Part 15 (1/2)
Emily Anne stifled a yawn as she made her way, loaded tray in hand, back to the kitchen. She'd had trouble sleeping the night before-probably, she thought, because it was the first night in a while that she'd slept alone in her own bed in her own apartment. It seemed totally unfair that she could be spoiled from being cuddled between those two men this soon.
Get a grip, girl.
Emily Anne s.h.i.+vered. She absolutely hated it when her mother's words crept into her head, even if they were the right words at the right time.
As she loaded her tray of dishes into the dishwasher, she acknowledged that she really did need to get a grip. Mel and Connor had mentioned the night before that they'd be getting an early start this morning. They planned on heading over to Divine to have a quick conference with Ace Webster and Kemp Whittier. They'd told her she could stay the night-had practically begged her to stay the night again-but no, she'd latched onto what had felt like the beginning of a brush-off and decided to go home. Of course once they'd started to really plead for her to stay she'd felt too d.a.m.ned embarra.s.sed by her knee-jerk reaction to change her mind. Besides, she did need to do some laundry, and, she'd a.s.sured herself, it wouldn't hurt for her to sleep in her own bed for a change, for one d.a.m.n night.
She'd told them the reason for her decision was so that she wouldn't be awakened by them heading out at four-thirty a.m., but that hadn't exactly been the truth.
Now that I think on it, I'm probably just being silly. Imagining trouble where none exists-or picking up on something that has a simple explanation.
What was it about women that made their thinking go all haywire the minute they got involved with a man? In her case, she felt as if her thinking had gone dippy times two, because she had two handsome studs loving on her.
The steady and quiet words of her inner voice, telling her that something really was wrong, were words she decided to ignore.
I'm not going to go reading too much into pauses and facial expressions and the sensation that something is off, for G.o.d's sake.
Mel and Connor showed her they wanted her almost every minute they were together. They told her they wanted her and she was going to stop thinking about odd feelings and senses and just take them at their word. Her inner voice whispered, she was certain, just to spite her.
I swear to G.o.d if they've changed their minds about me, there's going to be h.e.l.l to pay.
”Order up for you, Emily Anne, two orders of breakfast tacos with sides of beans.” Carrie Benedict set the plates on the serving counter under the heat lamps.
”Thanks, Carrie. Here's another order for you.” She tore the slip off the order pad and clipped it to the hood over the counter.
Kelsey hadn't given up on the idea of using a computerized system for placing orders. She just hadn't found a program that suited her, yet.
Emily Anne had no preferences either way. The crowd at l.u.s.ty Appet.i.tes was never so large that it would make that big a difference in her routine.
The kitchen door swung open behind her and Mich.e.l.le Grant came in. ”Kate's come in and chosen a table in your section, Emily Anne. She's set herself down at one of the smaller ones by the window.” Mich.e.l.le inhaled deeply. ”She looks...I don't know...sad, I think.”
”I thought she seemed a little preoccupied since they all returned from up north,” Carrie said.
”Mom and the dads have been, too,” Kelsey said. She shook her head. ”Mom said that the funeral for Victoria Dorchester was just so sad.”
”I guess it's different when it's an older person who pa.s.ses,” Mich.e.l.le said. ”But to have a woman, a wife and mother in her prime suddenly die-it must just be heartbreaking for those who loved her.”
Emily Anne knew that even if Kate Benedict hadn't known her granddaughter, Victoria Dorchester, all that well, she'd have felt the sadness of the people around her.
Kate Benedict was a woman tuned in to the emotions of others.
”I'll take these tacos out to the paramedics and then go take care of Grandma Kate.” It didn't matter to Emily Anne one whit that the elderly woman wasn't really her kin. The lady had entreated her to call her ”Grandma Kate” since day one. That sentiment went both ways.
Warren and Edward Jessop had been sitting uncharacteristically quiet as Emily Anne approached. Usually they could be counted on to be deep into some work-related conversation about tourniquets or saline or something equally perplexing. Well, perplexing to her at any rate. But they were sitting quietly and they looked-well, they looked off to her.
There's that d.a.m.n word again. Honestly, Emily Anne, is it everyone else who is ”off” or is it just you?
She told her inner voice to shut up, and set a smile on her face. ”Here you go, gentlemen. Careful, the plates are hot. Can I get you anything else?”
”No, thanks,” Warren said.
”Yes, actually.” Edward looked up at her, his focus singularly intense. ”Candy or flowers?”
She looked from one to the other of them and wondered what the h.e.l.l she'd just stepped into the middle of.
”Um...in what context?”
Edward's face turned a bit red. He flicked his gaze down, then looked up at his brother.
”Well, you started it,” Warren said.
”I just thought Emily Anne would be a good person to ask since, you know, she is a woman and she is dating.”
She hadn't heard any rumors about the two paramedics being interested in anyone, but suddenly their question to her made sense.
”Are you asking me what the best gift is to bring a woman when you go calling on her?” She made certain she kept her voice soft, so that no one else could hear the question. These poor men were easily embarra.s.sed, though she had no idea why they would be. Though she wasn't attracted to them, she had eyes and could see they were both very good-looking men. Texas Grade A prime, her cousin Patsy would say.
”We searched online but could find no definitive answer,” Warren said. ”Some experts suggested wine, and some a small piece of jewelry, or a bottle of perfume. Not that we would mind the cost of any of those, you understand, but we didn't know if those gifts would be appropriate, or not, or if they would be acceptable, or not.”
”I really liked that one suggestion about a piece of intimate apparel,” Edward said-as much to his brother as to her. ”I especially liked that web site we found. Some of those corsets and chemises were both beautiful and s.e.xy. I could totally see her in one of those. Maybe as things progress we can buy her something from there.” Edward frowned. ”Though how those experts know the tenth date would be the time to offer one of those items, I haven't a clue.”
”Maybe we can. But before we can plan on what we're going to do for our tenth date, we have to have our first date, and I am afraid that at the speed we're making decisions here, we're never going to get to a tenth one.”
Emily Anne felt like a spectator at a tennis match, but she thought she finally had an idea what the men were talking about, and what their dilemma was.
”So you're wondering what to bring with you as a token gift when you ask a woman out on your first date, is that it?”
Both men put their attention on her and nodded their heads.
Flowers or chocolates? That seemed to be the traditional route, and a much better bet than any of the other things either man had mentioned.
”May I ask one question, first?” She was actually dying to find out who it was these two sweet men were sweet on, but instead of asking for a name, she asked something else entirely. ”Is she city or country?”
”Country.”
Emily Anne smiled. They'd both answered at the same time, and that was good.
”Well, what we mean is she has spent time in a major city, but she's country, all the way. Sweet and caring and beautiful.”
While Warren had spoken Edward had nodded his head enthusiastically.
Emily Anne tilted her head to the side. ”If it was later in the spring I'd suggest flowers that you'd both gone out and picked yourselves. But since it's not, you can still make it flowers-but nothing fancy or heavy scented, unless you know for certain that her favorite flowers are, say, roses. And nothing exotic or imported, either. Just go with something that, when you look at them, makes you think of her.”
The brothers Jessop traded looks that let Emily Anne know she'd confused them. But they each gave her their trademark distracted grins.
”We're not sure we understand that completely,” Warren said.