Page 78 of Emil

“Yeah. I was a little worried about quitting my old job, but Emil made it sound simple. And with him around, I guess it is. He never questioned any part of it. Even when I took the grocery store job until the one at Jonah’s flower shop opened up. He just shrugged and said whatever made me happy.”

Rory grinned. “So when are you going to marry that man and put him out of his misery?”

He popped an olive into his mouth and winked at me. He knew exactly what he was doing. Emil probably put him up to it.

“I told him we could get married as soon as we do a prenup.”

Rory blinked. “You make that much at the flower shop that you need a prenup?”

“Not for me,” I said. “For him.” I paused and added, “And you know that perfectly well.”

“I don’t think Emil is worried about you taking his money. Anyone who knows you knows that wouldn’t happen.”

“That’s not the point,” I said. “I want it to be clear that I don’t want his money.”

Rory shrugged. “I don’t think Emil gives a shit about that, to be honest.”

“He doesn’t,” I said quietly. “But I do.”

“Speaking of money, I saw that John got what he deserved for that crap he pulled.” Rory crowed and waved his fork around. “He pled guilty so…” Rory jumped off the stool and did a happy dance that would put Jakob’s to shame.

“Who?”

“Uh, John McIntyre. Man who tried to ruin your life?”

“Oh, him.”

“What do you think about it?”

“It doesn’t matter to me,” I shrugged. I hadn’t thought about him in months, and I wasn’t about to start now. “Whatever happens is between him and the insurance company, which had to pay out on behalf of the accounting firm.”

“When I grow up, your Zen abilities would be fantastic.”

Before I could answer, I heard the clink of the front door opening and the slam of it shutting.

“Helloooooo,” Emmie called as he walked into the kitchen. He’d spent the afternoon with Micah and Calvin, discussing how to transfer his company’s charity work to the Rutledge Foundation so that what John orchestrated couldn’t happen again.

What I told Rory was the tiniest bit of a lie. Truthfully, I did think about John, but only to be grateful that he was the roundabout way I found Emmie. And that handsome brown-eyed man smiling from the doorway was everything to me. He was also glancing at Rory out of the corner of his eye, and Rory was looking more guilty than I’d ever seen him. Suspicion confirmed.

“Hello to you too. Had lunch yet?”

When Emmie shook his head, I jumped off the stool and beckoned him closer. He replaced me there, snagged me around the waist for a quick kiss, and then let me dance away to fix his lunch. I created a quick sandwich, added a double pickle because I knew he loved them, and sliced cucumbers.

“Want some of my salad?”

Rory snorted, but I ignored him.

“All yours, sweet boy.” He softened it with a smile, but I wasn’t offended regardless. They didn’t appreciate it’s fluffy goodness,

“More for me,” I shrugged. “Finished with Micah and Calvin?”

“Yeah, Levi is going to handle the legalities, but they will officially be overseeing the charity fund, and it’ll be subject to outside audits, so no more shenanigans.”

“Is that overkill?” I asked him while I wiped down the counters.

“Maybe,” he shrugged, “but I want the employees to know we handled it and took it seriously, including replacing the money that the fucker put in his pocket.”

I knew that every time the subject of John crossed Emil’s mind, it pissed him off all over again, so I let it drop. I also clocked Rory nodding at Emil when he thought I wasn’t paying attention.