Page 35 of A New Chapter

Chapter 18

Emma was accepting a delivery from the UPS driver the next morning when Zack and Gracie entered the store. Gracie waved to Emma and then sprinted to the kid’s section while Zack stood nearby and waited for Emma to finish up.

Mike, the UPS guy, chatted her up like usual, only this time they had a rapt audience. Kelly had insisted that Mike had a crush on Emma, but she’d been married for most of the time that he’d been making deliveries to the store. Now that he knew she was single (thanks to Kelly), he found ways to linger just a little bit longer each time he delivered a package. Mike was good looking in that all-American, clean-cut, athletic kind of way. Emma and Kelly had often commented to each other about how lean and hard his body was from lifting boxes all day long. He wore the typical brown uniform with the shorts, and they’d often admired his muscular calves and tight buns.

Today, however, Emma was acutely aware of Zack’s inquisitive gaze upon her, so she listened politely to Mike but didn’t offer any encouragement.

“So, I was wondering if you would like to…”

Mike’s voice trailed off when Zack sauntered over to Emma, placed his arm around her waist, and gave her a peck on the cheek.

“Hey, Em,” Zack said, and he gave her waist a squeeze.

Emma couldn’t hide the look of surprise on her face, but she quickly collected herself. “Um, Zack, this is Mike. Mike, Zack.”

Zack and Mike shook hands firmly and sized each other up. While they both cut impressive figures, Zack was a few inches taller than Mike and broader through the chest. Next to Zack’s exotic good looks, Mike looked pale in comparison. Oh God, why am I comparing them?

“Nice to meet you, Zack. I’ll see you later, Emma.”

“Wait. What did you want to ask me?” Emma called as he hurried toward the door.

“Never mind. It’s not important,” Mike replied before he hopped into the delivery truck and drove off.

Emma glanced around to make sure that no one was nearby, and then she swatted Zack on the arm. “What was all that about?”

Zack shrugged. “I didn’t like the way he looked at you, and as your friend…”

“Don’t pull that friend crap on me,” Emma hissed.

Zack leaned in until they were mere inches apart. “It’s no different than the way you reacted about Janice, or were you just giving me a friendly warning about her?”

Before Emma could reply, Janice walked in with her bratty son in tow. “We’ll have to finish this discussion later,” Emma huffed, and she made her way to the back of the store. Emma felt Zack’s presence two steps behind her, but she didn’t look back. She was so furious with him that if she had turned around, she might have punched his too-handsome-for-his-own-good face!

She scored a minor victory when Zack chose the seat farthest away from Janice, but then she was irritated with herself for caring. Zack and I aren’t dating, so why should I care who he sits by? And why should he care if the UPS man flirted with me?

Emma managed to get through story time by avoiding eye contact with Zack. Once the majority of the children and parents had left, he approached her near the craft table.

“What is it?” she asked without looking up.

“I know we need to talk, but I have Gracie tonight. Can I call you after she goes to bed?”

Emma softened at the sound of regret in his voice. The man had her tied up in knots. She had been so wound up from his antics the night before that she had had trouble sleeping. Now, he had riled her in a completely different way.

“That will be fine,” she muttered.

Gracie gave Emma a hug before they left, and Zack simply lifted his hand in a brief wave. Once they were gone, Emma let out a long breath just as Kelly emerged from the office.

“What now?” Kelly asked.

“Zack went all caveman on me when I was talking to Mike. I don’t get it. We’re supposed to be friends, but the past few days…”

“It’s felt like something more,” Kelly finished.

“The thing is, he’s the one who suggested that we should be friends in the first place. He didn’t even want Gracie to know that we were seeing each other, and all of a sudden, I’m eating macaroni and cheese with them. I don’t get it.”

“It’s crystal clear to me. You two have a mutual attraction that you’ve both admitted to, and now Zack wants to move the relationship to the next level, if you know what I mean.” Kelly wiggled her eyebrows.

That may be true for Zack, but what about me? What do I want? Emma would have to think long and hard about her answer before Zack called.