Red Hot Reunion

“You’ve got it.”

Kate’s fierce expression changed so quickly, Jason was completely thrown off his defensive stance. “I know you still love her, Jason.”

She let her words sink in, let him sit with them, stew in them, gave them time to run through his head again and again. It was the cruelest thing she could have done, a brilliant tactic on her part. Because he knew she was right. And that even if he stuck with his plans for payback, Emma wasn’t the only one who was going to hurt.

He was going to lose everything too.

Only, he couldn’t see another way.

Finally she spoke again. “Now that you’re back together again, Emma won’t let herself believe in anything but the fairy tale finally coming true. But you already know that, don’t you?” Jason tried to keep his expression neutral. “And that’s great if you really are her knight in shining armor, but as someone who’s been there for her day in and day out for the past ten years—the same ten years that you were AWOL—I want you to know that she deserves that fairy tale. Every damn bit of it. The guy on the white horse. The red rose. The kiss on the lips. The perfect ending in the sunset. She deserves it more than any person I’ve ever known.”

Kate stopped and Jason hoped, prayed, she was done reaming him in the heart. But she wasn’t. Not quite.

“So if you are planning on letting her down—easy, not so easy, I don’t know how you’re going to do it—

all I’m asking is that you do it soon.”

The muscle in his jaw started twitching again, just as she added, “I’m not saying you don’t have a right to be pissed at her, because you do. What she did to you in college was rotten. Just be honest with her, Jason. She deserves to know the truth about how you feel. Because if you don’t tell her, I will.”

With that, she brushed past him, back into the kitchen, calling out to Rocco, “I’ll be at Jason’s when you’re ready to pick me up for our date tonight.”

Jason’s doorbell rang and Emma glanced up from the laptop keyboard where she was firing off e-mails to her office managers. Obviously Jason wouldn’t bother ringing his own doorbell. Oh no, Steven hadn’t come back, had he? Or worse, had her parents decided it was time to drag her back home?

Please God, not today,she prayed. She couldn’t deal with one more thing today. Wasn’t putting her house on the market and moving the main branch of her business to Napa enough for one day?

In no rush to find out who was waiting for her behind Jason’s wooden red door, the doorbell had rung again by the time she opened it.

Her best friend grabbed her in a bear hug and she breathed out in relief. “Kate, I’m so glad it’s you.”

“Steven wouldn’t have the guts to bother you two days in a row.”

“I thought maybe you were my parents.”

Kate shivered. “Let’s cross our fingers that they’ll wait patiently at home for you to come to your senses, okay?”

They both plopped down on an oversized sofa chair in Jason’s living room. “I love his house. It’s so colorful.”

Emma nodded. “Me too. In some ways, I guess this was the kind of house I’ve always wanted to live in.”

“So, how are you feeling?”

Emma bit her lip. “Alive for the first time in years.”

“But?”

“Scared.”

Kate nodded. “That makes sense. I mean, with you moving up here so quickly.”

Emma frowned. “How did you know I’m moving in with Jason?”

“He didn’t tell you that I saw him in Palo Alto outside of the Goodwill this afternoon?”

Emma shook her head. “No, he didn’t.”

Kate tried to brush it off, but somethings didn’t ring true as she said, “Hmmm. It probably doesn’t mean anything. We barely saw each other for thirty seconds. I was late to a meeting downtown.”

All of Emma’s fears rushed back, especially in the wake of the huge changes she was making. Why wouldn’t he have mentioned seeing Kate? “What if it does mean something? I mean, I put my house on the market today and—”

“You what?”

“Not only that but I’m going to hire a manager for my Palo Alto office and open a new mortgage

company here in Napa.” Emma voiced her biggest fear. “But what if something goes wrong with us?

What if we don’t work out? I won’t have much of anything to go back to, will I?”

Kate pushed her lips together so hard they nearly turned white beneath her bold red lipstick. “No, I don’t suppose you would.”

Trying hard to look on the positive side, Emma said, “But you know, when we were in my house today I realized that I don’t need it anymore. I never liked it. I didn’t even pick it out. My father did, with Steven.”

“You never told me that.”

Emma nodded. “It was a done deal by the time we drove over to it. My big birthday surprise.”

“They bought you a house for your birthday? How about giving you a necklace or bracelet like normal people?”

“I always felt like I should be so appreciative. It was so big.”

“And beige,” Kate said on a giggle.

“I saw it through new eyes today. And I hated it. Every square inch. Every sofa. Every painting.

Everything in my closet. All I took with me were two suitcases.”

Kate’s eyes grew considering. “Then it sounds like no matter what happens with Jason, you’re doing the right thing in selling your house.” She paused, then asked, “Do you like being out here in the wine country?”

Emma smiled and sank back into the cushions. “I love it. It feels like home. Even though I’ve barely been here a week, I already feel a hundred times more comfortable than I ever did in Palo Alto.”

Kate squeezed Emma tightly. “I’m happy for you. Happy that you’re making changes you’ve needed to make for quite a while.”

Emma keenly heard what Kate didn’t say.I’m happy you’re with Jason again, that things are working out so well for the two of you. But she didn’t want to fight with her best friend, she didn’t want to have to defend her love for Jason and her new, big life changes, so she merely said, “Not that it isn’t great to see you, but…”

Kate smacked Emma on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’m not here to interrupt your sex-fest with the hunky chef.” Emma’s cheeks burned red, but she didn’t deny that that was exactly what had been going on day and night. “I’ve got a date with a fella from Jason’s kitchen. Big strapping lad with tattoos.”