her nose. “I’m confused. So you’re going to keep seeing each other? But for real this time?”
Emma shrugged. Unless Jack had changed his mind after leaving her bed. She didn’t peg him as the love ’em and love ’em type. He wasn’t the kind of guy to have long or serious relationships either, which worried her a little. She didn’t want to lose him in her life. “Jack and I are just taking things as they come,” she told Nina.
“But you’re hoping that things work out between you two?” Nina asked.
Right now, Emma was just hoping not to screw up a relationship with one of the most important people in her life. “I’m hoping for the best. Whatever that is.”
“Well, I’m glad about this change of events. And I’m glad to see you smiling instead of sulking over a couple bad reviews.”
Emma shook her head. “I’m staying away from that website from now on. I can’t please everyone, and I have enough things to deal with. I can’t afford to spend a night sulking over an anonymous reviewer who thinks my coffee tastes stale.”
Nina gasped. “Someone wrote that online?”
Emma pressed a hand to her heart. Just thinking about the comment made her heartbeat speed up anxiously.
“Our coffee is fresh. Always, no exceptions. Who wrote that review?”
Emma shrugged and took a breath. “I don’t know, but I’m staying off the A-List. Constructive criticism is fine and adding the tables outside has been great. But the big race is two weeks away and there’s too much to do to sulk over a bad review.” She held up a finger. “Which reminds me, I still need to have the T-shirts made. Paris Montgomery is designing the graphic for the shirts. I need to contact him today and see how that’s coming along.”
Nina prepared herself a cup of coffee during the lull of customers at the counter. “How many people have signed up so far?”
“Just over two hundred, which is way more than I ever could have imagined.”
“That’s twenty dollars a person to register, right?”
Emma nodded.
“Whoa. That’s quite a chunk of change for the Women’s Wellness Center.”
Pride bloomed inside of Emma. The donation would be in her mother’s memory, and that felt amazing. “Not to mention that some people just made donations through the website instead of registering. Donations alone have contributed over a thousand dollars.”
Nina’s eyes widened over her cup of coffee as she sipped. She lowered her cup back down. “But you have to pay a fee for the park, right?”
“Since we’re joining with another event, there’s no fee. I got a lot of sponsors at the Ladies’ Day Out event the other night, which should pay for the T-shirts. I just need to follow up with a few of the ladies.” Emma grabbed a notepad on the counter and wrote that down as a reminder to herself. “See? Too much to do to worry about a couple of bad reviews.”
Nina took another sip of her coffee. “This is not stale brew. Can I reply to that review and tell that person to get their taste buds checked?”
“Don’t you dare,” Emma said on a laugh.
Nina narrowed her eyes. “You’re glowing a little bit this morning. And you never did answer my question about what happened after Jack dropped me off. You said you decided to see each other for real but you didn’t say what happened.”
Emma took a breath. “Jack and I may have…um…”
Nina clapped both hands over her mouth and looked around the café. There was only one customer at the moment. “You two slept together?”
Emma laughed despite the awkwardness. “This stays between us. But yes.” She squealed softly.
“Of course,” Nina said, lowering her hands down by her side. “This is huge. Since the time I’ve known you, you have never slept with a guy.”
Emma had known Nina for three years now. “Maybe I have and just haven’t shared it with you.”
Nina gave her a look. “Have you?”
“No,” Emma admitted. “It’s been a long time since a guy has even gotten to second base.”
“And you’re not the kind of woman to sleep with someone unless there are real feelings involved…unless it was because you were drunk. Oh no. Did you sleep together because you were drunk?” She suddenly looking horrified.
Emma shook her head. “No, I knew exactly what I was doing.”
“And?” Nina asked, drinking more of her coffee. “How was it?”
Emma felt her cheeks burning hot. She looked around to make sure that Sam wasn’t within earshot. He didn’t need to