My desperate need for her to stay working for me takes on a different flavor. I have to help her. I know she’ll succeed in anything she does. But setting up a business takes time. And I can’t stand the thought of her staying in this apartment, at least not alone.
It’s not a safe neighborhood.
She’s been there for me day in and day out these last seven years. And I was too self-involved and unaware of all the shit she had to deal with while she was making sure my life was in perfect order. Yes, I paid her well for it, but I always thought of her as more than an employee. A friend would have known. Friends know things about each other. Friends visit each other’s houses.
Maybe she’s never truly seen me as a friend. But she’s still one of the most important people in my life. I have to fix this.
“Why are you here?” Emma repeats. She walks over to the small table and takes a seat.
Pull yourself together.I take the chair opposite her.
The table is so small my legs brush hers. She sucks in a breath and rearranges her legs to the side so we aren’t touching.
“I’m sorry about intruding. But I promised you I wouldn’t call.”
She laughs. “So you thought this was more appropriate?”
A million questions about her life fly through my brain, questions it never occurred to me to ask. Questions it never occurred to me to wonder about.
A loud shout sounds from outside.
“Does Sadie live with you? You’re not here alone, are you?” Worry shoots through me, along with something primitive,protective, that I only seem to feel with her. It was there when she went out with that fake doctor. It was there multiple times tonight. Maybe it’s always been there, but I haven’t wanted to articulate it.
“Not usually,” Emma says, confirming my fear. “She worked as an RA in the dorms. It was a great deal for her—she got free rent and some money. But she’d always stay here during longer breaks when the dorms closed.”
“She’s graduated, right? So, she’ll move in now?”
“No. She has an internship in New York for the summer. It’s a very competitive position. She won a big-deal design competition this year,” she says proudly.
I’ll call Duncan tonight and get security posted here, I decide. I won’t tell Emma that, though. She’d fight me on it. Just like I know she won’t take any money I offer for her to move. She’s always been stubborn. But her safety is nonnegotiable. I don’t think about what it would mean if I arranged for security for an ex-assistant, if she really quits.
I look around. “Where is your sister now?”
“She’s at her new… situationship’s place.” She sighs. “The guy she was with the night you picked me up from the bar.”
We’re both silent for a minute; memories of that night are loud between us.
My eyes track down her body, admiring her in that figure-skimming black dress. “How was your date?” And then I blurt out, “Simon Reeves is a player. I don’t know what the fuck Olivia and Chase were thinking.”
She sighs. “My date was fine.”
“He didn’t come in?”
“No, he didn’t come in. I met them all at the restaurant and drove myself home. I always drive to a first date. Even though I trust Olivia and Chase. You can never be too cautious.”
I nod, glad that she was careful, but hating the idea of Emma having enough dates to have a system.
I want to ask her if she liked him. If he kissed her good night.
But who the hell was I kidding? Of course she liked him. And of course he kissed her. She’s Emma. Who wouldn’t want to?
Acid burns in my stomach at the thought. She keeps getting farther and farther away. If I don’t turn this around, she’ll disappear from my life entirely. I can’t let that happen.
She sighs. “So… talk. What was so important that you couldn’t wait until morning?”
“I-I just… I wanted to make sure you were okay. Simon Reeves has crazy fans. And stalkers. And photographers following his every move.”
“Just like you do.”
