CHAPTER NINETEEN
C rystal studied herself in the mirror. She’d finally decided to wear a simple, black-linen, sleeveless sheath adorned only by a gold chain necklace holding a small single diamond that matched the small diamond studs in her ears. Both were graduation gifts from GG—one for high school, the other for culinary school. She treasured them.
She fussed with her soft blond curls. Her hair cut shorter and changed back to her natural color gave her a better look. She added another swipe of pale, pink lipstick to her full lips and sighed. Ready or not, it was time to go.
The doorbell rang, and Crystal went to answer it.
“Wow! You look nice. Very classy,” he said.
She couldn’t help but smile at his enthusiasm. “Thanks. I don’t wear Jeans and T-shirts all the time.”
“I like it,” said Emmett. “Now, let’s go meet my mother.”
The short drive from the town center to the Lilac Lake Inn was scenic. Stacked-stone walls lined the sides of the country road. She opened the window beside her and inhaled the smell of pine. She could imagine the rabbits and other small wildlife getting ready for another night in the woodlands.
“It’s a beautiful area, huh?” said Emmett. “Compared to city living, life seems much easier here.”
“It’s a wonderful vacation spot for families, but living here is a privilege too. I haven’t been able to travel much, but as long as I have this, I’m content until I can.”
“I’d love to show you some of my favorite places,” said Emmett.
He pulled up to the porte cochere of the hotel, and she waited for an attendant to help her out of the car.
Emmett checked his watch as they walked inside. “We’d better go directly to the dining room. We’re a little late.”
At the entrance to the dining room, Emmett gave his name to the hostess. Picking up two menus, she led them to a table in the corner by a window.
It wasn’t until she drew close that Crystal realized that Natalie Chamberlain was sitting at the table with Diana McArthur.
“ ’Evening, Mother,” said Emmett. He turned to Diana. “And hello to you.”
He frowned but forced a smile. “Mother, you haven’t formally met Crystal Owen. And, Crystal, you know Diana.”
“Yes, I do,” she said stiffly, wondering what was going on.
Emmett’s mother stared at her. “You’re the woman I thought was Diana at the Faire.” She turned to Emmett. “I thought Crystal had purple hair.”
Remembering GG’s words to her, Crystal straightened. “I used to have purple hair. I decided it was time to go back to my natural color.”
“Well, change was needed.” She took hold of Diana’s hand. “And this young lady has grown into a beauty. She always had a special thing for Emmett. Isn’t that so?”
Diana’s cheeks flared with color, but she gazed at Emmett adoringly.
A waiter hurried over to them and helped Crystal into her chair and then helped Emmett. They were seated next to one another, allowing Diana to face Emmett while Crystal was forced to sit opposite Natalie.
“As long as Emmett was finally able to give me a little of his time, I thought it a perfect opportunity to invite Diana. With my husband considering a run for president, it seemed like a wise move. We’ll want to present a united family picture.”
Crystal heard all the innuendos in Natalie’s talk and though a part of her wanted to flee, she forced herself to speak calmly to Diana. “Dirk seems to be settling into the dental practice nicely.”
“Yes. He’s renting a house, but he’s looking for a place of his own,” said Diana. “He’s loving the area.”
“It’s great for outdoor sports year-round,” said Crystal. “And we’re growing so fast, another dentist is very welcome.” Aware that Emmett’s mother was staring at her, Crystal stopped talking and turned to Emmett.
Emmett picked up on her cue and said, “How did you like the Faire today, Mother?”
“The canoe races were fun to watch, but I invited Diana to join me for a spa afternoon. We spent most of it inside getting pampered. It’s lovely to have a young woman whom I know and respect do things like that with me. How about you, Crystal? How did your day go?”
“I was very busy. For the first time, the baking contest included entries by kids twelve and under. It was very exciting for them.”
“Oh, yes,” said Diana. “I bought a piece of apple cake for Emmett.” She flashed him a dimpled smile. “Was it as delicious as I thought?”
“It was very tasty,” said Emmett tersely, and Crystal knew he was as upset as she was over his mother including Diana in a dinner meant for the three of them.
Crystal hoped she could get through the evening without either crying or shouting at Natalie and Diana.
Emmett’s cell rang. He clicked on the call and listened. “Okay, I’ll be right there.” He ended the call. “Emergency. A little boy has broken an arm. I’ve got to leave.”
“I’ll come with you,” Crystal said, placing her napkin on the tabletop.
Emmett studied her. “Okay, let’s go.” He turned to his mother. “We’ll have dinner another time, Mother. Goodnight to both of you.”
He helped Crystal out of her chair, and she gave his mother and Diana a bob of her head before turning and following Emmett out of the room.
As they were waiting out front for the valet to bring his car, Diana rushed out to them. “Emmett, I’m sorry. Please don’t be mad at me. I just wanted to have some time with you.”
“I’m on a date with Crystal. We can talk later,” he said as his car was driven up to the front. He helped Crystal down the stairs to his car, and after getting in himself, they took off with a roar.
“What was that all about?” Crystal asked. “You didn’t know Diana was going to be there?”
“My mother suggested it, but I told her no, that I wanted her to get to know you. I’m sorry. She can be so irritating, hurtful.”
“That was humiliating.”
Emmett reached over and took hold of her hand. “You handled yourself well. I’m just sorry you had to go through another terrible scene with my mother.”
“Maybe we’d better cool it,” said Crystal. “It’s obvious I’ll never be acceptable to your family, your mother in particular.”
“It’s my life, not theirs,” said Emmett quietly but firmly. “Do you understand now why I’ve done what I did by changing my name, educating myself, and demanding independence?”
Crystal nodded but it didn’t make her feel any better.
“I’m going directly to the clinic. Do you want to go with me?” he asked.
“Yes,” said Crystal. “If we have time after that, I can whip up dinner at my apartment. Then the entire evening won’t be wasted.”
“Sounds like a plan,” said Emmett driving to the outskirts of town where his practice was located.
When he got there, a mother was waiting in the car with her eight-year-old son who was crying.
“I’ll open the office. Will you help them get inside?” Emmett said to her.
“Sure.” Crystal got out of the car and walked over to them.
The mother was sniffling as she helped a crying boy out of the car.
“Hello, I’m Crystal, here to help Dr. Chambers. He’s getting ready for you inside. Please come with me and he’ll get you all fixed up.” She knelt in front of the boy. “It’s going to be all right.”
Crystal led them inside where Emmett had turned on the lights and was waiting for them.
“Hello,” he said. “I’m Dr. Chambers.”
With tears still wet on her cheeks, the woman said, “Hi, Dr. Chambers. I’m Samantha Butler, and this is my son, Jeffrey.”
Emmett knelt in front of the boy. “Hey, Jeffrey, we’re going to take a look at your arm and then get you fixed up.” He looked up at the boy’s mother. “Tell me what happened.”
“We were having a picnic at one of the lakeside parks, and the kids were all running around like crazy. I called to Jeffrey to tell him to stop, and when he turned towards me, he tripped on a toy truck and fell.” Her eyes welled with fresh tears.
Emmett stood. “Things like this can happen, especially with active young children busy having fun. He’s not a regular patient of mine. Is there any medical information I should be aware of? Is he up to date on a tetanus shot?”
“He’s up to date on all medications,” Samantha said. “I tried to tell him to be careful ...”
Crystal walked over and put an arm around her. “Don’t blame yourself. I remember when something similar happened to my sister. I felt terrible, thinking it was my fault. But kids are bound to have accidents from time to time. It’s how we all learn.”
Emmett glanced at her and smiled. He turned to Jeffrey. “We’re going to get a picture of your arm. Why don’t you come back with me, and I’ll show you how we’re going to do it. Mom, you might want to join us.”
“I’ll wait here in case you need me,” Crystal told Emmett.
Crystal sat in the waiting room. It was interesting to see the changes Emmett had made to the space, including painting the walls a sunny yellow and updating the dark wood chairs lining the room with bright colors. It gave the room a more welcoming feel.
A few minutes later, Emmett appeared. “Crystal, can you join us? While I set the arm, Jeffrey and his mother could use some pleasant conversation from you. And then you can help me keep them both calm while I take care of the temporary cast.”
Flattered, Crystal rose and followed him into the examination room.
“I have a clear picture of the arm and it appears the radius has a clean fracture. I’ll adjust the arm a bit and then we can put a temporary cast on the arm. It’s adjustable for when the swelling goes down but don’t worry about that. You can bring Jeffrey in this week to have me take another look at it and adjust the cast.”
“Sounds like an easy plan, huh, Jeffrey?” Crystal said cheerfully. “Want me to tell you a story about my sister and the purple cast she wore once?”
Jeffrey gave her an unenthusiastic nod.
Crystal began with, “My sister’s name is Misty, and she was nine, I’m guessing a little older than you when she broke her arm. The doctor put a cast on her arm, covered in purple, and they made up a story about how she saved a whole family of fairies by doing battle with a mean gardener who was about to destroy their little garden kingdom. We can make up a story for you, too. Would you like to do that?”
Jeffrey’s eyes lit with interest. He nodded, unaware of the adjustment Emmett was making to his arm.
“What do you want to do? Take on pirates? Spacemen? What?” she asked him, noting how pleased the mother seemed at the way Jeffrey was smiling.
“I want to fight sea monsters,” said Jeffrey. “Big ones, like dinosaurs.”
“Okay, let’s begin. Once there was a boy named Jeffrey. And he lived by the sea...where?”
“In Florida,” said Jeffrey.
His mother laughed. “We recently visited Disney World.”
“Okay, Florida,” said Crystal. “And the little boy Jeffrey one day saw a monster rise out of the sea. What did he look like?”
“He was big and green with sharp teeth like a shark,” said Jeffrey, hardly noticing Emmett tightening the temporary cast around his arm.
“And then what happened?” Crystal asked. She loved children’s imaginations.
“Then Jeffrey told the monster to go away. People wanted to swim. But the monster said, ‘I want to swim too. So, Jeffrey said, ‘Okay, but you have to give us magical rides in the water.”
“Oh, what fun! Did he give everyone rides?”
“Yes. Even Betsy Dooley. She’s not my girlfriend.”
Crystal worked not to laugh. Jeffrey was such a sweet boy. Poor Betsy Dooley.
Emmett’s eyes were twinkling with laughter, but he said seriously, “Okay, Jeffrey, I’m glad you got the monster under control. Guess what! You’re almost ready to leave. You and Crystal can keep talking while I give your mother instructions for taking care of the arm.”
“Okay,” said Jeffrey looking at the cast. “I want a blue color.”
“Remember that when it’s time to choose,” said Crystal.
His mother returned to get him.
Crystal helped him off the examination table. “Goodbye, Jeffrey. It was fun to hear your story. I hope your arm heals fast.”
Jeffrey waved to her before he turned to leave.
“Thank you for your help,” said Jeffrey’s mother.
“I’m glad I could be of help,” Crystal said, following them to the front door.
Emmett met them there. “Call my office on Monday to make an appointment. We’ll want to check on the swelling and go from there.”
“Thank you, Doctor. I’m glad we were able to get help quickly.” She turned to Crystal. “And thanks for helping both Jeffrey and me. I’ve noticed you’re both dressed up. I’m sorry to have disturbed you.”
“That’s not a problem.” Crystal watched them leave and turned to Emmett. “You have an easy way with children. I’m impressed by how quickly and calmly you got the work done.”
Emmett threw an arm around her shoulder. “Thanks to you. You’re a natural nurse. ‘Sure you don’t want to come work for me?”
Crystal laughed. “No thanks. You know the old dating rule—no fishing off the company pier.”
“Yes, it might become a big problem because I’m always thinking of you.” He clasped her face in his hands and gently, slowly kissed her, savoring the taste of her.
Reaching up, she drew him to her, never wanting to let go.
When they finally pulled apart, Crystal sighed with pleasure.
“What about that dinner you talked about?” said Emmett. “Are you still agreeable to cooking something?”
“Your place or mine?” said Crystal.
Emmett gazed at her with a sexy smile. “Definitely mine.” He crooked his arm and held it out to her. “C’mon. Let’s go.”
He locked up his clinic and they walked to his house. The summer evening was pleasantly cool, and as Crystal gazed up at the stars, she felt as if they were shining for her.
###
I nside Emmett’s house , the kitchen was workable even though finishing touches needed to be made. Appliances were in place. Cabinet doors had yet to be mounted and Crystal noticed that the tile backsplash behind the counters had yet to be completed. But knocking down two walls made the kitchen much larger and open to a combined dining and living area. With the sliding glass doors in place to what would become a screened-in porch, Crystal could imagine how sunlight would fill the room.
“What an improvement,” she murmured, studying the space.
“It’s like a miracle, and yet Brad tells me it’s all quite simple,” said Emmett.
“Aaron and Brad have put together an outstanding company. They started on their own, and when they got the contract to build The Woodlands and decided to develop The Meadows, they built a fantastic team.”
“Collister Construction handles a lot of the projects in this state and beyond,” said Emmett. He gave her a sheepish grin. “I googled them online before I agreed to have them do the work. That, and the fact that they could move quickly, made my decision easy.”
“Okay, let’s see what you have in the refrigerator,” said Crystal.
“Not much. Eggs, butter, milk, and some other basics.”
“How about an omelet? I can whip one up in a hurry.”
“An omelet sounds perfect. Quick and easy,” said Emmett, drawing her into his arms. “Or we could wait on dinner ...”
Crystal didn’t answer, and, instead, lifted her face to his.
Their decision made, they headed upstairs to the guest room Emmett still used as his while construction took place.
Crystal eased her dress off, leaving the black lace bikini pants and black lacy bra she’d put on to make herself feel special when meeting Emmett’s mother.
“You look fantastic,” said Emmett, dropping his pants on the floor and approaching her.
Crystal hugged him tightly and then followed him to his bed and climbed on top of it, as eager as he to proceed.
He helped her remove her lacy bits. “Beautiful,” he murmured and lowered his lips to hers.
Later, Crystal lay next to him, curled up in his arms. Emmett knew just how to please her, and lying there, she wondered how she could ever back away from him.