Page 11 of The Sound of Harmony

“You didn’t ask.” Emma kept her voice soft, her tone casual. “I’m meeting him on Thursday. You could come with me, you know, just to check him out.”

Gwendolyn leaned forward in her chair, immediately in protector mode. “Do you need me to come with you?”

“I don’t need you. I just thought, if you wanted… He’s very handsome. It would give you something nice to look at while I inventory the house.”

Since their phone call, Emma couldn’t get Kendrick Bell out of her mind. She was spending an unhealthy amount of time on Google, mostly trying to figure out why someone with his looks and talent was still single at thirty. Was there something wrong with him?

Emma was single at twenty-nine, but she hadn’t always been that way. Besides, there was something wrong with her. That’s what her ex-husband had told her, anyway. He’d told her that every day, until she believed it. It had taken her three years to crawl out of that hellhole, and she would never go back there again.

“Hey, knucklehead, are you okay?” Gwendolyn asked.

“I’m fine, weirdo.”

“You seemed lost for a minute.”

“I’m just thinking about this job.”

Gwendolyn smoothed her thumb over her index finger and then put her hand in her lap, as if she didn’t want Emma to notice her nervous habit. “I can take the day off on Thursday.”

“No, no, no. Don’t do that. It’ll be fine.” Emma placed her cup in the exact center of the table.

“If you need my help—”

“Nope. I’ve got this.” She squared her shoulders. “I’ll call you after.”

“Yes, please,” Gwendolyn said. “I want to hear all about it.”