your ID.”
“I did, but he didn’t seem to look twice at it.”
After so long, she couldn’t imagine his name would be enough to spark recognition, especially if the clerk he was dealing with was young enough.
“That’s good to know.” She handed him the money and quickly wrote a check for the difference. She guessed he didn’t have a bank account yet, but he could get one in LA.
“Thank you.” He seemed ashamed to accept her help, but she hadn’t done it for him.
“You’re welcome,” she said stiffly and, as she watched him walk away, wondered if he was sincere when he said he wasn’t interested in money. Even if it was true that he just wanted to apologize, he had to be hoping for Dallas’s forgiveness. And she didn’t think Dallas could ever give him that, not after enduring the tragic loss of his mother and sister and being cast adrift at such a young age, at the mercy of the state until he was adopted.
She didn’t think it was fair of Robert to even ask.
17
Cain arrived on time. He was wearing designer jeans with a burgundy V-neck sweater that couldn’t quite hide the thickening of his middle, smelled strongly of cologne and smiled a little too broadly when he saw her—and Emery immediately regretted agreeing to meet him. He’d presented dinner so casually when he bought the cookies. A bite to eat. A chance to catch up as old friends. She hadn’t expected it to be a date. She’d driven to the restaurant herself; in her mind, that was a clear indication. But she could tell by the way he was dressed, and the way he put a hand at the small of her back as they approached the hostess, that he had a different take on the evening. Apparently, what he’d said and done before was merely intended to get her to lower her defenses enough to have dinner with him.
She wasn’t capable of going out with anyone right now, she thought in a moment of panic. She shouldn’t have come.
But then she remembered having sex with Dallas, on two different occasions, and told herself if she could do that, she had to be capable of having dinner.
“I was so surprised when I saw you in the cookie store,” he said after they’d been seated.
“Same here.” It hadn’t only been a surprise when he walked in—it had been a bit of a nightmare, since she’d been afraid of running into someone she knew. People who were familiar with her from before would naturally be interested in the salacious scandal she was currently navigating, and she didn’t care to resurrect old relationships at the moment. She just wanted to hide out, heal and regroup.
“So how long will you be staying in Silver Springs?”
She’d already answered that question at the cookie store, but he was making small talk, trying to ease into the dinner, so she pretended as though this was the first time she’d heard it. “Just until after Christmas.”
“Do you know which day you’ll be going back?”
“That’s a bit loose right now.” The day she had to leave the refuge she’d found wouldn’t be easy. She felt safe at Aiyana’s and at risk almost anywhere else. But she was hoping to be up to the challenge by then. She couldn’t stay with Aiyana forever.
Fortunately, the waitress brought their waters and offered a wine list, which distracted Cain. Emery was afraid the conversation had been drifting toward where she was currently staying—he hadn’t asked that yet—which would inevitably lead to why she would be living with Aiyana in the first place. Did he know about the video? If not, she wasn’t going to tell him. If he could misrepresent what this evening was meant to be, she could certainly neglect to mention what Ethan had done.
“Would you like a glass of wine?” he asked.
She smiled. Having a drink might help her get through the evening. “Sure.”
She selected a white zinfandel, he a glass of rosé. “It’s nice of you to help out at the cookie store while you’re here,” he said as the waitress went to get their drinks. “My mother says the owner is having health problems.”
“She is. But how does your mother know? Is she a friend of Susan’s?”
“Not really, but they know each other. My mom’s still really involved in the Chamber of Commerce,” he added by way of explanation.
Emery hadn’t known his mother had ever been involved with the Chamber. She hadn’t paid much attention