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Dear Readers,
How do you know when you’ve found ‘The One’?
I wasn’t exactly expecting exploding fireworks and florescent signs, but I was expecting something irrefutable. A defining moment. The books and movies make it seem like a big, catastrophic event, something where they instantly know they’re meant to be, even if they aren’t sure how to overcome the obstacles in front of them.
But that hasn’t happened to me. As a matter of fact, the only man who’s gotten my heart fluttering, is also the same man who I’ve made a complete fool of myself in front of. Multiple times. After our first meeting, I wanted to crawl in a hole and never see this man again. Only, he keeps popping up in my life in the most unexpected ways. And he’s not my type. As a matter of fact, he’s all but off-limits altogether.
But I’m starting to realize that maybe love isn’t something you can pencil into your day planner. Maybe it’s not something you can control, either.
Stay Tuned!
It’s official. My love life is doomed. Something must be wrong with me because even more than a week later, I can’t get Emmett off my mind. The feel of his strong arms around me. His thick shoulders... how did I never realize how sexy shoulders could be before? I can’t focus on my mission when my thoughts keep straying back to a man who can never be mine. Not only because he’s Millie’s brother and I love her entirely too much to risk something so messy, but also because I’m nowhere near in his league. A man that beautiful would never give me a second look.
So, I find myself in a funk. I’m going through the motions, checking my dating apps and scrolling through my messages, but I can’t bring myself to set up any more dates. Having just a tiny taste of chemistry that strong makes it impossible to go back to dating watered down men.
Emmett monopolizes my thoughts each day, as I’m going on with my normal life, working on my column, maintaining my website, walking Cecil, and especially any time I talk to Millie. Even the nights aren’t a respite from him. Now that I've gotten up close and personal with him, however unintentional it had been, my dreams have me revisiting that beach nearly every night.
I thought I was doing a good job hiding it from Millie, but I should have known better. She knows me better than anyone else. And to make matters worse? She’s decided to throw me at her brother like a sacrificial lamb. She hasn’t used those words, exactly, but it’s evident.
“Is everything okay, Charley?” Millie asks, the concern in her voice belied by the ‘cat-ate-the-canary' expression on her face.
Okay, I admit, I’ve been avoiding my best friend. She’s been blowing my phone up all week and I gave her one excuse after the other until I couldn’t avoid her any longer. So, when she invited me to dinner with her and Todd at their place tonight, I grudgingly accepted. Besides, with Todd present she probably wouldn’t grill me for answers right away, right?
So, here I am. Well, Cecil and I. Standing frozen in the doorway of Millie’s apartment dressed in casual skinny jeans, sneakers, and an old t-shirt that had streaks of paint dried on it. It’s just Millie’s, so I had forgone makeup and just threw my hair up haphazardly in a clip.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Did I forget to mention Emmett and Cash would be joining us as well?” Her voice is deceptively sweet. She might be able to fool a stranger with it, but not me. I glare to let her know exactly what I think of her shenanigans.
I’m tempted to run in the other direction, but I refrain, barely. “Yes, actually, you did forget that minor detail.”
“Char, how are you?” Cash, oblivious to the tension in the air, as always, pulls me in for a bone-crushing hug. “I haven’t seen you in too long. Surely you’re not avoiding my bar now?” His eyes twinkle with humor as he alludes to the now infamous incident and ruffles my hair.
“Ha-ha. You’re so funny, Cash. And, as a matter of fact, I haven’t been avoiding the bar. I’ve just been...busy.” I can’t really think of a better excuse. The truth is I didn’t want to risk another run in with Emmett, so I plan to avoid The Whiskey Lounge until he’s on his way back to whichever military base he’s calling home now. But they don’t need to know that.
Emmett’s mouth turns up a bit at the memory of my humiliation, but thankfully he doesn’t comment on it. “Nice to see you again, Charley.” A casual wave in my direction and then he turns his attention to Cecil. My dog, traitor that he is, leaves my side and trots over to where Emmett’s standing.
I don’t let myself stare, but I can’t help but notice the sexy stubble dotting Emmett’s jawline. It’s new, he’s been clean shaven the last couple of times I’ve seen him. The t-shirt he’s wearing is much more flattering on him than I’m sure mine is on me, the material stretches tightly over his shoulders but is loose around his trim waist. I’ve never seen him shirtless, but my overactive imagination fills in the details for me all too well and I have to look away before I start panting. Dear lord, it shouldn’t be legal to be that attractive.
Looking around the room at the other occupants, it seems I’m not the only one dressed casually so I allow myself to relax a bit. Cash slings his arm around my shoulder and pulls me further into the room. “Well don’t just stand there, Charley. Come on in. Mil says dinner should be ready in a few minutes.” Cash is gorgeous too, of course he is, but for some reason, his looks have never affected me like his brother’s. Maybe some of it is the fact that he’s always treated me like his little sister, too. He’s three years older than Millie and me. Emmett is eight years older than us and had been in the military already by the time I met Millie, so other than seeing him at a sporadic family get-together from afar, I’d never spent any time with him. And I’d never really thought much about him one way or the other. Of all the Steele siblings, I knew the least about him. And now the man haunted my thoughts, day and night. I bite back a groan and give myself a stern pep-talk. He’s just a man. One that will be headed back to wherever he came from soon enough and probably won’t even remember my name.
“Yeah, I’m about to pull the pasta out of the oven and toss the salad. Put your bag and coat down and get in here and help me.” Millie’s smile is positively angelic as she leaves the room and gestures for me to follow. Sighing, I do as I’m told.
I glance over at Emmett once more. He’s seated on Millie’s powder-blue sofa with Cecil all the way in his lap. His entire body wiggling as he tries to get closer to the newest object of his affections. Not everyone enjoys a forty plus pound lap dog, so I ask, “is he okay? Do you want me to make him get down?”
I’m prepared for him to say yes. I want him to because, hormones aside, not liking dogs is the end of the line. But Emmett just smiles and shakes his head, still petting Cecil as he says, “no, he’s fine. I’ve got him.” And I think my heart melts a little more right there. Clearly, Cecil is not the only one infatuated by the enigmatic Steele brother.
Brushing that thought off because I’m a lot of things, but infatuated is not one of them, I turn and head to the kitchen so my dear friend can explain herself.
My anger is momentarily stalled by the mouthwatering aroma that surrounds me as soon as I cross the threshold. The pan of lasagna Millie is pulling from the oven smells amazing and my stomach rumbles as I remember I haven’t eaten anything since breakfast. A glance at the clock over the stove tells me it’s almost six pm. Which means breakfast was ten hours ago.
“Alright, get it over with,” Millie says, gently sitting the pan down on the stovetop as she slides the garlic bread into the warm oven and resets the timer. I still haven’t said anything as she pulls off the oven mitts and leans back against the counter, crossing her arms and waiting for me.
Sighing, I mirror her pose, leaning against the counter across from her and crossing my own arms. “Get what over with?” I play dumb. Like I don’t have any clue what she’s talking about. Like I’m cool as a cucumber about this ambush invite. Like her brother hasn’t totally flipped my world upside down just by existing. I lie. And we both know I’m lying. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to make it easy for her.
The glare she sends me tells me she’s not buying it any more than I am. “You’ve been avoiding me. Care to tell me why?”
“No,” I deny, “I haven’t been avoiding you. I’ve just been busy with work. And dates.” I add that last bit in almost as an afterthought.
Millie rolls her eyes. “No, you haven’t. You’ve been avoiding me because you’re too afraid to tell me you have the hots for Emmett.”
