Page 43 of A New Chapter

Chapter 22

Emma leaned her head against the window of the airplane and watched the Detroit skyline disappear. It seemed fitting that now her body was in the clouds along with her head. She had been thinking about Zack and Gracie all morning long.

Zack had called her as promised on Monday evening and filled her in on his conversation with Alicia. Apparently, Alicia had tried to read him the riot act about it being too soon to introduce another woman into Gracie’s life. Zack had retaliated with, “Well, what about the intern? Why does he get to be a part of Gracie’s life?” He had also gone on to defend Emma and had pointed out how much Gracie liked her. Evidently, that had shut Alicia up, at least for now.

Zack had asked Emma to have dinner with him and Gracie on Wednesday, but she worked until closing that night. In lieu of dinner, she had received a sweet phone call at the store, where first Gracie and then Zack had said their goodbyes. Emma warmed at the thought that someone—make that two someones—would actually miss her that weekend.

The plane touched down smoothly at O’Hare Airport a short time later. Emma pushed all thoughts of Zack aside while she deplaned, retrieved her luggage, and caught a taxicab to the McCormick Place Convention Center. It was still early enough that she would have time to drop off her bag and get to the trade show right when it opened. It helped that she was staying at the hotel that was connected to the convention hall.

Before long, Emma was completely immersed in a sea of books. She meandered up and down row after row of booths showcasing books of every kind. Halfway through, her tote bag bulged with literature and freebies from the various tables that she had stopped at. As always, Emma gravitated to the children’s books, and as she paged through them, she was reminded of Gracie—and the other kids who came to story time, of course.

By four o’clock that afternoon, Emma was exhausted. Between the early flight and all of the walking she had done, she wanted nothing more than to take a nap and order room service, which is exactly what she did. After dinner, she curled up in the chair in front of the window and enjoyed the expansive view of Lake Michigan while she cracked open the latest James Patterson novel. The book was engaging, but her attention kept drifting out to the lake, where boats sailed by, full of smiling passengers. Chicago’s nightlife was already in full swing, and here she was tucked away in her hotel room, alone. She was considering venturing outside for a walk when her cell phone buzzed. Just like that, her melancholy mood slipped away.

“Hello, Zack,” she answered.

“Hey, pretty lady. How’s the windy city?”

Pretty lady? That’s a new one. “Bustling as always. I’m looking out at Lake Michigan from my hotel room right now.”

“Sounds nice, but why aren’t you out on the town?”

“It’s not as fun when you’re alone. Besides, I’m kind of tired. It’s been a long day.”

“I wish I were there,” Zack said.

Does he mean in Chicago or with me? “What would you do if you were here right now?”

“Well, for starters, I would take you out for a nice dinner.”

“Then what?” Emma wrapped her arms around her legs and gazed out at the lake, letting Zack’s voice warm her from the inside out.

“Then we would go bar-hopping or, wait, even better, shopping on the Magnificent Mile.”

Emma giggled. “You are the only man I know who doesn’t mind shopping.”

“It’s not that I love to shop, Em. It’s that I like to see you smile.”

Oh boy. Was that a line? If it was, his delivery was great, because she was tingling all over. “And what would happen after we went shopping?” It was easy to flirt when he was hundreds of miles away.

“Well, that would depend.” His voice dropped a couple of octaves lower.

“On what?”

“On what you were in the mood for.”

Ok, I’ve done it now. Might as well keep going. “So, it would be my choice?”

“Yep, because I would be up for anything.”

Emma cleared her throat noisily, and Zack chuckled gruffly. She was trying to formulate a witty response when she heard Gracie’s voice in the background. Emma wasn’t sure whether she felt relieved or disappointed at the interruption, although she leaned toward disappointed.

“I should go,” Zack said, sounding disappointed too. “Call you tomorrow.”

“Ok.”

Emma still felt tingly when she slipped under the covers. She let herself imagine what it would be like if Zack really were there with her, and she finally drifted off with a soft smile on her face.

The next day, Emma wandered around the show and collected all the information she could about how to be a successful bookseller. She loved this part of her trip, but she wasn’t looking forward to another lonely night in the hotel room. She had decided that tonight, she would at least go out to dinner and maybe walk along Michigan Avenue for a little while before settling in.