Part 9 (2/2)
She must have sensed the serious conversation for her smile disappeared. ”Am I interrupting something important?”
”Nope.” Griff hooked his arm around her neck and dropped a kiss on her lips. ”Let's eat.”
Emma loved Rye's and Alaina's living room. The overstuffed couch and armchairs and the earth tones color scheme made it warm, inviting. She curled up in one of the armchairs with her gla.s.s of merlot while Alaina and Kelcey took the couch. The brothers had gone back to the game room, leaving the women alone to talk.
”I can understand why the prime rib is the biggest seller at your restaurant, Emma.” Kelcey patted her stomach. ”You are an amazing cook.”
”Thanks. I'm going to feature it on Friday and Sat.u.r.day nights at Alaina's restaurant.”
”I can't believe you let Emma talk you into building a restaurant, Alaina.”
”Hey, I didn't have to talk her into anything. Lainy thought it was a good idea.”
”But the money-”
”Kelc, stop thinking like an accountant and think like a friend.”
Kelcey looked down into her winegla.s.s for several seconds, then released a sigh. ”You're right. I do think like an accountant most of the time.” She looked back at Emma. ”After working at the same job for eight years, I can't help it.”
”That's why you need a change. I'm giving notice Monday. I think you should do the same.”
”Wait a minute.” Alaina s.h.i.+fted on the couch, turning toward Emma. ”Don't push Kelcey to quit her job. I'm not ready for her yet.”
”Yes, you are. You already have a lot of duties you could turn over to her.”
”Unless you don't want me.”
”Oh no!” Alaina reached over and clasped Kelcey's hand. ”Of course I want you. But I'm worried you'll regret giving up your job.”
”Trust me, I won't regret it for one second. I have to bite my tongue every day to keep from telling my boss to take a leap off the roof.”
Emma grinned. ”I'd love to hear you say that.”
”I'm tempted. He was in the office one day this week.” She held up a single finger. ”One! The end of the quarter is next week and he's supposed to be helping me with next quarter's projections.”
”Definitely time to quit, Kelc. Besides, you could use some down time. You haven't taken more than two days off in a row since I've known you.” Emma sipped her wine. ”You need to tackle a hunk and ravish him.”
”Reading and lots of naps works for me.”
Emma had never understood why Kelcey didn't date. It wasn't as if she didn't have offers. Men asked her out all the time, yet she always turned them down. Emma even considered that Kelcey might be a lesbian, but she'd never shown any interest in women either. She'd always been content to do her job, then come home and stay there. Books were her companion, not men.
That needed to change.
”Dax was very friendly toward you over dinner, Kelc. I'll bet he would be happy to show you around Lanville.”
Kelcey rolled her eyes. ”Oh please. Surely you can do better than that.”
”What's wrong with Dax?”
”Other than the fact he thinks he's G.o.d's gift to women?”
”Dax is a good guy,” Alaina said. ”Yes, he has a reputation, and a lot of that reputation is based on truth, but he's been wonderful to me.”
”And me.” Emma swirled the wine in her gla.s.s. ”Plus he's gorgeous.”
”I'll agree that all the Coleman brothers are handsome. There, are you happy?”
”Nope. Not until you have some fun.”
Kelcey blew out a breath. ”Emma, I'm not like you. I don't need a man in my life to be satisfied.”
”Why is that? Don't you like s.e.x?”
”There's more to life than s.e.x.”
”Sure there is, but you don't even date, Kelc. Why is that?”
”I love to read. I'd rather curl up with a good book than do anything else.”
”You obviously haven't been with the right men.” Emma picked up the wine bottle from the coffee table and splashed more into her gla.s.s. ”I like to read too, but a book is a poor subst.i.tute for a hard c.o.c.k.”
”Or a wicked tongue,” Alaina said with a grin.
Emma grinned too. ”Oh yeah.”
Kelcey chuckled and shook her head. ”Y'all are so bad.”
”Yeah, but we have a good time.” Emma drained her winegla.s.s. ”So, Kelc, what do you say? Are you ready to quit that s.h.i.+tty job?”
”I think I am.” Kelcey looked from one woman to the other. ”I know I am.”
”Great!” Picking up the wine bottle again, Emma poured the last of the merlot into their three gla.s.ses. ”A toast to our new adventures.”
Alaina touched her gla.s.s to Emma's and Kelcey's. ”And to success doing what we love.”
The wine at dinner mixed with the bottle the three of them had shared left Emma feeling woozy. And a little daring. ”How about if we join the guys? I'm in the mood to win at pool.”
”Do we need to take another bottle of wine with us?” Alaina asked.
”I say yes. Kelcey?”
”It's Friday night and I don't have to drive. I say yes too.”
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