Short Soup (19 page)

Unless he convinced her to stay.

A man could dream, after all, and if he was going to, he may as well go for the brass ring.

Wade stopped the car, shifted into park, and killed the engine. Without looking at Emily he climbed out and strode around to her side. Opening her door, he offered his hand. When she didn’t immediately respond, a shiver of fear worked its way down his spine. Did she want to bail on him already? “Emily?”

She turned to face him, her eyes wide and mouth slightly parted. “I…I’m speechless. This place is gorgeous.”

He smiled and grabbed her hand. “Come on, this is nothing compared to the view out back.” Tightening his grip, Wade tugged her from the car and swung the door closed as she stepped aside.

“Oh, my gosh. The garden smells wonderful.” She pulled free of his hand and walked over to his mother’s prized rose garden.

Watching her lean forward and smell the blooms reminded him of his mother and the hours she’d spent tending her favourite flowers. Wade hired a gardening service to take care of them now. He’d never learned to appreciate the joys of gardening or the skills needed to keep his mother’s creations alive. He joined her. “They’re my mother’s.”

“Oh.” Her gaze darted up to meet his before zeroing in on the front door. “We’re at your parents’ house?”

“No. They died a few years ago. I inherited the house from them.”

“Oh, Wade. I’m sorry seems so insignificant in the face of such a loss.” Emily glanced around the front garden and finally stopped when her eyes reached him again. “Nothing this beautiful should ever come at so high a cost.”

Wade’s chest ached. No one, not even his sister, had understood the depth of hate he’d had for this house when his parents first died. The pain had diminished over the years, but he still had days where he couldn’t bear to be here. Emily seemed to hit the nail right on the head with a few words. How could he enjoy such luxury when he had to be without his parents to have it? “Thank you.”

Her gaze held his. “For?”

“Understanding that beauty isn’t everything.” He reached for her hand and entwined their fingers. “Come on, enough of memory lane. I want to show you the rest of the place.”

He led her around the garden to the door. Like the car, he’d left the door unlocked. Nothing could get passed the state-of-the-art security system and, if some genius managed it, there was still Brent to deal with. And his friend’s two Dobermans. They entered the foyer and Wade punched his personal code into the control panel by the door. Pulling Emily farther into the house, he bypassed the front rooms and headed for what he liked to refer to as Wade’s World. He’d changed very little since he’d moved back in, except the rooms running across the back of the house on the lower level. Here he’d put his stamp on the place.

An archway led into the spacious kitchen, and the back of the house opened up to the yard and back patio through the full wall of glass concertina doors. The sun hadn’t fully set and the view of the harbour and foreshore was, as usual, breath taking. He let Emily’s hand go and opened the fridge to pull out the platter of finger foods he’d prepared before going to pick her up. Turning, he led the way outside.

“Come on. The last rays of sunset beckon.”