13. Emma
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
emma
I turned onto Honey’s street and slowed to a crawl, eyeing the vehicle behind me. I’d seen the little red car around recently, and wondered who it belonged to. I parked next to Honey’s yellow truck and watched it go by, shaking my head.
“Weird,” I said to Donnie.
His tail thumped against the seat in excitement as I got out, opening the door for him. He jumped out and sniffed around the grass before following me up the steps.
Honey opened the door right as I went to knock, a silver brow raising. “About damn time. You’ve been keeping secrets.”
My cheeks burned red hot. I should have known she’d have expected some news by now.
It was Sunday morning and I’d slept like shit last night. It didn’t matter how many times I’d masturbated (which had been a lot), I couldn’t get Hunter Harlow off my mind. The plumber porn had only made things worse.
I needed to be planning a festival and readying myself for snappy responses to whatever bullshit Josh said tonight at dinner.
My stomach twisted at the thought of Josh. Him being here in Citrus Cove was a problem. I needed to hear him out and then kick him out.
With my dad’s death, there were probably things I had to do for a funeral, right? Hell, I hadn’t even thought about that. I wasn’t sure I even wanted to go, and that only made me feel worse.
But really, who would I need to pretend to be the perfect daughter for? No one.
After tonight, Josh would leave. Hunter and I would tell everyone the truth. All would be right in the world.
“I can keep secrets,” I quipped.
Honey snorted. “Yeah, sure. Come on, lunch is almost ready. Hello, my sweet darling Donnie.” She leaned down to give him a few pets before he trotted inside, finding his place on the sofa in the living room.
Most Sundays, I found myself at Honey’s. Alice was always busy on Sundays. And since Haley and Sarah were now happily married, it was harder to drag them over to my house and away from their sexy men. Honey had her own beau, but Mr. Johnson only came over on Mondays. She claimed the distance made their sex lives more exciting, which was way too much information, but also goals.
If my golden years weren’t full of the best sex of my life, I didn’t want them.
I shut the door behind me, kicked off my shoes, and followed Honey to the kitchen.
“How’s everything going?” she asked.
“It’s going,” I said.
She made a drawn out hum, shaking her head. “Uh huh.”
Maybe I’d try to redirect her. “Is there anything I can help with?”
“Nope. You can tell me about your little secret. Along with the truth, if you don’t mind.”
My mouth opened and then clamped shut. “We’ve been seeing each other for a few months.”
Honey shook her head. “You know, I told Haley I could have guessed. The two of you were always griping at each other, and that tension can turn into something else. But getting engaged without breathing a word to any of us? Just doesn’t seem like you.”
Because it wasn’t. According to the Emma Life Plan, I would date a man for three years before he would plan an extravagant engagement, one that would absolutely sweep me off my feet. One that would leave me breathless and swooning. Then, he’d propose with a gorgeous diamond ring inspired by my Pinterest mood board. I’d say yes, plan the most perfect wedding, and then we would live happily ever after.
Hunter Harlow didn’t exactly fit into that picture. I doubted he even knew what a marquise cut diamond was.
“It just felt right,” I said.
Honey fixed her silver hair in a bun and grabbed a set of oven mitts, pulling a pan of enchiladas out of the oven. It didn’t matter that it was still morning time, the two of us had decided a while back that enchiladas for breakfast was a fine way to start the day. My mouth immediately watered.
She set it on the stovetop. “Darling, I’ve known you for some time now, and I just have to say—it’s a shock. That’s all. Now, I’ve known Hunter Harlow all his life, and there’s a very real part of me that’s thrilled for the two of you. He’s a great man who’s smart and kind—with a great ass, too.”
“Honey,” I hissed, fighting a giggle.
“What? Have you seen those Levi’s on him? Can’t get much better than that. All that aside, working the Harlow farm is what he seems to want to do with his life. He’ll always be here in Citrus Cove, just like he’s always been.”
“Do you think I don’t want to be here?” I asked, frowning.
“I don’t know. Some days, I think this place is perfect for you. Other days, I wonder if you’ll get tired of it. It’s the same thing all the time, save for all the little dramas that pop up. Everyone knows each other and leans on each other in hard times, but there’s nothing glamorous about it.”
“I don’t want glamour,” I said. “I’m glamorous enough as it is. I want to feel like I’m home and loved. I want to care about—and be cared for by—people who really know me. Who love me for who I am. I didn’t get that growing up.” My eyes teared up. It felt stupid to say all of this out loud, even if I meant every word. But the relationship with Hunter wasn’t real, and eventually we’d disappoint everyone with the truth. “I just want someone to see me, you know?”
Honey’s gaze softened as she slid her oven mitts off and pulled me into a hug. I leaned into her and shut my eyes.
Was this it? Was I finally going to cry?
“You’ve got people who love you, and I’m one of them. Whenever Haley and I talked on the phone over the years, she’d always tell me about you. Emma this, Emma that. I always felt happy she had someone close by who loved her when we couldn’t. And then I got to actually meet you and know you, and I want you to stay here forever. But I also want you to do what feels right.”
The tears dried up. Dammit. Maybe I’d never cry again. “Thank you,” I said softly.
“Marriage is a big commitment. And I just worry you’re diving in too fast, with Haley and Sarah both being married now.”
“It’s not because of them,” I said. “And no, I’m not pregnant.”
“Well, good. Because that’s certainly not a reason to get married either.” She pulled back and pointed at the stove. “Now grab the plates and I’ll serve us some food. I got some chips and queso and The Golden Girls all ready to go.”
“You’re the best,” I said.
“I can be. And Emma, whatever this is with Hunter, I’m happy for you. But my instincts are telling me that something ain’t right here. Hidden roots always get dug up, darlin’. When you’re ready to tell me the whole truth, I’ll be here.”
I winced and decided I'd give a small concession. “I’ll tell you eventually. That’s all I can say for now.”
Her lips pinched but she nodded. We served ourselves and headed to the living room, queueing up season five. Donnie burrowed himself in a blanket, completely blissed out. I ate slowly, trying to focus on the show, but my mind kept drifting to the plans with Josh later tonight.
I’d hear him out, kick him out of town, and then be done with it.
I soothed my uneasy stomach with chips dipped in queso.
Hunter and Josh being in the same room for more than five minutes would be difficult. I wished Hunter wouldn’t have told him he was my fiancé. It made everything so much more complicated. If Josh already told the lawyers about Hunter, I wouldn’t be surprised if they showed up here too.
Josh expected me to fall in line and turn into the perfect trophy wife again, but that would never happen.
I wasn’t the girl he married all those years ago. His audacity at suggesting we remarried was disgusting. I wrinkled my nose, thinking about all the work I’d done to become a better and stronger person. It’d taken me years to undo the beliefs he’d instilled during those fourteen months. Haley had seen me go through several toxic relationships in the first few years we knew each other, because I’d still held onto all the damage from my marriage.
He’d had a terrible taste in home decor. We were doomed from the beginning.
“Next Sunday, bring your fiancé over for lunch,” Honey said.
Dammit . “Okay,” I said. “I’ll see if he wants to.”
“I’m sure he will. If he doesn’t, let him know I’ll be showing up on his doorstep to interrogate him in person.”
I snorted and stole a glance at her over my shoulder, clocking her smirk. I narrowed my eyes on her, but didn’t say anything else.
It was worth the chaos, I reminded myself. Josh would be gone soon and Hunter and I could clear the air, and they’d all be fine with it. Right? Surely they’d understand why we’d started a fake relationship.
All I could do was hope they would.