Fool for You (Southern Bride #7) - Kelly Elliott Page 0,4
but losing. She was beautiful. Her light brown hair was piled on top of her head, and those blue eyes seemed to light up the entire room.
I smirked. “I’m going to get a mutt dog and name him Tramp then.”
Emmerson’s brows shot up. “Oh my gosh, you are? Oh, Lady would love a puppy friend, wouldn’t you, girl?” She reached down and scratched the dog under her chin.
With a shake of my head and a chuckle, I replied, “No, I don’t have time to watch a puppy.”
She huffed and folded her arms over her chest. “Bullshit. You could take him to the shop with you.”
I had to pull my eyes away from her amazing breasts, focusing back on the dog. “Listen to your momma, trying to shackle me down with a dog.”
“Well, better a dog than a woman.”
I glanced up at her and frowned. What did she mean by that?
“What’s this thing you need my help with?” I asked as I grabbed a ball and rolled it across the floor for Lady to chase after.
Emmerson’s teeth dug into her bottom lip and she batted her eyes like she did whenever she needed something from me. If she only knew I would give her the world. All she had to do was ask.
Her eyes lit up as if an idea suddenly hit her. “Let me pour you a drink before I tell you.”
“Oh shit,” I mumbled. I rolled the ball across the floor once again and then followed Emmerson through her living room and into her newly remodeled kitchen. Noah and I nearly died while trying to do the electrical in here, but it was worth it to see Emmerson’s face when it was all finished. We knocked down walls and made the entire first floor an open concept, giving Emmerson the kitchen she had always dreamed of—from a large, six-burner stove that had side-by-side ovens, to the massive island in the middle of the kitchen. It was decorated in a French farmhouse style, and the gray and white cabinets looked amazing with the rustic wood beams overhead and rustic wooden range hood.
It was a baker’s dream kitchen, and Emmerson loved to bake. Even though her dream had been to be a wedding planner for as long as I could remember, she had also fallen in love with cooking. Any chance she had to make something or bake some fancy dessert, she was doing it.
Emmerson was also active on social media, as was Hailey, mostly for the businesses. I truly believed Emmerson’s ability to connect with people, both on a professional and personal level, was what helped her grow her business.
“I’m in a bit of a pickle with the charity auction for the Children’s Hospital of Austin.”
I slid onto one of the barstools at the kitchen island. Our folks had always been huge supporters of the children’s hospitals in both Austin and Dallas. So it didn’t come as a surprise that when Paislie stepped down from the auction’s planning committee after years of serving on it, Emmerson had joined and filled in for her mom. Paislie had loved being on the committee, but it had begun to take up more and more of her time—and Emmerson quickly realized that the same thing was happening to her.
“What kind of trouble?” I asked as I pushed Lady off of my legs for the sixth time.
Emmerson drew in a deep breath and exhaled. “You know how I’m on the committee for the auction?”
I nodded.
She began to chew on her thumbnail while her eyes darted everywhere around the kitchen, avoiding me at all costs.
Laughing, I said, “Just spit it out. Emme. It can’t be that bad.”
A nervous giggle slipped free as she said, “I sort of volunteered your help with the auction this year.”
Was that it? Why was she so worried over that? It wasn’t like I hadn’t ever donated to the auction before.
“That’s not a problem. What do you need? A ride around the Formula One track?”
She frowned. “Shit, why didn’t I think of that?”
“Well, with me no longer racing, I doubt any autographs will really bring in much money. A ride around the track would, though. I’ve still got some contacts there.”
“It’s not anything like that. I volunteered you for something…different, but maybe that track ride would sweeten the deal even more.” She did a quick sweep over me with her eyes—and then blushed.
I narrowed my eyes at her. “What did you sign me up for, Emme?”