“Me either,” Taylor said. “Does that mean we’re going?”
She looked up at him, and for a moment, he thought he saw fear in her eyes. “I guess so, it seems like the only thing we can do,” she said. “But this isn’t a date; it’s just two friends going to a dance together.”
“Fine with me,” he said, grinning at her. “Then I don’t have to buy you flowers or do any of the other stuff women always expect men to do.”
“Wow, aren’t you the romantic,” she said, a smile on her face. “But that’s okay, this way I don’t have to endure that awkward goodnight kiss.”
The thought of kissing her made his entire body fill with warmth. “Sweetheart, if I decided to kiss you, there would be nothing awkward about it,” he said, his eyes locked on hers. “In fact, if I kissed you, I promise it would be something that you’d never forget.”
Emily let out a little gasp, her cheeks turned an attractive shade of pink and to astonishment, desire blossomed in her eyes. “I can’t…you can’t…” she stammered before taking a step back from him, her eyes darting between his lips and eyes, the desire changing to panic. “We can’t…”
“Taylor, you’d better hurry,” Aaron called, running over to them, completely oblivious to what was happening between them. “We have the first shift today.”
Emily’s face was filled with relief. “You’d better go,” she said, a little breathlessly. “I’ll catch up in a second.”
It was a shock to realize that if Aaron hadn’t come along, he might have kissed Emily. Even worse, he still wanted to. He couldn’t get the image out of his mind, and for a second, he was tempted to give in. But instead, he walked away, promising himself he’d do his best to stay away from her. He didn’t want or need someone in his life right now. He had big plans, and they didn’t include romance.
***Emily***
Emily handed the last container to Hattie. “Thank you again for lunch, it was delicious,” she said, smiling at the older woman, wondering if her mother would have been like Hattie if she’d lived. “Eating someone else’s cooking for a change is nice.”
“It was our pleasure, I always make enough to share,” Hattie said, smiling at her. “Do you like to cook?”
She nodded, “My father taught me, it was something fun we could do together,” she said. “I don’t have as much time as I would like to spend in the kitchen, but I cook when I get the chance.”
“It’s a good skill to have,” Hattie said, closing the lid on the cooler. “I’ve been teaching the boys this year, making them take turns cooking dinner. I think it’s important they learn to take care of themselves.”
“From what I’ve seen, you’ve done a good job,” she said. “Taylor and his friends all seem like they’ve got their lives together. I’m sure some of that is your doing.”
“They’re good boys, they do their best, but they’re still men,” Hattie said, laughing. “Still, I think they’ll all make good husbands someday.”
“Oh, I guess so,” Emily said, a weird feeling in her stomach when she thought about Taylor married to someone. “I never really thought about it that way, marriage isn’t high on my priority list.”
“You don’t have someone special?” Hattie asked, an innocent look on her face. “That’s a shame, it’s nice to share life with someone.”
“I don’t think I’m ready for that right now,” she said, shaking her head. “Someday maybe, but not right now.”
Hattie studied her for a second. “We don’t always get to choose when it’s our time to fall in love. Fate usually has its own plans for us,” she said. “It can be scary and overwhelming when it happens, but that’s the price you have to pay when it’s the real thing. Take my advice, don’t run away from it. Face what fate has in store for you, ready or not; you’re about to be given a gift. Don’t waste it.”
She was speechless for several long seconds, not sure what to say, not sure she even understood what Hattie was trying to tell her. “That sounds like good advice, Hattie. Thank you,” she finally said. “I won’t forget it.”
“Good,” the older woman said, giving her a quick hug. “Now go find your friends and have some fun, there’s plenty to see and do over at the park.”
Just then, Valerie walked over to them. “There you two are,” she said. “Everything is all packed up in the van, and the boys are anxious to get over to the park, but I just wanted to say thank you again.”
“You’re welcome, it was nice to have some female company for a change,” Hattie said. “But I think I’ll be heading home now, you girls go have some fun.”
When Hattie was far enough away that she couldn’t hear, Valerie turned on her. “Okay, spill it,” she ordered. “What’s going on with you and Taylor?”
“Nothing, not a thing,” she answered too quickly. “We’re just…friends, I guess.”
“You must think I’m blind or stupid, or maybe both. I sawthe way you two were looking at each other,” Valerie said, a scowl on her face. “I thought we were friends, Emily.”
“We are friends, and I’m telling you the truth, there’s nothing like that going on between us,” she said. “I don’t even like him half of the time.”
Valerie studied her for a second. “What about the other half of the time?” she asked. “How much do you like him then?”
She thought about lying, but one look at her friend’s face changed her mind. “More than I should,” she admitted. “More than I want to.”
