“Like a rock.”
Emory furrowed his brow at the tie’s misshapen knot. With one hard yank, it unraveled, and he tossed the length around his neck to start again. Mirabelle hopped from the bed and shooed away his hands.
“I looked for Amelia yesterday,” she said and worked the tie with nimble fingers. “She was supposed to come out with everyone. I thought it’d be good for her. A break, some fun. Well,she didn’t, and when we got back last night, she wasn’t in her room. Know anything about that?”
Eyes pinned to the ceiling, Emory shook his head. “What is there to know? We had dinner and then?—”
“And then you spent the night together. Again.”
Mirabelle shoved the knot snug against Emory’s throat. He murmured a thank you and ducked away.
“Let’s call a spade a spade,” he said and ran a lint comb over his suit jacket laid out on the bed. “You expect her to spend time with people who whisper behind her back but ignore her otherwise? Of course she didn’t want to go.”
Mirabelle had forgotten that part. Emory’s gallant gestures turned fiery if anyone dared sling arrows at his chosen one. No wonder Jack sent her to tiptoe through the minefield alone. Mirabelle defused with a playful poke to Emory’s ribs.
“Fine. If we’re calling out spades, you’re into her.”
He squirmed away. She followed and jabbed him again as he tried to sidestep her advance.
“You never like the chicks I introduce you to, but you like her.”
“Okay, enough.” Emory grabbed Mirabelle’s wrists and gently pushed her away. “You’re annoying me.”
“Everyone already knows, Em.”
“Knows what? And who is everyone?”
“The wives of your men. They think she’s yours.”
“Sheismine,” he said matter-of-factly. In the corner, he sat in an armchair and polished his shoes. “They should occupy themselves with their husband’s dicks and quit worrying about what I’m doing with mine.”
“So, youhavebeen doing something with her.”
“Jesus, Mirabelle! You just don’t know when to stop, do you?”
“I just want you to know what people are saying.”
“I don’t care, and I know that’s not why you came in here. Out with it.”
On cue, Mirabelle forgot her lines, the carefully crafted call toreason. She wasn’t like Jack, though. She didn’t have clever ploys devised on the fly.
“Let me take Amelia out,” she said on a nervous whim. “A do-over for yesterday. She needs it.”
Emory settled back in the chair. One shoe dangled from his finger, and the polishing rag crumpled in his fist.
“Out where?”
“I don’t know.Out.Not far and just for a couple hours. We’ll take some of your men.”
Emory ended the matter with a sharp shake of the head. “No. Absolutely not.”
“Please. I don’t ask you for much.”
The shoe hit the floor. Emory closed his eyes and cradled his forehead in his palm.
“Miri, I concede to you more than you realize, but I don’t like how brazen you’ve become. Our brother is back andnowis the time you wanna go out? No. Absolutely not. You and Amelia stay here.”
Now or never. Make him see.
