Page 50 of The Sound of Harmony

I hear your client is an important guy. Kendrick added a silly face.

Important to me, was Emma’s response. After a moment, she added, I want him to be satisfied.

He’s very satisfied. Kendrick did a touchdown celebration dance while waiting for Emma to reply.

He waited. Waited some more. Did she get called away? Or she thought the conversation was over, so she left it there? He wouldn’t text her again. He wasn’t going to be that guy. Just because they’d had sex once—or more accurately, they’d had one unforgettable sexual experience together—didn’t mean he owned all her time. He had to play it cool.

Kendrick put the phone away and took one last look in the mirror before heading out.

He asked Mitch to stop at Starbucks on the way to his house because it was fast and reliable and he would murder someone if he didn’t have some caffeine. They couldn’t agree on music for the car. Mitch wanted country. Kendrick wanted anything but country. They endured bleak silence on the way to get coffee.

In line, he texted Emma again. We’re at Starbucks. What flavor latte should I get you?

Too busy for coffee, she answered.

But it’s your favorite way to start the day.

Kendrick…

He waited for her to finish that thought as he shuffled a few steps forward.

My professional reputation is important to me.

He could almost hear her voice. He felt the pauses as she thought through what she would say before she said it. He read between the lines. Her whole business relied on word of mouth and she was worried that dating a client would cause gossip.

Got it. No displays of affection. No blurting out my secret nickname for you.

You have a nickname for me? What is it?

I can’t tell you. It’s secret.

The smiley she sent back had its tongue out.

Kendrick put his phone away. Part of him was disappointed that Emma didn’t want to acknowledge him in public. But another part of him—a more realistic part—had to admit that he didn’t have the energy to get through this estate sale, much less present himself as boyfriend material. This was probably for the best.

Back in the car, he tried to keep his coffee upright while Mitch careened around corners. “We’re late,” Mitch said.

“Emma won’t mind.”

“Have I met her before?” Mitch changed lanes to get around a slow-moving truck and then stopped short at a red light. “I mean before you hired her.”

“Doubtful.” Kendrick risked a sip of coffee before the car started moving again. “She’s only lived in Cannondale a few years.”

“Maybe somewhere else.”

“Like where?” Kendrick asked. His cousin wasn’t much of a traveler.

“I don’t know.” Mitch turned onto Cricket Lane. “I can’t place her.”

Mitch parked far down the street, since the block was filled with cars. Kendrick gulped more coffee as he walked toward his house. It wasn’t helping his headache. Nor did it help that his entire front lawn was filled with people. He knew the sale would be widely advertised, but he didn’t expect twenty people to show up before opening. Antique dealers? Flea market people? Curious neighbors? He couldn’t tell.

He felt a little better when he saw Emma standing on the porch with a clipboard. The early morning light softened her features and brightened her skin. She was wearing a simple skirt and blouse with flat shoes, but all he could think about was her not wearing it. He thought about her touching herself under her blue, not-a-thong panties and those glorious sounds she made while doing it.

It was odd. He knew—in great and exciting detail—what Emma sounded like during sex, but he’d never touched her or seen her naked. He’d never smelled her hair or tasted her skin. He knew her intimately without ever sharing a single kiss.

Mitch charged up to her. “Hey, Emma, looks like a big crowd.”

She backed off a step, widening the space between them and hugging her clipboard to her chest.