7. Emilia
CHAPTER 7
Emilia
P aige squeals as soon as Sterling Harrington walks out the door. I inhale a steady breath. I wonder what it is about his presence that always manages to throw me off-kilter. I think it’s his energy. Mine must be repelling his.
“Was that really Sterling Harrington? As in the famous Sterling Harrington?” my part-timer questions.
“Famous for what? Being an ass?” I say drily.
“Oh, come on, Emilia,” Paige gushes. “Apart from him being one of the most attractive men I’ve ever seen, his family’s also, like, mega rich.”
“I know,” I murmur. “About his family being rich, not about him being an attractive man or whatever,” I feel the need to clarify.
Paige stares at me in disbelief. “Please tell me you’re joking. Anyone with eyes can see how unfairly good looking that man is.”
I frown. “Paige, sweetie. He’s too old for you.”
“I know that,” she hurriedly says. “It doesn’t even matter, especially after feeling all that tension when I walked in here.”
“What tension are you talking about?” I ask, my frown deepening.
“The sexual kind,” she says in a whisper, making me gasp.
“Paige Lornan!” I chide. “I know you’re eighteen, but keep it PG.”
She rolls her eyes. “Seriously, Em. He was looking at you with those otherworldly green eyes like he wanted to rip your clothes off. How can you even look into his eyes? I’d be nervous as hell.”
Trust me, sweetie. It’s not easy. I laugh, despite the sudden unevenness of my heart rate.
“Yeah you’ve got it all wrong,” I tell her. “Not only do I dislike him, but you walked in on us having an argument. That’s the tension you were sensing.”
“I don’t know, Emilia,” Paige sings. “My sister always says fighting’s the best form of foreplay.”
Seriously, what is it with people and trying to pair me with that dark-haired Lucifer? I’m not interested. Plus, he looks like a player. I’m not necessarily saying he is one, considering he does have a little kid and he was married, but a man like that would definitely be more trouble than he’s worth.
“You are completely wrong. And you also have work to do,” I say to the moon-eyed teenager in front of me.
“Just think about it, okay?” Paige says on a laugh.
I shake my head. “That’s the last thing I want to do. Sterling Harrington will not be occupying more space in my head than necessary.”
Paige is still laughing as she heads into the kitchen to get started on making some fresh pastries for the day. Which is a good thing because a couple minutes later, we get our first customer. Although technically Sterling Harrington was our first customer.
I think back to the way he tried to hide his smile earlier. It was kind of cute. He tries very hard to project these fuck-off vibes to the rest of the world, but he’s not fooling me. Deep down, I’m sure he has a heart.
I’m not saying I’d like to be the one to draw it out, though.
Ugh, keep him out of your headspace, Emilia.
“Hi, what can I get you today?” I say with a warm smile to the middle-aged woman in front of me.
The only thing I need to be thinking of right now is saving my café.
I’m sprawled on my couch, the soft hum of the television serving as background noise, when Anika bursts through the door. Her energy fills the room instantly.
“Em, you won’t believe what I scored!” she exclaims, waving two tickets in the air.
I raise an eyebrow. “I’m sure you’re going to tell me.”
She rolls her eyes before plopping down beside me. “Now I don’t feel like telling you. A little more excitement would be nice. Match my energy, sissy.”
I inhale a soft breath before getting into character.
“Whoo!” I exclaim, raising my hands in the air and giving her my best smile. “I’m so excited. What tickets have you got there, Nika?”
“Feels very fake,” she says, wrinkling her nose.
I shrug before lying back down on the couch. “You just can’t please some people.”
“Anyway, I got tickets to the new musical that’s playing at Rocky’s Playhouse. It’s called Hadestown and I think it’ll be really good.”
“Sounds… interesting.”
“Come on, Em! You’ve been so focused on your café these past few weeks. You need a break. Let’s go together,” Anika pleads, her eyes wide with hope.
I sigh, glancing around my cozy living room. The thought of dressing up and going out feels exhausting.
“I don’t know, Ani. I’m really tired,” I tell her.
We actually had an influx of customers at the café today, which was really needed. And then I went to the grocery store after work. I don’t have any energy left. Plus, I have to be at the café again bright and early tomorrow morning.
My sister nudges me playfully, “You sound like an eighty-year-old grandma and not a young beautiful twenty-five-year-old.”
“Maybe I’m an eighty-year-old grandma at heart,” I mumble.
She pouts, her brown eyes growing softer, and I inwardly groan, feeling a pang of guilt. We’ve both been so busy lately, and it’s been ages since we had a sisters’ night out.
“Alright,” I relent, smiling. “Let’s do it.”
Anika squeals with delight. “Great! I’ll pick your outfit.”
I laugh, watching her dart into my bedroom. Her enthusiasm is contagious and I find myself looking forward to the evening.
An hour later, we’re dressed and ready. Anika has chosen a deep blue dress for me, one that hugs my curves and brings out the color of my eyes. She’s opted for a vibrant red dress herself, her dark hair cascading in loose waves.
“You look stunning,” she says, appraising me.
“Thanks, little sis. So do you.”
We arrive at Rocky’s Playhouse, which is a charming venue known for its great productions. The lobby is buzzing with patrons, all eagerly anticipating the performance. As we find out seats, I take in our surroundings. The theater is cozy, with rows of plush seats facing a modest stage.
The lights dim soon after we arrive, and the play begins. Before I arrived at Edenton, I’d never even watched a musical. I couldn’t have cared less about them. But little plays like these are what helped Anika and me to bond. It was pretty hard for her in the beginning, for both of us. She was unused to having a big sister and I had no idea how I was supposed to treat her.
But now, I don’t think she treats me any differently than she would treat her big sister, despite what she thinks she knows about what I’ve experienced. And I’m so beyond grateful to her for that.
The play is pretty nice. The actors deliver their lines with passion, their voices harmonizing beautifully during the musical numbers. I find myself easily engrossed in the story and the play concludes with a powerful finale that has the audience erupting into applause.
Anika turns to me, her face glowing. “Wasn’t that amazing?” she gushes.
I nod. “It really was. Thanks for dragging me out tonight.”
“Sure,” she says, bumping her shoulder with mine. “I have a responsibility as your younger sister to make sure you’re not a geriatric at twenty-five.”
I laugh. She’s telling me her favorite moments of the play as we make our way to the exit. But then I spot someone standing in one of the rows of the theater and for some insane reason, my heart stutters.
Only slightly, out of surprise.
Sterling Harrington is there. The soft lightning of the theater accentuates his strong jawline and the hint of stubble on his face. He’s so annoyingly attractive. Anika notices me staring at me and follows my line of sight.
“Oh, that’s Sterling,” she says in surprise, already raising her hand to wave him over. “Ster?—”
“No!” I interject, dragging her hand down. “I’ve had three whole days without talking or seeing that man, and I have no interest in starting again now.”
Anika smiles at me like I’m talking nonsense. “Oh, come on, Em. We can just say hi to him as friends.”
“We’re not friends,” I reply. “Now let’s go.”
She pauses, looking back at the man who’s now looking around the theater, his jaw ticking.
“Is he searching for something?” I ask unconsciously. “You know what? I don’t care.”
I practically drag Anika out of there and inhale a soft breath at having escaped yet another confrontation with Sterling Harrington. We’re almost at the door leading outside the building when I spot a tiny human peeking out from behind a pillar. He seems to be hiding, a small smile on his face.
Anika sees a friend of hers around the same time I spot the little boy. She asks for a minute while I continue staring at the kid, realizing he must be who Sterling’s searching for.
“Hey there,” I say gently to Sean, approaching him. “Are you okay?”
He looks up at me, green eyes soft. “I’m hiding from my dad.”
“Why?”
“Because,” he says on a shrug.
I’m sure to a five-year-old, simply answering “because” might cut it. But that’s not happening. I crouch down so we’re eye level.
“I think your dad’s already looking for you, Sean,” I say softly. “Why did you feel the need to hide?”
He shrugs, “I just didn’t like being in there anymore. I made my dad bring me but I didn’t like it so I left.”
“Without telling him?” I prod gently.
He seems to realize that he made a mistake because his eyes grow wide.
“Do you think he’ll be mad?”
“No.” I shake my head, taking a deep breath. “I think he’ll be really glad to have found you. Let’s go see him now, okay?”
Taking his hand, I help him navigate through the departing crowd. I spot Sterling near the entrance, his expression a mix of worry and frustration.
“Harrington,” I call out, approaching him.
He turns, surprise flickering across his face. It turns to relief when he sees the little boy at my side.
“I believe this belongs to you,” I say, gently nudging Sean forward.
Sterling’s face softens with relief. “I was worried sick, Sean.”
He looks down, shuffling his feet. “Sorry, Dad.”
Sterling crouches down and pulls him into a hug. “Just don’t wander off like that again, okay?”
I feel like I’m having whiplash right now, because he’s so soft with him. Compared to the energy he projects to the rest of the world, there’s something incredibly heartwarming about the way he treats his son. It makes him seem so human. Which is the last thing I need right now.
I need to see him like a bug so I can squash him.
He looks up at me, his eyes meeting mine. The stare lingers for a bit before he slowly rises to his feet, holding Sean’s hand tight in his.
“I got distracted reading an email on my phone and in the next minute he was gone,” he says to me.
“Didn’t ask for an explanation, Harrington,” I mutter, looking around awkwardly.
“But you do have my thanks,” he states. “I appreciate you bringing Sean back to me.”
“You’re welcome.” Do my ears deceive me or are we actually having a civil conversation?
“We’ll go now,” Sterling informs me. “Tell her goodbye, Sean.”
“Bye, pretty lady,” he says enthusiastically with a small wave.
“Her name’s Emilia,” Sterling grits out, making me laugh.
“Bye, Emilia,” Sean switches.
I smile. “Stay out of trouble, Sean.”
I watch as Sterling leads his son away. Which is when my sister shows up again at my side.
“Thought you said you weren’t going to talk to him,” she says, nudging my shoulder.
When I look at her, there’s a suggestive smile on her face.
“What?” I exclaim. “The man lost his son and I brought him back to him. No need to read into anything.”
“I’m not,” Anika lies, but I can still see that glint in her eyes.
“You guys are driving me crazy,” I mutter.
And I swear all these looks and comments are starting to get to me because now I’m having a hard time thinking of Sterling Harrington as the enemy.
Fuck.