Chapter Eight
Emma pulled into the parking lot at the library, worried about what was going to happen when she walked in the door.
It had been like this for a few weeks, at least ever since Nana died. Some of her co-workers would give her those concerned looks and ask how she was doing, or they would be way too friendly for no reason. But Emma knew the reason was because her grandmother was gone now.
On the other hand, one of her best friends had been amazing.
Sabrina had helped Emma pack up a few boxes for her storage unit and made sure the movers didn't break any of the furniture as they loaded it into the van bound for some unnamed place.
She had offered up her place to stay, but Emma said she preferred to stay in a hotel while she looked for a place.
Sabrina didn't have to know that Emma would be able to cover the costs when she got her inheritance.
That was one thing she didn't feel like telling Sabrina.
The money was just a lot to deal with, and Emma still hadn't fully wrapped her mind around it.
And she also didn't tell Sabrina about Chase Warwick because, well, it was Chase.
If the money would be hard to explain, talking about her arrangement with Chase would be impossible.
But Emma needed to focus on work today and not her new living arrangement or her date last night or the call with the finance guy this morning. Instead, she walked into the library and headed to her shared office space.
"Hey."
Sabrina smiled at her with a smile that was bigger than usual. "Well, hello!"
Emma paused, feeling like she might be walking into a trap, before setting her things down and turning on her computer.
"So, are you going to start talking or what?" Sabrina asked with that crazy smile on her face.
"Start talking about what?"
Sabrina quickly turned from a smile to frustration. "Seriously, I know you had a date last night. You know I know that. So start talking."
Emma tried to give her an innocent smile that she knew wasn't going to ward off her friend for long.
Yeah, she told Sabrina she had a date. But no, she did not tell Sabrina that her date was with Chase Warwick.
Again, too much information. And now that she was thinking about it, Emma was regretting even going as far as to tell Sabrina that she was doing anything last night.
The only reason she said anything was because she had to leave early to get her hair and make-up done.
She probably should've come up with a different excuse.
Another thing Emma would have to remember for next time.
"It was a good date."
Sabrina crossed her arms and stared at her friend. "That's it?"
This was going to be a losing battle, and Emma knew it.
"It was good. Nice."
"Nice?" Sabrina asked incredulously. "So not a good date then."
That was not true at all. It was actually a fabulous date as far as dates go. She got to dress up and be glamorous. The food was amazing, especially that expensive hamburger. Maybe not five-thousand-dollars amazing, but it was still pretty great. Wine was excellent. The dessert was delicious.
And then there was her date. Handsome, definitely. Good conversation. She even went home with him because she didn't really want the night to end.
But she couldn't think of Chase that way, because there was that pesky thing about him not actually being her date. It was part of her arrangement with the lawyers because that's what Nana put in her will. He was still the rich actor that she had to spend money on. He was still the enemy.
And as of today, he was also her landlord.
It was all so stupid. The whole thing was preposterous. But she wasn't ready to tell Sabrina that and she wasn't sure if she would ever be ready. So lying to her friend would just have to work for now.
"It was actually a great date," Emma said. "I think I'm going to see him again."
A teasing smile spread across Sabrina's face. "Well, see? That's a good thing. Stop selling it like it was a date from hell."
It definitely was not that.
"So where did he take you?"
"Oh, we ate at a place in Malibu called The Fish Fry."
Sabrina's eyes went wide. "Really?" Emma nodded. "I heard that place was super expensive, and all these famous people eat there. Did you see any famous people?"
Uh, Chase Warwick. Nope, no. Bad idea. Emma definitely couldn't say that.
"Nope, I didn't see anyone I recognized."
"Bummer. Well, it was a good story time before story time anyway." Then Sabrina turned back to her desk and the pile of books next to it that she was adding to the library inventory. "Speaking of, are you reading to the kids today or am I?"
"Today is you. I have Friday."
"Oh, you're taking fairy tale day this week! Are you dressing up?"
Emma hadn't thought about it, but now that Sabrina had mentioned it, she realized she had the perfect dress for it.
It was blue with lots of tulle and cost a damn fortune.
She would have to be careful with it. But at the same time, if she already spent that much money on it, why not get some more enjoyment out of it?
"I see that smile on your face," Sabrina said from her desk. "Please tell me it was the hot dress you bought for your hot date that you're trying to downplay?"
"Oh, it's definitely my hot dress. But don't worry. It's still appropriate for two-year-olds at story hour."
"Well, that's a bummer." A teasing smile started to spread across Sabrina's face. "For your boyfriend, I mean. Not for the kids."
"He's not my boyfriend," Emma muttered as she turned back to her desk.
Chase was the enemy, or at least a means to an end. Emma had to keep reminding herself that so she wouldn't get distracted from what she really had to do: spend this money and move on.
Emma had become used to leaving her phone in her desk drawer when she was out on the library floor helping patrons or shelving books. There was also that one time she accidentally left it in her pocket, and some spam call came through during story time with the kids.
"Ms. Emma, you're not supposed to have that on," one of the young readers said. "That's a no-no, remember?"
"I completely forgot, but thank you for the reminder."
She remembered that every time she went to story time after that. Nothing like being chastised by a four-year-old to make sure you always remember the rules.
But when she was in her office, she left the drawer cracked open slightly to hear any texts come through. And sure enough, she heard the phone ding in her desk drawer as she was adding new releases to the library's database.
Dinner at 7? My place? ;)
Emma didn't take Chase to be an emoji kind of person, and yet there was a winking face looking back at her from her texts.
Sounds good, Emma texted back. Can you give me directions?
Hm. Did that sound like she was flirting with Chase now? Absolutely not. No. She was just being friendly. That's all that was.
But then three little dots popped on the screen as Chase typed something in, and she wondered why she cared that he was typing something out for this long.
Walk out your front door to the luxurious pool and a handsome man will be waiting for you
Emma couldn't help the small smile on her lips. Handsome? Honestly, yes. It was true that Chase Warwick was handsome and charming and she actually enjoyed talking to him last night. But she couldn't give into those feelings, and she couldn't let Chase think she appreciated them either.
Little confused, she replied. I thought I was having dinner with you. Who is this handsome man I'm meeting now?
Ha ha. Funny but deserved
She smiled down at her phone. Sure, it was a cheap laugh through text, but it was still a laugh from Chase.
I'll have Marcus send you some links to a few places that we can order from. Let him know what you want and he'll get it taken care of
OK, see you tonight, was all she responded.
Sure, she could've typed something witty in response, but she already felt weird about where that conversation was going. Jokes would lead to more flirting, if that's what was going on, and that would lead down a very slippery slope. Flirting with Chase Warwick was not a good idea.
"What are you doing?" Sabrina asked as she walked into their office.
"Oh, just sending a text, but I'm doing it at my desk and not in the biography section so it's OK."
Sabrina scowled. "I don't care if you send texts from the biography section. I just wonder why do you look like someone who is guilty of sexting?"
"I was not sexting!"
Oh holy hell! There was no way that she would sext with Chase Warwick. No fucking way. Just gross. That was just... That would never happen.
"You're smiling," Sabrina said. "At the very least, you were flirting with someone."
No, she was not. At least she was trying very hard not to flirt with anyone.
"It was just my date from last night."
Which technically was true, so it wasn't even really a lie then.
"So, do you have another date tonight, or would you like to come to my place after work?" her friend asked. "I bought frozen pizza."
How was she going to get out of this one now?
"Uh, actually I looked at a place tonight."
"Oh, really?" Sabrina turned in her seat, put her elbows on her knees, and leaned in closer. "Give me the details."
"It's just a small place, but it supposedly comes furnished and everything."
Sabrina raised her eyebrows and gave her a warm smile. "Awesome! Where is it?"
Chase Warwick's backyard. "Uh, Malibu," Emma tried to say dismissively. "It's some rich couple's guest house."
Sabrina's smile faltered. "Are they a creepy weird couple?"
"I don't think so, but they seemed normal when I talked to them."
Sure, yeah, Chase was normal, but more like "normal" as in attractive and rich and a big movie star.
Emma's phone dinged again and she looked down at the screen to see Marcus's name on it.
"Oh, new landlord or new boyfriend?" Sabrina asked.
"Neither, it's just..."
Huh. Well, how was she supposed to explain who Marcus was? Because if she told Sabrina that Chase's assistant was contacting her, that would just lead to way too many other questions about her new boyfriend.
"Well, he's not my boyfriend," she stammered.
"Uh huh."
Emma rolled her eyes. "Seriously, it was just one date. Let's not get ahead of ourselves."
"Too late."
Emma just sighed and watched as Sabrina turned back to her computer with a teasing smile on her face. This was going to be a losing battle for now. At least Emma knew the truth, which was that she did not have an actual romantic relationship with Chase Warwick.
Instead, she just turned back to her phone to see what Marcus wanted.
There were just a few bubbles of text on the screen so it wasn't that bad.
An apology for contacting her at work. A few links to different menus for restaurants for dinner tonight.
She picked a sushi place that looked good and was more expensive than some of the other options.
Great, he replied. Send me your order when you can and I'll make sure it's here when you get home. Will use your credit card as usual
She knew that Marcus was just doing his job as Chase's assistant. But the thing about "when you get home" made it sound like she lived there, which she did for now sort of. It just hit in a weird way and reminded her she didn't live with her grandmother in her grandmother's house anymore.
And then there was the credit card. Her credit card. Or rather, the credit card specifically set aside for spending money that wasn't really hers to get the money that could one day be hers. It was all a mess.
She texted a simple Sounds good back to Marcus, and slid her phone back into the top drawer of her desk. She would make sure to pick the most expensive items on the menu tonight, but until then, she had work to finish up at her job at the public library.