“Nice to meet you, Em. And nice to have you in the shop.” Stella wrote up a quick receipt. “Here you go.”
Em paid, amazed to be getting away so cheaply.
Stella handed her a pink shopping bag with the store name on the side in black. “You come back anytime you like.”
“I will, thanks.” Still smiling, she walked on a little farther and came to a home goods store. She went in and, after a little digging, found a cute apron with dogs on it that seemed like something Gracie might like.
Em bought that, then on her way back to her car, stopped into another shop and bought a birthday card. Hopefully, her aunt would have some wrapping paper.
Feeling very pleased with her purchases, she drove back to Indigo House. Today was a good day. A really good day.
She found Beckett in the kitchen settling down at the counter for lunch. “Hey.”
“Hey to you, Miss Em.” He glanced at her bags. “Doing some shopping?”
“Yes, and I need some wrapping paper for Gracie’s gift. Please tell me there’s some in the house?”
“You’ll find everything you need in the wrapping room.”
“There’s a wrapping room?” Of course there was.
He nodded as he picked up his sandwich. “It’s part of the craft room, really.”
“Oh, I think I know where that is. Great, thank you.”
Chef came in with a tray of ingredients. “Would you like some lunch?”
“No, thank you. I had a big breakfast. But I’ll probably grab something later. No need to make me anything.”
“As you wish.” Chef set about organizing the things she’d brought in.
Em looked at Beckett again. “Is Aunt Amelia going to Gracie’s party?”
“That’s the plan so far. Although I think she’ll probably only stay long enough to drop off her gift and wish Gracie a happy birthday. Gatherings like that are not her thing.”
“Understood. Okay, I’m off to wrap and get ready. I’m helping Deacon and Bishop decorate and get the food set up.”
“That’s very kind of you.” Beckett laughed. “Those boys could use the help, I have no doubt.”
“Yeah, they were just going to serve chips.” Em rolled her eyes before heading off to the craft room with a laugh.
In the next hour, she got Gracie’s present wrapped, then packed a small bag for herself with her new black dress and all the accessories she’d need to get ready for the party. With that done, she went to find her aunt to give her the tiger brooch.
Aunt Amelia was on the back patio, reading.
Em approached with the little velvet bag held behind her back. “Hi.”
Aunt Amelia looked up from her book. “Hello there. How has your day been?”
“Really good. I like it here very much.”
“I’m glad to hear that. I hope that never changes.” She tipped her book toward the chair next to her. “Sit.”
Em took the seat. “I want to thank you again for everything you’ve done for me.” She held out the little black pouch. “This isn’t much, but I wanted to get you something.”
“You didn’t need to do that.” But Aunt Amelia’s smile told Em that it had still been a good idea.
“Like I said, it’s nothing big.”
Amelia took the bag and opened it. “How perfect. I love it.” She opened the catch, reached up, and pinned it to her turban. “How does it look?”
“Very sparkly. And like something a woman with a pet tiger would definitely wear.”
Amelia laughed. “Thank you. That was a thoughtful gift.”
Her smile faded suddenly. Em frowned. “What’s wrong?”
Amelia sighed and looked out at the garden. “I just worry that eventually you may not be as thankful for what I’ve done by allowing you to stay.”
Em put her hand over her aunt’s. “I promise, whatever happens, I will never blame you for anything that goes wrong. I’m an adult. It was my decision to stay here.”
Amelia nodded, but looked unconvinced. “I hope you always think that.”
Chapter Twenty-nine
Having breakfast with Em had put Deacon in such a good mood that he knew Gracie would pick up on it if she saw him. That meant she’d probably give him some grief about it, too.
Just like she’d really let him have it if she saw him polishing his good shoes. Fortunately, he was tucked away in his bedroom.
The thing was, his mood was so good he didn’t care if she teased him about anything. In fact, he’d probably tell her all about his breakfast with Em, especially because it would be a great diversion if it seemed like Gracie suspected something was up concerning her birthday party.
After all, at the moment she thought her party was just her brothers making dinner for her, followed by cake from Black Horse.
She had no idea the house would be filled with people. The RSVPs were at close to seventy-five, and he had no doubt there would be plenty who would show up without having responded to the invite.
He couldn’t wait to see her face. He wasn’t sure what would surprise her more—the crowd they’d invited, or the sight of her brothers in suits. They’d all agreed to dress up, because one of the things Gracie always harped on was how they didn’t have any nice family pictures. She’d get one tonight. They also had a photographer coming.
He sighed. The things he did for his sister. The last time he’d been in a suit had been for a funeral. At least this was a much better reason.
So far, though, he hadn’t seen Gracie since getting back from breakfast. She was in her office working. Easy to tell, because the door was shut and he could hear the keyboard clicking away.
He checked the time. Shep would be calling very soon.
That meant Em would be arriving.
He smiled. He did a lot of that lately. Because of her.
He finished with his shoes, put the kit away, and heard Bishop’s truck pull up outside.
Deacon washed his hands, then jogged downstairs to fill his brother in, meeting him in the foyer. “Hey, Em’s coming over to help. And she says we need more than chips and dip.”
Bishop made a face. “We have cake.”
“We have almost eighty people coming over. We need food. Don’t sweat it. Em’s going to help me. I ordered a bunch of platters from the Green Grocer. Cold shrimp, little sandwiches, fruit and cheese, veggies with hummus, deviled eggs, some fancy olive-and-pickle tray, all kinds of stuff.”
Bishop’s brows went up. “That was probably a good idea.”
“I know it was. Em’s going with me to get the cake, too, then we’ll be back to finish the decorating with you.”
“Where’s Gracie?”
Deacon jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “In her office working.”
“Shep should be calling any—”
The phone rang.
The brothers went still, listening. The ringing stopped after the third. They looked at each other, but still said nothing. Shepherd would have to play his part convincingly to get Gracie out of the house, but once she got to the firehouse, he’d also have to work hard to keep her there.
She knew her stuff when it came to numbers and computers, but word had it one of the firemen was especially gifted at screwing up computers, and Shep had put him on it. Not before making a complete backup of everything, however. Shepherd hadn’t become fire chief by being foolhardy.
A few more seconds and the sound of a door opening and closing could be heard from the other side of the house. Where Gracie’s office was.
“The kitchen,” Bishop said.
Deacon nodded, and both men took off for that room.
They were lounging against the counter, chatting with great nonchalance when she came in.
“There’s our birthday girl,” Bishop said. He went to hug her.
She put her hands up, cringing. “Don’t hug me when you’re all sweaty and covered in sawdust.”
He laughed. “Hey, I was working.”
She shot him
a judgy look. “Shouldn’t you still be working?”
“I’m not allowed to come home for a break?”
She eyed him suspiciously. “I guess.” Then she looked at Deacon. “You’re awfully smiley.”
Deacon leaned back a little more. “Why shouldn’t I be? It’s a very special day.”
Gracie grinned. “True.”
He held on to his smile. “It’s not every day I have breakfast with Em.”
She swatted his arm. “For one thing, you’ve had breakfast with her three days in a row. For another, I want to be mad at you, but I’m very glad to hear you two are getting on so well. For a third, that wasn’t the special day I was referring to.”
“I know.” He winked at her. “Happy birthday.”
“Thanks, but don’t change the subject. How was breakfast? And how did you end up eating with her? I thought the tour was over.”
“It is, but we ran into each other at the diner. She’s staying, you know. She got a job at Black Horse.”
“She is? She did? That’s great. I really like her.” Gracie bit her lip. “How do you feel about her? I mean, you’re spending a lot of time with her, so…”
Bishop snorted and tipped his head back. “Here we go.”
She sighed. “Both of you settle down. I wish we could talk about this some more, Deacon, and we will later, but Shep says he’s having major computer issues over at the station. For the record, though, I totally approve of Em. She’s awesome. So try not to screw it up.”
Deacon straightened. “Hey.”
Bishop grinned. “What’s going on at the firehouse?”
Gracie frowned. “I don’t know. Shep said he can’t find any of the payroll records, and his expense reports all look like they’re in Chinese.”
Deacon played dumb. “You’re going over there?”
“I have to.” She shook her head as she took her purse off a hook by the door and slung it over her shoulder. “If he plays with it anymore, he’ll probably delete everything. I’ll be lucky if he hasn’t done that already.”
Bishop nodded. “Sounds like a big job.”
“I have no doubt it will be.”
Deacon tried to look sympathetic. “Well, don’t worry, we’ll have dinner waiting for you when you’re done.”
She glanced at him. “Are you really not going to tell me what you’re making?”
“Hey,” Bishop said. “You already know you’re getting a cake from Black Horse. Let’s not ruin the surprise any further.”
She frowned at both of them. “The surprise will be surviving my brothers’ cooking.” With a long-suffering sigh, she headed for the door. “Don’t destroy my kitchen.”
They looked at each other, trying not to laugh. “We won’t.”
As soon as she left, he and Bishop went upstairs to get out the decorations they’d hidden away.
A few minutes later, another car pulled into the driveway. Deacon turned toward the front of the house. That had to be Em.
He went back downstairs to get the door. It was her. She got out of her car and walked up the front steps. She’d changed into jeans and a T-shirt with a little cardigan over it, but had a small bag with her. Her clothes for the party, he assumed.
Really, he didn’t care what she wore. She always looked great. “Hi.”
She stopped at the door. A loose strand of hair dangled in her face. She blew it out of her eyes, pursing her lips in the most enticing way. “Hi.”
He really needed to kiss her again. Instead, he pointed at the bag. “Is that your change of clothes?”
She lifted it a little. “Yep. And my present for Gracie.”
“Good.”
With a look of utter amusement on her face, she tipped her head at the house. “Are you going to let me in?”
He sighed. She made him so dumb. He was going to have to work on that. “Yes, sorry.” He moved out of the way. “Gracie just left.”
“I know.” She walked into the foyer. “I got here too early, so I waited down on the next block until I saw her car go by.”
“Good thinking. I’ll show you the guest room. You can put your bag in there, then you can have that space to get ready in. There’s a bathroom and everything.” He sounded like a rambling idiot. A bathroom and everything. What was that supposed to mean?
No wonder Gracie had told him not to screw it up.
“That would be great, thanks.”
He led her down the hall and past the kitchen. Well, almost past the kitchen.
Bishop popped out, all smiles and personality. “Hi there.”
“Hi,” Em said. “You must be Bishop.”
His brows lifted a little. “Good guess. Or did one of my siblings make it easy and tell you I’m the handsome one?”
“No one mentioned that, no.” She snorted. “And actually, it was pretty easy to figure out who you are. See, I’m very acquainted with Deacon, and I know Gracie is on her way to help Shepherd at the firehouse, so you have to be Bishop. Process of elimination, really.”
A little of the sparkle left his eyes, but Deacon refrained from laughing. Bishop did so enjoy being admired. A weakness of his youthful ego.
Then Em laughed softly and tipped her head at Bishop. “Also, you have a leaf in your hair.”
Bishop put his hand to his head and found the offending greenery. He muttered something about needing to shower and went off to his room.
A new fondness for Em sprang up in Deacon.
She leaned in closer, speaking softly. “Did I upset him? I didn’t mean to.”
Deacon laughed. “He probably expected you to be overwhelmed by his boyish charm and rakish good looks. Most women are. According to my sister, he’s the one brother who doesn’t need help with the fairer sex.”
Em’s mouth bent in a wry little smile, and she took a step toward him. There was something almost…wicked in her eyes. “Does that mean you do?”
His tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth as his core temperature shot up a few hundred degrees. Her perfume danced under his nose, enticing him to move closer. “I…probably.”
She lightly placed a fingertip on his chest, a touch so soft it should have been barely noticeable.
It almost knocked him down.
Her smile turned coy. “What kind of help do you need, Deacon? What kind of help could I provide? Because I am willing to help.”
He wanted to kiss her again, more than anything else in the world. Until they were both senseless. Until time disappeared. The urge was so great, he decided to go for broke and found his voice again. “All kinds.”
“Like?”
He put his hands on her hips. “Kissing.”
Her brows shot up in obvious amusement. “You need to practice that, do you?”
He nodded. And backed her against the wall.
She let out a soft little, “Oh.”
He didn’t need further encouragement. He leaned in, pressing against her as he captured her mouth.
Another sound escaped her, a mewl of pleasure. It fueled him. Made his grip more possessive.
Her hands cupped the back of his head, pulling him closer. Her teeth grazed his bottom lip, igniting every nerve in his body.
He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, couldn’t do anything but kiss her. She had a power over him like no curse he’d ever felt before, but this woman was no curse. She was a gift.
But now was not the time or place to unwrap that gift.
Reluctantly, he ended the kiss. They had a lot of work to do, and kissing her wasn’t going to accomplish any of it, unfortunately.
She gazed at him, dreamy-eyed and openmouthed. “You lied to me.”
“I did?”
“You don’t need to practice your kissing.” She laughed suddenly, like something funny had just occurred to her. “Unless you want to practice it with me.”
He laughed a little, too, then shook his head and pressed his lips to her temple, breaking the contact to whisper, “You do something to me, Em. Is it your m
agic? Are you putting a spell on me?”
She looked up at him, her gaze so bright it seemed filled with stars. “I wouldn’t even know how.”
He was in deep trouble. He liked her way too much. He took her hand. “I’m not sure I’d care if you were bewitching me at this point. I like you. A lot.”
She grinned, glancing down at the floor for a moment. “I like you, too.”
“Good. There’s only one thing I ask if we’re going to do this. Because it seems like we are, right? Doing this? Us?”
“Yes. It seems like we are.” Earnestness shone in her eyes. “What’s the one thing?”
“That we be honest with each other. No game playing. If things change, we talk about it.”
She nodded. “Yes. One hundred percent. I want that, too.”
“Okay, then we understand each other.”
“We do.”
He smiled. “Let’s drop your bag in the guest room and go pick up some food. We have a party to get ready for.”
Chapter Thirty
Cloud nine was for ordinary happiness, Em thought. She was on cloud ten. That’s where the deliriously blissful, possibly-falling-in-love people hung out.
And she was right there with them.
Even though she was actually in Deacon’s truck. She smiled over at him. “You ordered a bunch of platters?”
“I did. Probably a few more than we’ll really need. You’ll see.”
“Did you already get ice cream?”
“Ice cream?”
“For the cake?” She snorted. “You boys don’t throw a lot of birthday parties, do you?”
“No, we don’t. None of us really celebrate ours. But you know, for Gracie we’d do anything.”
Em nodded. “That’s nice. It’s very sweet how much you guys look after her.”
“We have to.”
He didn’t say more on the subject, but it seemed like he’d been about to. Like he had been on the verge of telling her why Gracie needed so much care from her brothers. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe it was just how a family acted. Em wouldn’t know, really.
It had to have something to do with Gracie’s curse. Deacon hadn’t come close to sharing that with Em, and she hadn’t asked him. She wasn’t going to ask Gracie either.
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