“I thought it was twelve,” Andy said.
“I read the email wrong,” Emmitt explained. “It’s twelve hours of video instruction and twelve hours flight time to show I’m incorporating details in the video. We’re down two so far.”
“Two lessons?”
“Two hours.”
“Oh.” Andie sounded miffed. “Thatisa lot of time.”
“I know.” The funny thing was, Emmitt was glad that he still had twenty-two hours left. It’d give him a chance to really get to know Sloane. Tonight, on the ride home, he’d put his hand face up on the poker table, and it’d been refreshing. He’d known she might judge him or write him off for it even, but that hadn’t stopped him from spilling the truth and nothing but the truth. Where his love life was concerned, anyway. It didn’t hurt that he’d snuck the paperback out of the trash, wiped the chocolate éclair smears off the cover, and devoured the first two chapters before picking her up for the flight. Emmitt was pretty sure he was a better man already.
“Did you say you already took her out to dinner? After your first session?”
And there it was—the accusation in his sister’s voice. Emmitt rolled his shoulders back a few times, hoping to shed the tension threatening to build there. He was making headway with Sloane, and he wanted to see where it might take him.
“I know it’s easy for you and Richard and even Memphis now to decidehere’swhere we need to draw the line—after you guys each found your person. But Maverick and I don’t have that yet. And we have to be open to thefewsingle women who happen to cross our path in this little corner of the world.”
Crap. He’d given her way too much. Emmitt hadn’t even known he had that in him. But the truth was, as he’d watched one sibling after another discover love in the most random and unexpected ways, a fear had been building up inside of him. Something that said his chance may never come. How could it? They were in hiding, for crying out loud.
Andie’s extended silence was far from reassuring.
He tried to backpedal. “I’m not saying I’m falling for this woman or anything. I barely know her. I’m sure she’ll fly out of my life as fast as she flew into it.” He was on the right track now. He just needed to give her a little more. “I mean, I’m calling because I’m being extra cautious. I want to make sure we agree on whatever it is Idoshare.”
Another sigh poured from the line. “All right,” she said. “That makes sense. I’m just…glad you’re not Maverick, I guess. I know you’re more cautious than he is.”
She was right about that.
“You’ve got your head on straight, Emmitt. I know that about you. I trust your judgement.”
She did? Wow.
For a reason Emmitt couldn’t exactly pinpoint, her stamp of approval touched him. He soaked in the moment, nodding as warmth gathered in his chest.
“Thank you.” But there was still one point he had yet to settle. “So if it comes up again, and it probably won’t, but should I say he’s here at the inn with us now or that he’s…away somewhere?”
“Just say he’s here,” Trenton said, the distant sound of his voice proving he’d stepped away but was still within earshot. “It’s not like Richard’s a major socialite or anything. You can just say he keeps himself busy and…doesn’t do a lot of mingling.”
“Yeah,” Andie agreed. “That’s perfect.”
Emmitt chuckled under his breath. “Richard the recluse. Got it.”
He was about to tell her and Trenton to have a good night when Andie spoke up once more.
“We’re already into December, Emmitt. How are you going to get twenty-four hours in before Christmas? Are you planning to double up? Do two a day?”
“I’d be willing to do that if that’s what she wanted,” he said, both liking and disliking the idea at the same time. He didn’t want to rush things, and he didn’t mind the thought of Sloane being there over the holidays.
“I’m sure she wants to be home in time for Christmas,” Andie said.
“I thought so too,” Emmitt said. “But I guess she doesn’t have a lot to go home to.”
There was a long pause. “That’s sad.”
“I know.” His response was coated with the strange dose of grief he felt for this near stranger. Except that she wasn’t much of a stranger anymore.
“Emmitt…” Andie started to say.
A knot of fear gathered in his chest. Could she somehow sense where his head was at? How invested he was already? Where his heart was longing to go? “Yeah?”
