“He is a sweet guy, isn’t he?”
Harriet nodded sadly. “I’ve never met anyone as genuine or as kind.”
“Can you show me how to skip this song?” Granddad hollered from the other room, unaware of how loud he was with his headphones on.
Harriet rolled her eyes. “I’ll be right back.”
The second she left the room, Emma snatched up Harriet’s phone from the counter, her heart galloping at the thought of what she was about to do.
The trusting girl didn’t even have a password on her phone. How had Emma ever thought the reverse, that Harriet would break into her phone to steal a number? The irony of the moment was not lost on her.
Checking Harriet’s contacts, she found Martin’s number and typed it into her own messaging app. Then she quickly put the phone back in the same position on the counter.
Chapter 20♥The Right Moment
George was a little later than usual, and he saw the relief in Emma’s eyes when she let him in. But he hadn’t wanted to show up smelling like work in the same clothes he’d worn all day. He’d ended up showering and shaving as well. When Emma turned around to lead him into the kitchen, he ran his hand across his baby soft jaw, hoping it wasn’t patently obvious he was trying too hard.
Emma had mentioned once that she liked his cologne so he’d patted a little of that on, too. It wasn’t something he thought about wearing all that much, but tonight seemed like a good night for it.
“Did you want something to eat?” she asked, opening and closing cupboards and then turning to open the fridge. She closed the fridge door seconds later and turned to look at him. Was she as nervous as he was?
“Don’t worry about me,” he assured her. “I’m not hungry.”
This should be so easy now that they knew how they felt about one another, but if anything, he was more at a loss as to how to proceed. He’d been extremely rude and accusatory to her today, and he felt like he still owed her an apology. It just seemed like a lame way to start a conversation.
“How did you and Betty get to be such good friends?” he finally asked.
Emma leaned against the counter by the fridge and smiled. “Hiding from Harriet. I’d wanted to apologize to Betty anyway for the way I acted at the party, but more than that, I wanted her to like me. She thought I was there because you asked me to. So, I kept coming, to prove to her I truly wanted to be her friend. And now we are friends.”
“I know. I’m a huge jerk. You can say it.”
Her eyes crinkled. “You’re a huge jerk, George. Join the club.”
He really wanted to kiss her. So much. But the moment wasn’t quite right, and after waiting years he should probably not just accost her by the fridge.
“Oh, speaking of being a jerk, I need to run something by you.” She pulled out her phone and came over to show him. “This is Martin’s number.”
“Why do you have that?” he asked as evenly as possible. He would not assume anything anymore ever, but the gleam in Emma’s eyes was scaring him.
“I swear I’m retiring from matchmaking. But, he told Harriet he was dating someone, and I think he only said that to protect his feelings and help her move on. She can’t ask him if it’s true, but I can.”
“Emma.”
“Hear me out. If he is dating someone, I wish him luck, Harriet moves on, and she never knows I contacted him. But if not…”
“You don’t need my permission, you know.”
“This isn’t permission. This is me being open and honest with you.” She turned her dark blue eyes on him, looking solemn. “I’m sorry I hid what I was doing with Harriet and Elton.”
He wrapped an arm around her, and she leaned her head in and rested it against his chest.
“I love you, Emma.” The words came out in a whisper, but it felt good to get them out. “Betty beat me to it, but I thought I should actually say it to you.”
She lifted her head to look at him. “I love you, too.” Reaching up, she ran the back of her hand over his jawline and smiled. “You shaved. Any particular reason?”
“Because I wanted to.”
“Pshaw. No man ever wants to shave. Was there another reason perhaps?”
