Chapter 37
Helen's words carried clearly across the rooftop garden.
Nathan stared at her.
Blow on it?
She meant literally blow on Emma's arm?
He looked back at Emma and found her wearing an equally awkward expression.
"No, no." Emma took a small step back. "It's fine. It barely hurts."
Nathan noticed the retreat.
For nearly a year, Emma had been remarkably consistent about keeping a comfortable distance between them. She never flirted when Helen wasn't around, never used the arrangement as an excuse to get closer, and never blurred the line between work and anything personal.
Now she looked genuinely worried that he might actually do what his mother had suggested.
Nathan almost laughed.
Maybe that was why, when Emma started to pull her arm away again, he caught her wrist.
Emma blinked.
Her lashes fluttered as she looked from his hand to his face.
What was he doing?
Then it clicked.
Oh.
Helen was watching.
Of course.
They were supposedly a couple who had been together for almost a year. A little affection in front of her wasn't unreasonable.
Although this particular kind of affection was ridiculous.
Who blew on someone's scraped elbow?
Children, maybe.
Not a man in his thirties who spent his days running a business empire.
Still, Nathan was doing it for his mother.
And if he was willing to commit to the performance, Emma wasn't going to ruin it.
Client first.
Nathan lifted her arm and lowered his head.
Then he actually did it.
A soft breath passed over the scrape.
"Better?" he asked.
Emma stared at him.
Nathan was unfairly good-looking up close. Strong features, deep-set eyes, and the kind of presence that could make a room pay attention without him ever raising his voice.
Usually, his easy smile softened that effect.
Right now, he was looking directly at her, patient and gentle, as if blowing on her scraped elbow were a perfectly normal thing for him to be doing.
Emma's cheeks warmed.
She quickly looked away.
"Yeah," she said softly. "Doesn't hurt anymore."
Perfect.
Helen would definitely believe that.
Emma was quite pleased with her performance.
Nathan, however, caught the blush before she turned away.
It surprised him more than it should have.
After nearly a year of flawless professional indifference, apparently Emma Carter could still be embarrassed around him.
Interesting.
He released her wrist and lightly brushed a hand over the top of her head.
"Come on. Let's eat."
Emma followed him toward the others.
Aunt May looked delighted.
She had watched Nathan grow up, and as far as she was concerned, what she'd just witnessed was practically a romantic breakthrough.
She leaned toward Helen.
"Mrs. Grant, I think you might get a grandbaby sooner than you think."
Helen frowned.
"A grandbaby?"
"Yes."
"What is that?"
Aunt May's smile froze.
Right.
She'd forgotten who she was talking to.
Helen tilted her head.
"Can you eat it?"
"No!"
Aunt May thought quickly.
"It's not food. It's... something fun."
Helen's eyes lit up.
"Fun?"
"Very."
That was all she needed to hear.
The moment Emma came close enough, Helen grabbed her hand.
"Emma!"
"Yes?"
"I want a grandbaby to play with."
Emma stared at her.
Aunt May pressed her lips together to keep from laughing.
"A grandbaby isn't a toy, Helen."
"But Aunt May said it's fun."
Aunt May couldn't resist adding, "Well, that's not entirely up to Emma."
Her eyes slid meaningfully toward Nathan.
Emma caught the implication immediately.
So did Nathan.
Aunt May had been with the Grant family for years. In her mind, the situation was obvious. Nathan was busy, Emma was young, and if their relationship hadn't progressed yet, Nathan was probably the one setting the pace.
Emma had no intention of letting this conversation continue long enough for Helen to start asking Nathan for details.
She linked her arm through Helen's.
"Grandbabies are overrated. I'll take you somewhere much more fun."
Helen was distracted immediately.
"Really?"
"Really."
"What is it?"
"It's a surprise."
Helen's face brightened.
Aunt May stared at Emma.
She had changed the subject without even pretending to consider it.
Nathan noticed too.
He told himself it didn't matter.
Still, that had been fast.
Lunch passed pleasantly.
Helen remained fixated on the mysterious "something more fun" Emma had promised her.
As soon as they finished eating, Emma looked at Nathan.
"Can I take her out this afternoon?"
Nathan's attention shifted to her.
"Out?"
"Somewhere other than here."
For almost a year, Emma's visits had mostly been confined to the private floor and the park downstairs.
Sometimes she brought games or little activities with her, but eventually there were only so many things they could do in the same place.
Helen had been stable for months.
Emma thought she deserved a change of scenery.
She didn't know exactly what had happened to Helen or what had caused her illness. She had never asked. A client's private history was none of her business.
But after spending one day a week with Helen for nearly a year, it was impossible not to care about her at least a little.
Emma wanted her to have fun.
Helen turned to Nathan too, hope written all over her face.
Nathan was quiet for a few seconds.
Then he nodded.
"All right."
Helen's face lit up.
"We can go?"
"Yes."
Nathan picked up his coffee.
"We'll go this afternoon."
Emma blinked.
"We?"
He looked at her.
"You don't want me there?"
His tone was still perfectly pleasant.
Emma immediately remembered one very important detail.
Helen might be the person she spent most of her time entertaining, but Nathan was the one signing the checks.
"Of course you can come." She smiled. "I just thought you'd be bored."
"I'll survive."
Emma nodded.
Fair enough.
Nathan was usually working whenever she visited, so the fact that he'd cleared an entire afternoon for his mother earned him a few points.
Emma had always had a soft spot for people who showed up for their family.
Nathan did, consistently.
That counted for something.
Half an hour later, Emma's original plan had changed completely.
She'd been thinking about taking Helen to a mall, maybe watching a movie or doing some shopping.
Then Nathan announced he was coming.
Emma reconsidered.
If a man with Nathan Grant's money was joining them, wasting the opportunity on a movie felt almost irresponsible.
So they went to an amusement park.
It was Saturday, and the place was packed with families, music, food stands, children carrying balloons, and the distant screams of people dropping from ridiculous heights on roller coasters.
Helen stopped just inside the entrance and stared.
She hadn't been around this many strangers in a long time, but instead of making her nervous, the noise and activity seemed to fascinate her.
Emma tightened her hand around hers.
"Helen, don't let go of me, okay?"
Helen nodded obediently.
"Okay."
The two women headed deeper into the park together.
Several steps behind them, Nathan and his assistant were effectively forgotten.
His assistant glanced sideways at his boss.
He wisely said nothing.
Nathan was accustomed to being noticed. At business events, people approached him before he had a chance to approach them.
Today, his mother and his fake girlfriend had reduced him to background scenery.
Nathan didn't seem particularly bothered.
He was also carrying Emma's purse.
Helen had decided Emma would get tired if she carried it all afternoon and had handed it to her son.
His assistant had immediately offered to take it.
Nathan had declined.
So Nathan Grant walked through the amusement park in an expensive suit with Emma's purse hanging from one hand.
His assistant looked at him again.
Still said nothing.
Some observations were better kept private.
He had already arranged premium access for the group, which meant they wouldn't have to spend the afternoon waiting in long lines.
Emma discovered this almost immediately.
Her opinion of the outing improved considerably.
Money couldn't buy happiness.
It could, however, make a ninety-minute line disappear.
Close enough.
Their first stop was the roller coaster.
Even from the ground, they could hear screams as the cars plunged down the first drop.
Helen stared upward, eyes wide.
"That looks fun!"
Emma grinned.
"It does."
Nathan stopped behind them.
For a moment, he simply watched his mother.
Helen had been born into privilege, but privilege had never meant freedom.
Her childhood had been filled with lessons, manners, expectations, and the endless preparation required of a daughter from her kind of family.
Then came marriage.
After that, there had been a household to manage, appearances to maintain, and obligations that never seemed to end.
Nathan tried to remember whether his mother had ever been somewhere like this.
He couldn't.
Maybe she never had.
Without Emma, she might never have thought to ask.
"You coming?"
Emma's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
Nathan looked at her.
She pointed toward the roller coaster.
Helen was already practically bouncing beside her.
"If you're not going, Helen and I are."
She'd only asked to be polite.
Nathan didn't exactly look like a roller-coaster person.
He looked more like the kind of man who would acquire the company that manufactured the roller coaster and then ask for its quarterly earnings.
Nathan glanced up at the track just as another train plunged down the drop.
Then he looked at Emma.
"You think I'm afraid?"
Emma blinked.
"No."
He waited.
"I genuinely didn't."
Nathan lowered his eyes for a moment.
Then he removed his suit jacket.
Emma watched him hand it to his assistant, followed by her purse.
"I'll go."
His assistant accepted both items with visible disappointment.
He'd wanted to ride too.
Emma stared at Nathan for a second.
The funny thing was, she genuinely hadn't been challenging him.
But if the man wanted to ride a roller coaster, who was she to stop him?
They had the passes.
Might as well use them.
"Okay."
Emma took Helen's hand and headed toward the platform.
Nathan followed.
When they reached the boarding area, the attendant looked at the three of them and gestured toward the two-seat rows.
"How do you want to split up?"
Emma didn't even hesitate.
"Helen's with me."
"Okay."
She climbed in beside Helen and immediately started checking the restraint.
"Too tight?"
Helen shook her head excitedly.
"No!"
"Scared?"
"No!"
"Good."
Nathan stood behind them, temporarily forgotten.
His assistant, several feet away with Nathan's jacket and Emma's purse in his arms, saw the whole thing and wisely kept his face neutral.
Nathan watched Emma fuss over Helen's restraint without looking back once.
Apparently, inviting himself along hadn't actually made him part of the outing.
**That's all for today's chapters!
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