Page 41 of A New Chapter

Chapter 21

“So, after all that, he didn’t call you last night?” Kelly asked with her hands on her hips.

“No, can you believe it?” Emma replied, still miffed about it herself.

It was a slow Monday afternoon at A New Chapter, and they leaned against the counter relaying their latest man troubles. Kelly had just finished complaining about Collin, the aspiring poet who had turned out to be insensitive, and now it was Emma’s turn to vent.

“I suppose I could have called him, but…”

Emma let her words trail off when she heard the door chime, and Mike entered with a large box hoisted on one shoulder. He smiled warmly at her as he set the box down on the counter and handed her the device for her electronic signature. When Emma looked up, Kelly had disappeared, presumably so that Emma and Mike could be alone.

Mike glanced around warily and then said, “I didn’t realize that you had a boyfriend.”

Emma’s eyes widened. “Oh, you mean Zack? He’s not my boyfriend. He’s… we’re…”

“It’s ok, Emma. You don’t have to explain.”

“No, I’m serious, Mike. Zack is not my boyfriend,” she repeated a little too emphatically.

“Oh. Well, then, maybe I should finish asking you what I started to ask the other day.”

“Please do,” Emma said, wondering for a moment why she was encouraging him. Mike was nice enough, but she didn’t feel that extra oomph around him. Not like she did with Zack. Still, it might be nice to go out with someone who didn’t come with an ex-wife and child.

“So, I wondered…”

Oh no, not again. This could not be happening.

The door chime announced his presence, although Emma had already spotted Zack over Mike’s shoulder. He approached her while excitedly waving two tickets in the air.

“Hey, Em. Mike.”

Mike’s head whipped around, and his face fell. “Hey. I was just leaving.”

“You don’t have to leave on my account. I’ll wait,” Zack said politely, but Emma recognized the edge in his voice.

“I’ll talk to you later, Emma. Have a good day,” Mike added, and he walked away, his head hung in defeat.

Kelly had resurfaced and stood nearby giving Zack the evil eye.

“What?” he asked, glancing between Kelly and Emma.

“Kell, we’ll be in the office for a few minutes,” Emma growled, and she motioned for Zack to follow her. Once they were behind closed doors, she turned on him.

“What the hell, Zack?”

“What did I do?”

Emma raised her eyebrows at him. “You really have no idea?”

“No. Please enlighten me.”

“Ok, I will. First off, you didn’t call me last night to tell me what Alicia said after she caught us… well, you know. Second, you come waltzing in here like you own the place and scare Mike off again after you promised that you wouldn’t interfere. What gives?”

Zack ran his hands through his hair, obviously frustrated too. “Just when I think I understand women, I realize that I don’t have a clue. The reason I didn’t call you last night is because I figured you were freaked out about the kiss and needed some time to decompress. I wasn’t ignoring you or the significance of the event, I was just giving you time. Regarding the UPS guy—if my coming in here is enough to scare him off, then he’s not worth your time. You deserve better.”

Emma’s jaw dropped. In a heartbeat, she had gone from being furious at him to wanting to wrap her arms around him. She took a couple of deep breaths instead.

“So, what do you have in your hand?”