Chapter Three #4
That slipped out of his mouth before he thought it through completely. However, since Rosie wanted to get to know him, what better way than joining him to do his hobby with his favourite people? It couldn’t hurt to ask.
“Oh! Who?”
“I need to ask first.” He smiled, enjoying the fact that he could keep her in suspense. If nothing else, it would help her focus on something else. “Then I can tell you.”
That got him a scowl in response. “Fine. You will tell me more when I meet this person. Make sure they say yes, because now I am intrigued.”
“No pressure.” He laughed.
“Well, you should have thought about it before you said anything. Now you know I will be watching. Waiting.”
That made him laugh more because she would quite happily spy on him. Or ask Hank for gossip. No doubt he would have to prepare Hank just in case.
It was a family trait, though. Louis, Vince, and Emerald all had a tendency to blurt something out before they thought about it. For them, it was a sign of trust. They only did it with people they trusted.
“Seriously?” she whined, stomping her foot.
He could hear it through the phone even if he couldn’t see it, making him laugh harder. Vince even made an appearance in the background, looking confused as he checked on her.
“You’re not going to tell me anything?”
“Nope.” Using his grin that was all teeth, he knew it would really wind her up even more.
Rolling her eyes, she said, “Well, if I can’t get anything from you, I may as well change the subject. This isn’t over, though. Just a break.
“Anyway, Vince wants me to move closer to you two. I am thinking that is not a bad thing. It would be nice to be back with family.”
Louis nodded. “We would love to have you back, Green. And if your ex-husband causes you any problems, you’ve got us nearby and very eager to assist.”
Staring off into space for a second, she slowly came back to him and sighed.
“I just can’t believe how much hassle this is to deal with.
He is the one that caused the problems and basically gets to walk away with everything.
” A tear dripped down her face. “I have no friends here anymore. They all side with Harold because he wanted a child and I couldn’t give him one. ”
That . . . that was cruel. Emerald had wanted to be a mummy. It didn’t happen. To have that thrown at her? Yeah, she was right to leave.
“I have spoken with my boss, and he said I can work from home. I told him I was moving, and he still said it was fine. They didn’t want to lose me entirely.
” There was another pause. “I already found a house I like. A perfect size for the dogs. There is a lovely room with natural light, which is great for my art. It is not that far from your house, either.”
Louis was trying so hard to contain his rage. That man got to keep a happy family. The house. Emerald’s money. The friends. Meanwhile, Emerald felt the need to run and start her life all over again.
However, it was good news that she was looking.
It meant she was truly thinking about coming home.
With five dogs and a need for an art studio, he hoped it would be easy for her.
As a comic book artist, he could see why her boss allowed her to move but wanted her to stay with the company.
She wasn’t needed as much in the office, not with current technology.
The fact that her boss agreed, and didn’t want to lose her, told Louis a lot about them.
They were a good person, and she needed that.
“Well, if you need someone to look at houses with, or help you unpack, you let me know. I have a whole team of hockey players who can assist,” he offered. “And me, of course.”
“Of course.” She chuckled. Then her expression became sly as she checked her nails. “Is your plus one named Rosie, perhaps?”
Smirking, he couldn’t deny it. She was good.
Very good at getting information from people.
Vince was a harder nut to crack but she had been known to do it, and Louis was definitely easier to get to talk.
Besides, he had mentioned Rosie in a few rants, and as she was the only woman he talked about, it wasn’t a hard guess.
Members of his team had wanted to try off-roading, but Louis’s rule was that because it was technically Emerald’s hobby first, it was family only. They would only bring a date or a partner. So, his slip meant Emerald knew he was considering bringing a date.
But it isn’t. It is just work.
Let’s keep going with that.
“I am glad you two are now getting along. I think you have the potential to work super well together. You are both focused. Driven. Passionate.” She did a happy dance. “Do I get to know more?”
“Not right now. We only became friends today,” Louis admitted. “I want to see where it will lead.”
“You like her.”
“Yeah, actually. I really do.”
Grinning, Emerald did another happy dance. “Wow. Then this decision to bring a plus one was very quick, but I will not judge because it is a positive thing.”
“You really hope she says yes, don’t you?”
“Duh! It would be great to have another woman around. Now pass me back to Hank and Spencer, I do believe you promised to let them make me laugh.”
Shaking his head to contain a chuckle, Louis went to find his two best friends.