Chapter 3
Emmie didn’t know what made her say yes to the man about dinner.
He’d been going to kill the older man when she’d walked up to him to talk to him, and she still didn’t know what had made her do that.
As soon as he looked at her, she felt her sadness for the way that her sister had treated her dissipate, and the thought of going out with the man, even though she didn’t know him he for whatever reason made her happy.
Taking her prize out of the deal made her thrilled that she’d gone to the auction today.
They didn’t have things like this where she was from.
They had estate sales, and that was all.
Everything was tagged with a price, and you either had to pay it or not get it.
She loved bidding on things that she might want to get.
She’d gotten caught up in the auction by watching the other people bid on things that they wanted.
She even got caught up in the man, Mr. Jackson, going around telling people that they weren’t going to bid on the table as it was his.
She’d marked him as a bully and an asshole from the very start.
One who was used to getting his own way when it came to pushing people around.
She knew people like that. She not only worked with them, but they were a part of her life.
Cullen was going to pick her up at six. It was only two now, but he said that he had to get his furniture to his new home and would be able to pick her up after that.
His mom was nice too, in that she’d let her go through her purchases of box lots; they were called to see if she wanted anything else.
But all she wanted was the egg and was happy that she’d been willing to part with that.
As soon as she got to B&B, she put the egg on the shelf and marveled at it.
It was nothing more than a Styrofoam egg that had been decorated with beads and seed pearls by sticking straight pins in the décor.
This one had a special look to it as it looked to be decorated with just enough color to make it eye appealing.
She was thrilled that she’d been able to find who had purchased the box lot and even more thrilled that she’d gotten it for free.
Then she thought of the man Cullen again.
She didn’t know the Dixon family. She’d heard about them through her sister.
How they were always donating things to the city to keep it in good shape.
She didn’t care that they had money, but she was glad that they weren’t stingy about their money in sharing with the town, which she thought looked better than the way that Mary Beth commented on it.
While she was getting ready, she realized that she should have given her phone number to Cullen.
Oh well, he knew where she was staying and thought that he’d get in touch with her from the B&B she was staying in.
Deciding not to leave until later in the week, she was going to spend as much time as she could getting to know the man.
He seemed nice and friendly, and she thought that for the next several days, he’d make her vacation a little less depressing.
She’d still see her sister, but not without having a good time with Cullen while she could.
She even liked his name. Cullen Dixon seemed like a very nice man.
Putting on her summery dress, she decided that she was going to pay for pizzas to be delivered to her sister’s home tonight. Mary Beth, of course, wanted to know all about what she was doing tonight, and she told her that she had a date.
“A date with who? You can’t have a date after this short of time.
Tell me who he is, and I’ll tell you all about him.
” She told him who it was. “Oh, he’s the worst of the brothers.
Always causing trouble around town. He’s the one who got the kids caught tied to the car when the police were called. You can’t date him, and that’s final.”
“If he got Bash in trouble for tying his kids to his car, then I’ll marry him if he asks.
I’ll have his kids too if he was as nice to me as you’ve been mean.
” She said if she were to give her the money for Bash to be out, then she’d be all right.
“I don’t want Bash out. And while we’re talking, I want to take the kids to the movies tomorrow. If you don’t mind.”
“Lunch and the movie? Why can’t I go?” She told her that she needed to see Bash. “That’s right. I did miss out on seeing him last night. That’s not right, either, you know. That I can only see him for two hours in the morning and two in the evening. I want to be there for him all day.”
“You’ll see him tomorrow night while I’m out with the kids.
” She sounded disgruntled, but in the end agreed that it would be all right so long as she brought something back for her to eat.
“All right, but it’ll just be a sub or something like that.
I’m not going to get you a five-course meal when we’re going to be having burgers and fries. ”
“You’re the meanest person I know, Emmie.
Why are you like that? You have a job and money?
Why don’t you share it?” Because she told her, she liked having things that she paid for and did not have to suck the system dry.
“Why do you have to bring that up now? I thought that we could just be like a family while you’re here and have some good dinners out. ”
“I’m not going to be taking you out to dinner every night. Unless it’s with the kids. I want to get to know them better than I do right now.” She said that she could get to know them at a fancy restaurant, too. “No, there’s too much going on, so it’ll have to be fast food or nothing at all.”
“If you gave me the money to bail out Bash, then he could be getting to know you better, too.” She said that she’d had enough of Bash and wasn’t going to bail him out. “I’m going to wear you down, see that I don’t.”
“You’ll see that I’m a good deal stronger than you are when it comes to my money.
I’m not bailing him out. And if you don’t want to fight about it every time we talk to each other, then stop bringing it up.
” She told her that it was only a thousand dollars.
“Who said it was that much? I didn’t even realize that he’d gone to court yet. ”
“All right, so he’s not gone to court yet, but I could use the money to keep him in stuff while he’s there.
They only give him three meals a day and nothing in between.
” She told her that he’d survive. “But he’s so hungry all the time, and he gets mad at me when I tell him that you’ve taken us out to eat. He wants his fair share, too.”
“I told you that I’m not going to feed him.
My taxes are going for him to have meals that are good for him.
Not anything extra. Besides, the last time I saw him, he could have used to lose a few pounds.
” Mary Beth agreed that the doctor said he was getting too heavy.
“See? We’re doing him a favor by not feeding him more than he should be getting. ”
“You’re being mean again. I hope your date leaves you beside the road and you have to walk home.
” She asked her who was being mean now. “I mean it. I hope you have a crappy time, and he takes you someplace that serves burgers and fries all the time. It’s the least he can do to make sure you don’t get too fat either. ”
The phone was slammed down, and Emmie found that she didn’t care. She was excited to have a date tonight with Cullen. As soon as he pulled up in front of the B&B, she knew it was going to be a good time, and she wasn’t going to mention her sister at all. Not if she could help it.
He took her to a seafood restaurant for dinner. It wasn’t her favorite type of food, but she really did enjoy it. As soon as he sat down with her, he began telling her about his house. She wanted to see it because it sounded like the perfect house for her, too. He showed her pictures.
“The open concept isn’t anything that I’m into.
I’ve been out in the open for most of my adult life, and I’m sick of it.
” She said that she designs the outdoors for new homes and didn’t get out much.
“I’ve been trying to get out more, but I find that I’m not much into people either.
Which is what surprised me about myself asking you out. ”
“I’m glad that you did. I’ve been looking forward to it all day.
” He told her how his brothers had helped him get the rooms set up with the things they’d been able to get him today, too.
“Do the table and chairs fit in your dining room? I’ve been wondering about that since I saw how big they were.
And then to have the other three pieces too. ”
“Would you like to come by after we’re finished here?
I’ve been thinking about your opinion all day and how you would like the house.
” She told him that she’d love to see his house.
“It’s much bigger than I thought I’d buy, but I got such a good deal on it that I found that I couldn’t resist. You’re my mate, did I tell you that? ”
“I’m sorry?” She caught him as off guard as he had her with the mate business. “I don’t understand. I understand what mates are, but now how I’m your mate. We only just met today.”