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“Don’t call me that,” she whisper-yells as Adam comes to stand beside her putting a hand on her elbow. It’s not an over the top move but I find myself wanting to break that hand touching her. Instead I give them what I hope looks like a smile and not the look of someone thinking homicidal thoughts.
“What is this ‘happily ever after girl’ thing he’s talking about?” Adam asks, looking from me to Emily and back again.
She sighs, “It’s an embarrassing nickname. I like to read romance novels and they always have a happily ever after. So, Mason nicknamed me ‘happily ever after girl’ when we were kids.”
Adam smirks at me and it takes everything in me not to wipe that smirk off his face. At some point I’m going to have to acknowledge that this is not how a friend acts when another goes on a date.
“Well, Emily, if everything goes right maybe we can make that nickname a reality.” He winks at her and she laughs.
“You found Mr. BoJangles!” Mrs. Miller comes out of the house assisted by Jack.
“It was weird he just jumped out of the tree and into Adam’s arms,” Emily says, coming over to hug the older woman. Watching her I feel my heart melt and a small grin creep onto my face. She has the softest heart in the world and is always doing things for the older woman.
“It’s because he’s Adam’s biggest fan!” Mrs. Miller grins at Adam as she takes the cat from him.
“Mr. BoJangles watches football?” I ask and Mrs. Miller grins at me.
“He sure does. You used to be his favorite but then you kept coming to get him out of his favorite tree and you weren’t on the television anymore.” As if he understood her, Mr. BoJangles hisses at me and I glare back at him.
“He has moved on to this handsome young man.” Mrs. Miller reaches up and pats Adam’s cheek. It is the same thing she does every time I come and rescue her cat from a tree and then drink lemonade and listen to her stories.
My face heats and I feel my muscles go taut. The green-eyed monster has me firmly in its grasp. I’m jealous of an old lady patting someone’s face. I think I need my head examined.
“No, you two kids go and have a good time.” She waves them toward the car, and we all watch as they drive away.
“Are you okay, Mrs. Miller?” I ask absently as I watch the car pull away from the curb.
“Those two make such a cute couple. Too bad you wasted your chance, Mason.” She pats my cheek. “I’m fine, just some bumps and bruises. You boys get back to the firehouse in case a real emergency happens.” She toddles back into her house and shuts the door.
Jack looks over at me. “Beers after shift.”
I nod as we go back to the engine. I feel like Lucy when Ricky Ricardo would say, “Lucy, you got some ‘splainin to do!”
I take a sip of my beer and sit it down on the table, waiting for Jack to read me the riot act. He’s staring at me as if he is trying to fit a puzzle piece into a place that doesn’t quite fit.
“So, Emily huh?” He asks, raising an eyebrow.
“Don’t listen to Mrs. Miller. She doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”
Jack sips his beer then grins. “I wouldn’t say that. She is one of the biggest gossips in the entire town and she knows everything and everyone. So do you have a thing for my sister?”
I look across the table at my oldest friend. This is not a friendship I’m willing to lose but the thought of not being with Emily is eating me alive.
“Yes.” I wait for Jack to yell at me but it doesn’t come so I continue, “She’s beautiful, funny, intelligent, and everyone is drawn to her. What’s not to like?”
Jack nods his head. “How long?”
“How long, what?”
“How long have you been in love with her?” He asks and I choke on my beer, my eyes watering. He comes over and pats me on the back maybe a little too hard.
My eyes wide, I respond, “Jack, no one said anything about love.”
He sits back down across from me and shakes his head. “Then you best stay away from her because you know that she is a forever after girl. And my sister.” He sips his beer and looks at me a bit sternly. I sit back in my chair.
“I know that, why do you think I’ve never acted on it?” I cover my face with my hands. I need to staple my mouth shut.
“Wait. What?” Now it’s Jack’s turn to widen his eyes. “What does that mean ‘never acted on it?’ How long have you had feelings for her?”
