Recipe for Romance (13 page)

“Want to dance?” Scott asked with a slow smile, tipping his head in the direction of the dance floor, where half of the townspeople were bouncing around the band’s whims.

Emily hesitated just long enough for him to wonder if he had stirred up an old wound and then turned to him with a smile that took his breath away.

“I’d love to,” she said, hopping out of her folding chair. With one hand on the small of her back he guided her onto the makeshift dance floor and then curled his arm around her waist, his free hand taking hold of hers as they fell in step with the beat.

She kept her gaze lowered aside from a few telling glances from the hood of her lashes, her lips curling into a smile that pulled his heart so tight, he thought the ache would cut off his air. The music was too loud to make conversation possible, but Scott didn’t mind. Without words, he could focus on her presence, on the way her smooth, soft palm felt so small in his own, and the way his arm rested so perfectly on the curve of her hip. He grazed the soft cotton of her dress with his fingertips, remembering how her bare body felt in his arms.

As the dance continued, he gradually pulled her closer, and she didn’t resist, instead curling herself naturally into his chest, her chin hovering above his shoulder. He craned his neck and closed his eyes, drinking in the smell of her hair, feeling the pounding of her heart through his chest, wondering what it would be like to hold her like this forever.

If he tried hard enough he could almost be that kid again. The kid who had no awareness of what he had once done. The kid who was just crazy in love with Emily Porter.

Emily pulled back as the song ended, but he kept a hand on her hip, unable to let her go just yet. The strings of light cast a glow on her face, catching the glint in her eyes. Something deep within him began to stir.

“Want to take a walk?” he suggested, noticing that the band members were stepping aside from their instruments for a water break.

Emily nodded and they walked into the shadows of the trees, the buzz of the party behind them soon fading. The night was clear and quiet once they were well beyond the square, and the sound of crickets could be heard at random.

“I love that sound,” Scott murmured.

“What sound?”

He stopped and leaned back against a fence post. “The sound of town, I guess. It’s soothing.”

Emily glanced around with a shrug. “I guess I don’t even notice anymore.”

“It’s funny, you know? I’ve been gone for so long, I didn’t think I would remember any of this, but being here...it’s like no time has passed at all.”

“I was thinking the same thing,” Emily said with a small smile.

“I’m really sorry about how things left off with us, Emily,” he said, his voice husky.
Just say it, just say it.
“I never meant to hurt you. Believe me when I say that I only ever wanted you to be happy. I still do.”

Emily held his gaze, searching his eyes with hers as if trying to confirm the validity of his words. Eventually, she nodded. “I am happy,” she said, and Scott felt a jolt. He hadn’t seen that coming.

“Really?” he asked. He had to know.

“Everyone has sad times, Scott. You know that. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t been happy. I mean, look around...I get paid to do what I love. I have a great boss. I live with my sister, and even though she can be a handful, she’s still my best friend. There are a lot of reasons to be happy.”

“And now?”

“Am I happy right now? In this moment?” A smile played at her mouth. “I’m very happy.”

He had taken so much from her, stolen her innocence with the blink of his eye. Yet here she was, standing before him with eyes soft and longing, lips parted and waiting. He could reach out and touch her; he could try to fill the part of her heart he had left empty. Her father was gone, and nothing could bring him back, but there was another wrong that Scott could set right. He had a chance, right now, here in this moment, to take back that day all those years ago and make her see how badly he had wanted her then. How much he still did.

He took a step forward, watching as Emily’s eyes widened ever so slightly as he lowered his mouth to hers. His lips grazed hers softly, a caress so light it sent a shiver down the length of his spine, until her mouth parted to his, hesitantly at first as their tongues began their dance. He tightened his hold on her waist, pulling her body close to his chest until heat flared deep within him. Her hips pushed against his groin until his need grew with each lace of their tongues, and he claimed her mouth with determined energy, needing to be as close to her as she would allow him.

She sighed into his mouth as his kisses became urgent, but instead of pulling back as he feared, she dug her hands deep into his biceps and then up and around his shoulders, raking her fingers through his hair as their mouths persisted hungrily and their bodies fused. He could feel the swell of her breasts against his chest, and as desire drove him forward, he traced a hand around the curve of her hip, snaking his way up her stomach until he cupped her breast in his palm, feeling her chest rise and fall under his hand as her breathing became ragged.

Breaking the kiss, he locked eyes with her for the briefest of seconds before clutching her so close he felt he could break her, and she sighed into his ear as her hair cascaded down her back, glistening in the moonlight. He ran a hand through her chestnut locks, a memory seizing his chest as he rested his head on hers.

If they could just stay like this. If it could only be so easy.

Chapter Nine

“W
ell, there you are,” Julia said as Emily shuffled into the kitchen, yawning. Leaning a hip against the butcher block, she added, “I was beginning to wonder if you made it home last night.”

Emily glanced sleepily at the freshly brewed coffee and smiled. “Sorry I lost track of you at the festival,” she said, filling her favorite mug. “Did you manage to sell a lot of your knitting samples?”

“Oh, the stand did fine enough, but when I couldn’t find you anywhere, I got a little worried.”

“Sorry, I should have called you.” Emily sat down at the table and wrapped her fingers around her mug. She eyed the clock, making sure she didn’t lose track of time.

Julia finished spreading some of Holly’s raspberry preserves on her toast with quick, determined strokes. She pursed her lips into a coy smile. “So I take it you and Scott had a nice time—”

“Oh, don’t you start!” Emily cried, rolling her eyes. Across from her, Julia looked mesmerized, but for once she held her tongue. “Before you say anything, you should know that there’s nothing going on between Scott and me. We’ve decided that we’re just...old friends.”

Just old friends who had kissed.

Julia held her gaze, her expression impassive, her head tipped. Finally she shrugged and bit into the corner of a triangle of toast. “If you say so.”

Emily narrowed her eyes in suspicion. It wasn’t like her sister to let things drop so easily. “Well, I do say so,” she said with a huff. She blew at the steam curling up from her mug and took a tentative sip, her pulse twitching at the memory of last night.

She set the mug on the table. It was different now, she reassured herself. Scott was a grown man. He wasn’t going to behave like a teenager and leave her hanging without so much as an acknowledgment.

“Well, I guess if you’re just friends then you won’t care that he stopped by here again, looking for you this morning,” Julia said mildly.

“What? When?”

With a glimmer in her eyes, Julia pushed aside her plate of toast and met Emily halfway over the table. “About half an hour ago. I told him you were sleeping.”

“What did he say?”

“He said he’d look for you later.”

“He told you that?” Emily gasped.

Julia looked insulted. “Would I ever lie to you, Em?” She sat back in her chair and played with the handle of her coffee mug.

“No, of course you wouldn’t lie to me.” Emily glanced at the clock once more. Realizing it was nearly time to leave for work, she gulped the rest of her coffee, hoping the heavy dose of caffeine might help clear all the conflicting emotions muddling her head.

She washed her mug in the sink and then turned to face Julia, who had already recovered and was grinning suggestively. With a knowing chuckle, Emily shook her head and patted her sister on the shoulder as she walked out into the hall, craning for the slightest sound behind Scott’s door. With only a twinge of disappointment, she deduced he had left for the day, probably hard at work already. Last night he’d told her the library project was moving ahead and a crew was already on-site to clear out the rubble. What that meant for the two of them, she didn’t know—she hissed in a breath, catching herself.
The two of them.
Was it really possible?

Emily pressed her lips together and hurried to the stairs, dropping her to hand to the rail as she quickened her step. She stopped at the landing when she spotted Scott standing in the vestibule at the base. The faintest furrow gathered between his brows when he looked up at her.

She paused at his hesitation and then offered a tentative smile. “Hi,” she said.

“Hey,” he said, shoving his hands into his pockets as she slowly took the remaining stairs. His low voice sent a shiver down her spine. She waited to see if he would reach out to her, touch her, give her a sign that last night hadn’t been a fleeting occasion. A mistake.

But all he did was stand there.

“Julia mentioned that you stopped by this morning,” she managed.

“You off to work?” he asked, and Emily frowned.

“Yep.” Her tone was clipped but she didn’t care. Something between them had shifted since last night. The spark that seemed to have been reignited in the past week was suddenly snuffed out.

She drew a breath and turned to the mailboxes. Yesterday’s mail still filled their box, forgotten in the midst of everything else. Emily paused, realizing how consumed with Scott she had allowed herself to become, and then pulled the stack free from the slot, her heart lurching when she saw the thick, solid envelope with the telltale return address. She held it in her hands, blinking in disbelief, as her breath wedged in her throat.

Scott inhaled. “Free for dinner tonight?”

Emily turned her attention back to him, trying not to think of the letter in her hands, the decision she would soon be forced to make. “Sure.”

“I have to go through some paperwork over at the office, but how about I swing by your place around...seven?”

Her mind immediately went to Julia, who would surely be home and who would undoubtedly get carried away with the idea of a date—Emily stopped herself. A date? Was this what it was?

“Seven will be perfect,” she managed, her voice latching in her throat.

“Good, good.” He nodded his head, holding her gaze, and she clung to his stare, unable to peel her eyes from him just yet. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

Her breath snared in her tightening chest, wondering just what he had to say, and wishing she didn’t have to wait until this evening to find out.

Julia’s words rushed back to her, speaking the unspoken thoughts she had harbored all those years. Maybe, just maybe, she had let him get away once. But not again. Not this time.

Before she could process what she was doing she took a step forward and carefully, slowly, clasped her lips to his. He remained still at first, but he didn’t resist her, and she tried again, parting her lips to his, sighing as his tongue skimmed against her bottom lip. She felt his hand brush against her hip as the other slid behind her back and then she was against him, the hard, solid plane of his chest, her mouth clamped on his, their tongues lacing more quickly, hungry in their need. He tasted like coffee and mint toothpaste, and his hair smelled like soap. She grazed a hand down his chest, feeling the hard ripples under her fingertips and then she spread her palms to his arms. The dusting of hair against his smooth, warm skin prickled her desire on contact, and she rubbed her hands over the hard curves of his biceps.

She combed her fingers through the thick hair at the base of his neck, moaning into his mouth as he searched her with greater need, her body melting into his, and she felt in that moment that she could become his, that a part of her had always been right here in his arms, holding on to this feeling. All she needed was him—him and the sensations he aroused in her. Nothing else would matter. Not the pain he had caused her, not the loss she had endured, not her lonely childhood. Nothing. She didn’t need anything other than him. This.

Slowly, Scott pulled back, ending the kiss. “I’ll see you tonight, then,” he said, and Emily could only nod, frowning at the change in his expression. His smile seemed too tight. His eyes looked flat.

She waved as he slipped out onto the sidewalk and she watched his back retreat until there was nothing left to see but the slew of familiar faces passing down Main Street. He felt like a ghost again—like a person she had once held and whose memory she still clung to, but a person who had slipped away from her a long time ago.

Emily shook her head, trying to clear away the cobwebs. The envelope in her hands felt heavy—like a burden rather than the relief she had expected it to be. She stuffed it into her bag unopened and then ran as fast as she could to Sweetie Pie, and despite knowing Lucy was waiting for her, she felt more alone than ever.

She was pinning her hopes on dreams, and she had a bad feeling they were all about to come crashing down.

* * *

Scott hated being at the offices of Collins Construction. Everything about it, from the beige Berber carpeting to the awards and plaques lining the walls, made his insides churn. The office felt like a sham—a cover for a well-preserved scandal. One of their own had died, but the company had continued, and these four walls and everything they contained felt hypocritical. Callous. Cold.

He had once again slipped in through the back door, even though the offices were closed on the weekend. The files he needed were in his father’s cabinets, and he flicked through the folders, pausing to study their contents. Scott pulled up the details of the library project, adding a few ideas here and there as he cross-referenced the blueprint spread before him. It was a shame, he knew, that such a large part of the old library had been damaged, but the reconstruction would turn the entire building into a monument, a pillar of the town. The architect had been clever with his details, ensuring the new wing would maintain the authenticity of the quaint New England town and the existing structure that hadn’t been damaged, while inside, the most modern amenities would guarantee it could last long into the future. It was an important building, a community center in many ways, and despite the wall he had put up around this town, Scott couldn’t help but feel a little proud to be a part of this project. It felt good to be able to do something positive for the town. For Lucy.

Scott stood up and paced the room, looking at it with fresh eyes. As a child, he used to think his father’s office was enormous, but now it felt cramped and dim. The furniture he once thought so stately just looked old and worn. The room had always been like this, he supposed, but back then he just wasn’t disillusioned to it yet.

On a console table near the window, Scott noticed a picture of himself wearing a hard hat and holding his father’s hand. He turned it face down on the table with a scowl.

It was really time to get out of here.

Gathering a stack of files together, he grabbed his keys to leave when his sister’s voice cut through the silence. “Scott!” It was a panicked cry. A cry he had heard once before, a long time ago. A cry of fear before the commotion dimmed his clarity, big men came running, shouting and his dad was grabbing him by the back of the shirt, pushing him faster than his legs could carry him until the car door slammed shut, locking him safely inside. “Scott! Scott!” His blood went still.

“Scott!” Lucy’s voice sounded strangled, frozen in fear. Before he could react, she burst into the room. Her face was tearstained. Scott noticed the red rim of her eyes, the clutch of wet tissue in her hand.

“Thank God I found you,” she gushed.

“What is it?” His tone was brusque, hardened in a way he hadn’t intended. He was bracing himself for the worst. The anticipation was nearly choking him.

“It’s Dad,” Lucy whispered as her words caught in her throat. “He’s been taken to the hospital in an ambulance. We have to go. Now.”

He nodded abruptly. “I’ll drive.”

His focus remained on the back door at the end of the hall as he wove his way to it and pushed it forcefully, until it ricocheted off the back of the building. Lucy was crying harder now, explaining what had happened, if only to walk herself through it.

“I guess he passed out and hit his head on the corner of that desk near the window. I was just out there this morning, too, and he almost seemed a little better. I dared to hope...” Lucy sniffed. She hesitated before adding, “He was asking about you.”

Scott ground his teeth. “That’s nice,” he said flatly.

“He’s so proud of you, Scott,” Lucy said hopefully, and Scott felt his anger begin to stir.

“Please don’t, Lucy.”

“Why? Why shouldn’t I say something?” She almost shouted. Scott gripped the steering wheel, his mind whirling as he made a quick right at the intersection. “Why should I always have to pretend that none of this has anything to do with me? That it’s only between you and them and that somehow I am just unaffected?”

“Because this
isn’t
about you, Lucy,” Scott said, determined to keep a clear head.

“Yes, it is! Of course it is!” Lucy insisted. “You’re my brother! They’re my parents! You disappeared for twelve years—twelve
years
—and now you finally come back just in time to watch Dad die! Do you know what this feels like to me? Do you, Scott? Do you even care?”

Scott kept his eyes on the road. “Of course I care.”

“Then why did you have to come back and ruin everything?”

“I came back because you asked me to.”

“But why couldn’t you have just let things go? Why did you have to come over to the house and make everyone upset?”

Scott forced a breath, willing himself to remain calm. “I told you I shouldn’t have come. You didn’t listen to me.”

“But—”

“But nothing, Lucy.” He could no longer keep the frustration from his tone. “I didn’t come over to make everyone upset. I can promise you that.”

“All I wanted, all I
hoped,
was to have my family together again. I never knew what happened or why there was a rift, but I thought maybe someday...someday...” She trailed off, crying.

“Don’t you think I wanted the same thing?” he asked.

“But you made it worse!” she accused.

“Maybe. Maybe so.” He sighed. He certainly hadn’t made it better. Scott drove on, his heart aching as her weeping filled the car. “I’m sorry you were dragged into this, Lucy.”

“They wanted you to come back, you know,” she hissed, fury flickering in her watery gaze. “It was you who stayed away, Scott! You tore this family apart!”

Scott fought back the mounting emotion that seized his chest. He exhaled slowly, willing himself to stay calm. “I don’t expect you to understand.”

“I just don’t understand why you can’t be the bigger person here, Scott.”

“You’re right, you don’t understand,” Scott repeated.

“Try me.”

Scott slammed on the brakes at the red light and turned to lock her heated stare. He took a few breaths, and then steadied himself. “Now isn’t the time,” he said. “Our father is in the hospital, he’s terminally ill, and I want your last image of him to be the good one you’ve always had. So don’t make me turn you against him.”