seed bread. But inevitably, now the time had come for him to return to California and it was breaking her heart.
“I’ll be back, I promise. Now let’s go and get some breakfast before I have to hit the road. I’m starved.”
“All right.” She reluctantly let go of him. “Just let me grab my shoes.”
~*~
They claimed a booth at The Griddle—it was upholstered in cheery yellow and had a great view of the river. They placed their orders with a friendly middle-aged waitress.
After she left them, Colin reached across the dark wood table and gently took Emily’s hand.
“I wish you didn’t have to leave,” Emily said for the umpteenth time. “I was just getting used to having you back.” She forced a weak smile, holding back her tears. That wasn’t how she wanted him to remember her while he was in California, but the thought of his leaving again made her heart heavy, knowing she’d have to fight the loneliness once more.
“I know and I’m sorry.” He tightened his hold on her hand.
Emily recognized his departure was painful for him, too—she could see it in his misty eyes. She drew in a calming breath and offered him a genuine smile this time, not wanting to make his leaving any more difficult.
His eyes brightened in response. “You know, it’s kind of funny when I look back to when we first met,” he said with a slight grin. “I never thought we’d wind up together.”
“Me either.”
There had been fireworks, all right, but not the good kind.
Emily shook her head at the thought. “I was more than a little irritated at Isabel for trying to set us up.”
Isabel Martínez, one of Emily’s tight-knit circle of friends, along with her husband Alex, had thrown a barbecue at their upscale home about six months before. They’d deliberately invited Colin so Emily could meet the handsome new police detective in Paradise Valley.
Though Emily’s husband had died over six months before that, she’d had a hard time letting go of the grief and moving on. She and Evan had been deliriously happy, or so she’d thought. He had been her knight in shining armor, handsome and strong, decisive and fearless, yet he had loved her with such tenderness and passion that she trembled with longing at his memory.
Over time, her closest friends encouraged her to think about dating again, to get on with her life, but she didn’t know how she could. So, she would respond to their promptings by putting up her defenses and maintaining that she wasn’t ready.
Isabel’s husband was a trial lawyer and he had met the new detective at a weekly basketball game he played with his buddies at the local Y. Alex had immediately told his wife about the young man.
Another of Emily’s best friends, Maggie, was teaching an aerobics class at the Y, and the new man in town did not escape her notice either.
So between Isabel, Maggie, and their friend Camille, Emily didn’t have a chance if she wanted to avoid meeting Detective Colin Andrews.
Camille was a caterer and event planner, and she had planned the whole get-together at the Martínez home, along with Isabel’s and Maggie’s help. However, all of the elaborate planning, staged introductions, and purposely seating them together could not guarantee smooth sailing. Almost from the start there were sparks and conflict.
“You really didn’t like me, did you?” Colin asked.
“Well, I couldn’t help but notice how good-looking you were, I mean I’m not blind, but after we chatted for a while about my career choices, well…you were so condescending. I just couldn’t stand it.”
“You have to admit, though, going from selling real estate to becoming a private investigator is a bit of a leap. Who could blame me for questioning it?”
“I could. But don’t worry, I’ve already forgiven you for being so irritating that day.” She smirked at him. He couldn’t have known at the time that it wasn’t that big of a leap, that she had helped her husband on a few of his cases.
“Thanks,” he replied sarcastically.
“But even though we had kind of a rocky start, I’m glad you didn’t give up and you asked me out anyway.” She cast him a playful smile, grateful she had not chased him off back then by her stubbornness and sass.
“You certainly made me work for it, though, but I guess part of the fun is in the chase.” The corner of Colin’s lips turned up into a mischievous grin.