mom. Neither looked overly thrilled. “Uh, hang on.” I switched the phone to my other ear and walked over to the back of the kitchen by the Anderson’s breakfast table. “What’s up?”
“It’s all set for us to go to the movie tomorrow afternoon. There’s a whole group of us going. You want to come?”
“Sure! That’d be awesome. I’d love to go to the movies.” I glanced up at my mom and she jerked her head slightly in Chase’s direction. Thank goodness his back was to me. Fine. “Can Chase come too?”
At the mention of his name he looked over at me. I smiled and listened to Ethan as he said, “Okay, that’ll be great. He’s cool. Oh and hey, you promise you’ll sit next to me, right?”
“Sit next to you?” I giggled. “What if I don’t want to sit next to you?”
Ethan’s whispered voice tickled my ear. “Oh, you will. I promise.”
I lowered my voice teasingly. “So, is it a date then? I mean, I think you can only claim a seat next to me if you’re paying my way.”
A utensil clattered loudly to the floor. I glanced up to see Chase duck down behind the counter to pick it up.
“Why else do you think I’d go to all this trouble—getting this group together—if it wasn’t to ask you out? Of course it’s a date.”
I giggled a
gain. “Really?” I couldn’t help asking. “You went to all this trouble just for me?”
Chase interrupted from across the room, “What time are we supposed to be there?”
“Oh, Chase wants to know when we need to be there?”
“And tell him I’ll be taking you,” said Chase. “There’s no reason for him to come out here and pick you up if I’m going too.”
“Uh—?” Chase looked determined. Good grief! “Ethan? Chase says he’ll give me a ride to the movie too.”
“Are you kidding me?” Ethan laughed. “What if I wanted to pick you up?”
“Then you’ll live and settle by buying me popcorn instead.”
“And Milk Duds?” he joked.
“Hmm… How about you get me Junior Mints and we’ll call it good.”
“So, I buy you movie tickets, I buy you popcorn, and I buy you Junior Mints, but I can’t pick you up and drive you home?”
“Nope.” I smiled at his groan.
“That’s a tough break for a guy, you know?”
“Why?” I didn’t think my grin could get any bigger.
“Don’t you know?” his voice got a bit deeper. “It’s the only time a guy can really get to know a girl. Outside on her front porch as he kiss—”
“So, when are we meeting? What time?” interrupted Chase again.
Can’t the guy see I’m on the phone? Urgh. Speaking of timing, he has the worst.
Chapter 17
"Hey, baby. What's your sign?"
The movie was great! It actually went pretty well. Much better than I thought it would go considering the train wreck possibilities it had. Especially once I realized the Franklin brothers had included not only Elton and his new girlfriend, but the Hart sisters as well.
Cassidy, fine. I can understand why as Chloe’s sister she would need to be included, but to invite Claire—the youngest one—too? Sheez, is there no escaping the girl?
By the time I had got off the phone with Ethan the night before, Chase had arranged to invite and pick up Hannah too. Which was really cool until I remembered as I held the car door open for her to get out, that I’d forgotten to mention Ethan had invited Elton and his new girlfriend also.
All at once, watching Claire as she bounded over to us from two rows down, didn’t seam that daunting after all. I quickly tried to shield Hannah from seeing Elton’s sleek sports car guide into place a few feet from us, but I was too late.
“You’ve got to be kidding me. He’s here too? This is so embarrassing!” She groaned behind me.
I swiftly turned around and placed my hands on Hannah’s shoulders. “Don’t worry about it. Stand up tall, slap the biggest smile you can find on your face and congratulate them.”
“What? No way! There is no way I’m going near that guy!” Hannah freaked, and began to climb back in the car.
“Hannah wait.”
“Look, you go on without me. I don’t feel so good anyway, I think I’ll take a nap.”
“What? In Chase’s car?” I didn’t think she’d take it this hard. Maybe I should just take her home and forget about Ethan and the movie. After all, friends come first. “Hannah--”
In a flash Chase was next to me. “Hannah?” he asked, using a voice I had never heard before. “Do you mind sitting with me in the theater?”
She looked past me and dropped her jaw. “Shut it! Are you trippin me?”
Chase flashed a killer smile. “No. I’d like to buy your tickets also, if you don’t mind?”
Hannah dazedly smiled up at him, before she blinked and nodded her head. “Uh, sure.”
“Great!” His grin lit up his tanned features nicely—if I do say so myself. He held his hand out for her and I was pleased to see the huge smile break out on Hannah’s face.
All at once, I found myself giddy with joy. Chase Anderson is the nicest guy ever! What a sweetheart!
“Thanks!” I whispered and smiled up at him as he passed me, still holding Hannah’s hand.
His answering grunt left much to be desired, but I giggled anyway. By the time I had followed them a few steps Claire had made it up to us, Elton and his girlfriend waited by their car.
“Hey guys! Can you believe we’re going to a movie! I love movies! Especially scary ones—I hope this movie is scary! Does anyone know what movie we’re going to see? It’s been so long since I’ve seen one I don’t even know what’s out. So what’s out? What are we gonna watch? Ooh! I hope it’s something really scary—well, not too scary. I can’t watch rated R movies. You guys know that right? I mean, you know that me and Cassidy and Chloe don’t watch any really bad-bad movies. I just like the sorta scary ones—Oh! Cass! Look who’s here! Chase came with Hannah and Emmalee! Aren’t you excited? She—“
“So is the movie out here now, or what?” Elton called to us from his car.
Chase muttered something under his breath. Pulling Hannah with him, he walked up to Elton and then right on past towards the theater without saying a word. By the time Claire and I made it to Elton and his girlfriend, Cassidy, Chloe and Taylor had joined us. Which I was totally grateful for, because it helped take the awkwardness out of meeting Ashley Templeton alone.
“I don’t think I’ve seen you aroundFarmington, have I?” I asked trying to be friendly, but wanting to be anywhere than where I was.
Ashley flipped her stylishly fringed hair to one shoulder and looked me up and down. She must’ve liked what she saw, because she smugly answered, “Oh, you would know if you’ve seen me. Everyone knows me at Pedra Vista. Let’s just say, I’m something like the crowned queen over there.”
“Oh.” Full of ourselves, aren’t we? “So do you like Pedra Vista?” About ten years before the city split the main high school into two. Pedra Vista was definitely our rival school. Elton Bloomfield would pick a girl from there. No one from our school would be able to stand the jerk!
She ignored my question. “You’re Emmalee Bradford, aren’t you?” Ashley asked with a coy look toward Elton.
Great, I wonder if he’s said something to her. Probably not. He’s too much of a coward. “Yep. I’m Emma.”
She smiled showing all of her teeth. It was probably her attempt at my Bradford smile. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“You have?” Maybe Elton did say something. I briefly glanced up at him, but he was talking to Taylor and Chloe and not paying attention.
“Yep.” Surprisingly she linked her arm through mine and began to walk with me across the parking lot up to the movie theater. “I think you and I are really going to get along.”
Yeah right! “You do, huh?”
“Yep!” We climbed up on the curb. “You and I have so much in common we were destined to be friends.”
Destined to be friends? O-kay. Somebody is seriously delusional. “So, how did you hear about me?” I asked just for curiosity sake.
“Oh! Everyone knows about you! I mean, your Emmalee Bradford. So tell me--just between you and me—was that Chase Anderson? And is he taken or single?”
“Chase?!” I stopped walking.
“Shhh!” She giggled and pulled me up toward the door. “Don’t say it so loud, Elton’ll hear you.”
Wait a minute. “You like Chase?” I asked quieter this time.
“Well, duh! I mean, the obvious choice is Taylor, of course.” She turned behind her as we walked through the door—I assumed to drool over Taylor. “But, hello, it’s evident he’s taken. Which wouldn’t have been for long if I had any say in the matter—believe me. IfTaylor thinks he’s found the girl of his dreams, he hasn’t met me yet.”
Is she for real? Baffled, I froze.
She allowed the door to swing close and it almost hit me as I made my way in.
“Well, that was until I just now caught a glimpse of Chase. That was Chase wasn’t it? The guy who came storming past Elton and I? Clearly you can see the family resemblance. He didn’t look too happy to be with that girl—what’s her name?”
I was having a hard time followi
ng her. “You mean, Hannah Smith?”
She nodded and drew me closer to whisper. “Figures. I should’ve known her name would’ve been Hannah.” She sighed. “No one really can compete with the name Ashley. There’s just a certain ring to it, don’t you think?”
I think I have a headache.
“At least that’s what all my friends have told me.” Ashley smiled and flipped her hair again. “Ashley Templeton. Yep, remember that name. It’s going places.” She then released my arm as she caught sight of Chase to saunter over and grace him with her presence.
Yeah, your name’s goin’ places all right. Right back to the trailer park you came from. The hussy. Who does she think she is trying to weasel her way into the Anderson home?
“Emma! You’re here!”
I turned to see Ethan happily jog up to me with a couple of tickets in his hand. “I just got the tickets. When did you get here?”
“A few minutes ago. Were you able to get the tickets we were hoping for?”
“Yep! It was released today. I’ve got the rest of the group tix on reserve. But they better get in quick, or they won’t hold ‘em much longer.” He scanned the foyer and then out the windows. “Oh, here they are! Great! They’re just walking in.” He waved and then said, “Just a sec. I’ll be right back.”
I looked back over to see Chase gently disengaging himself from Elton’s leech, Ashley. He still had a firm grip on Hannah’s hand, which I found promising. I chuckled wickedly to myself. Maybe she’ll get the hint and go away?
“So what’s she like?”
Chloe’s voice near my elbow nearly startled me, but I recovered quickly, “Who? Ashley?”