Only With You Read online

  But she didn't want to have to call him or text him or ask.

  She wanted him to know.

  She wanted him to want.

  Want what? Her? She fought back a hysterical laugh.

  Emma kicked her front door closed behind her.

  "Emma? That you?"

  Startled, she smoothed her hands over her face, hoping to wipe away any vestiges of upset. "Coming!"

  Emma followed the sound of Anne's voice down the hall and into the salon. Anne was seated with her legs tucked beneath her on the chaise that Emma had forced Knight to move into the corner next to the lush fern. Its fronds had created a green, leafy halo over Anne's head. She was in silver skinny jeans and a matching camel sweater, and her hair was wet from the shower. She was reading a book of poetry that she must have taken from the bookshelves.

  "I hope you don’t mind." Anne set the book down. "It was just so cozy."

  Her friend looked so content. So at odds with the turmoil Emma herself felt. She sighed as she sat next to Anne in the nice, romantic nook that was being wasted on the two of them reading poetry all alone by themselves instead of with—

  The next thing Emma knew, a small sob escaped her. She swallowed it quickly, pressed her palm to her mouth, and composed herself in an instant. Her mother's words quickly came to mind: Always smile for the camera, Emma, there are a million more unfortunate than you. You have no reason to be upset.

  But the moment of weakness was enough to send Anne shooting up in her seat, her arm around Emma. "What's wrong?"

  "Nothing, nothing at all."

  "Is it Josh?" Anne asked.

  Emma shook her head and pressed her eyes shut so she was sure not to do anything embarrassing and cry over something so trifling and stupid. "I'm not upset. I have no right to be upset."

  "Emma, what is that supposed to mean? Of course you have a right to be upset if something upsetting happened."

  She could hardly tell Anne about seeing Knight at the bonfire. She could picture Anne's reaction. Her face crinkling in confusion because what kind of sane person cried just because her friend went to a bonfire? So she told her the other thing that was upsetting her. "It's nothing that happened to me. It's all happened to you, Anne. You lost your home. Your family lost all their money. I brought you here to help you forget about Rick, and he's here. You're the one who has the right to be upset."

  "You brought me here because…oh Emma. But I'm not upset."

  "You should be. You deserve it more than I do."

  "It's not a competition, Emma. If you're sad then you're sad."

  "I just feel so stupid. I don't get them at all."

  "Them?"

  "Josh. Knight. Rick, too. All of them. They're unreliable. They make us feel one way but really they feel another."

  "I'm not sure I follow," Anne said apologetically.

  "I screwed up, Anne. I tried setting you up with Josh, and he's still in love with Fanny."

  "Oh, that." Anne pulled away and set her hands in her lap.

  A chill stole through her, and Emma imagined the color draining from her face. Knight knew? Josh knew? Anne knew? Rick probably knew. The vet, even. Every dog and cat they had saved today. Had she air-written it across the sky? How foolish she'd been. How utterly insane to think she could do anything decent at all.

  "That's all you want to say to me? Oh, that? Yell at me. Tell me how dumb I am. Tell me to stay out of your life."

  Anne closed her eyes a moment. When she reopened them, they were dark and serious. "I don't want you to stay out of my life. Did I want to be set up? No. Did I develop any real feelings for Josh? No. But you know what, Emma? I could have told you those things. I could have been up-front about my feelings, and I didn't because…I like that you cared enough to meddle. I loved it."

  Emma furrowed her brow. "You're just saying that to make me feel better. You're just the kind of person who would put up with me if you thought it would make me feel better. You don't have to. Knight said—"

  "I'm not Knight." Anne grinned. "I don't like it all the time when you meddle. But I prefer it to you not caring. I'll take the good with the bad, Emma. As long as you'll be okay when I tell you it's bad."

  Emma felt all warm and gooey inside, and she leaned over to hug Anne. "I'm so sorry."

  "Don't be." Anne petted her back. "Don't worry about Josh. He can date whoever he wants."

  Sitting with Anne, Emma felt for a moment that maybe she could vent her feelings about Knight. At least, a little.

  "There's more, isn't there?" Anne asked.

  Emma realized that she always vented to Knight. He was the one she ran to when she felt she'd received an unfair grade. He was the one who held her hand if her two favorite stars broke up. He was the one who knew, without her saying, when she needed ice cream after a particularly long call with her mother. But he wasn't here now. Anne was.

  The thought was both depressing and hopeful all at once. "Knight and Rick feel the same way about doing whatever they want. I saw them out."

  "Oh." Anne's smile faltered.

  "Jerks, right? They went out to a bonfire without even telling us. They've abandoned us completely."

  "They did just spend the whole day helping out. They're not obligated to hang out with us, too."

  "We spent the whole day helping out, too," Emma pointed out.

  "Right. So did we." Anne smiled. "So aren't we entitled to some fun?"

  Chapter Five

  Given how late it was and that they had worked straight through lunch, "fun" was currently defined as "food" for Emma and Anne. They'd seen a taqueria en route to the animal shelter, and the tantalizing smells of grilled meat and fresh corn tortillas were still strong in their minds. Emma's mouth watered thinking about it hours later.

  Still, while food was important, so were appearances. Emma dragged Anne upstairs to her bedroom, where Anne made herself at home on the bed and flipped through a magazine. Emma streamed in a pop channel and blasted it on her speakers. She changed into layers—jeans, a lace white tank, and a thin, jade-colored wrap cardigan that matched her eyes. She felt naked until she finished off the look with a dozen long-chain necklaces, hoop earrings, and a few gold knuckle rings. Her head bobbed to the quick beat of the song as she hummed her way to the bathroom. A swipe of lip gloss, a tousle of her hair, and she was ready to go.

  She toyed with the brief, immature thought of not telling the boys where they'd gone, but realizing Knight would worry, she did him the courtesy of texting their plans as she and Anne left the house.

  Everything okay? was his reply.

  The answer was no. Everything was not okay. But she didn't know what to say or how it could be fixed. Maybe she was just tired and angry and hungry, and even though Knight would normally be the perfect anecdote to a bad mood, the thought of calling on him now was unsettling. She knew, for the first time in her life, that Knight wasn't going to make things better.

  Duh, she wrote back.

  Anne and Emma sang along to blaring music from the car speakers until they pulled into the parking lot, which was crammed full with cars parked at odd angles so more could fit.

  "A good sign," Emma said as they circled twice to find a spot. Her stomach grumbled as they walked up to the taqueria. They passed packed outdoor benches before they made it inside and even then had to maneuver full tables and the busy salsa bar to reach the line that trailed to the counter.

  The closer they got to the counter, the more intricate their order became. What had started as just getting "a taco"—as they both had insisted—slowly morphed, until by the time Emma made it to the register, she asked for, "Nachos. Two carnitas tacos. Chips and guac, plus a watermelon agua fresca." She'd run it off later and throw in some sit-ups for good measure.

  Anne fumbled beside her before saying, "Same."

  Emma raised a brow. "You sure about that? This much food is not for the faint of heart."

  Anne rubbed her stomach. "Plenty of room."

  The hot, fresh
order was quickly placed on two sets of trays, which Emma and Anne grabbed. When they turned around, though, there was still no place to sit. Every booth, every table, every inch of space was crawling with denim shorts and bikini tops, tanned shoulders and bleached blond hair. The air smelled as much of salty seawater and coconut sunscreen as simmering beans and cheese.

  "Maybe we can get it to go?" Anne suggested.

  Emma firmed her grip on the tray. "Not a chance. We'll just find some new, fun people to sit with and get to know."

  "Strangers?" Tension lengthened Anne's neck and sharpened her features.

  "Strangers are just future friends," Emma said. "Come on." She edged through the horde, sweeping the table surfaces with her gaze. She used her tray to slice through the crowd. Most of the tables were full with a few people standing over their friends, reaching over shoulders to grab bites. She looked for smaller groups with a few empty seats. She saw an opening in the corner—a booth with only a single occupant.

  "Come on, Anne. Let's make a new friend."

  By the time she reached the booth she saw a few other vultures standing by to swoop in. Emma set down the tray and audaciously scooted into the booth. Before she could introduce herself and flash her most flirtatious smile, the guy looked up in surprise.

  "Miss Greene?"

  Frank Churchill, sans white coat, seemed younger now than he had running around the shelter. In fact, he barely looked out of college in a striped polo and jeans.

  Emma's smile widened. Victory was hers.

  He sat back. "Did you need something?"

  "Just a dining partner," Emma said. She gestured Anne over, who upon seeing the guy was someone they knew, smiled with relief and slid into the booth. Emma managed to swallow the triumphant grin she wished to give the desperate onlookers who had been hoping for the seat. "We saw this place on our way to the shelter earlier, and we're so hungry from working so hard."

  "I eat here every time I finish up for the day. I shouldn't." He patted his stomach. "The calories."

  "You can't even tell," Emma said graciously. "Besides, taking care of animals is hard work. Anne was just telling me how sore she was from wrestling the big dogs into the shower."

  "We appreciate the help," Frank said. "Live events always lead to the most adoptions. If those dogs and cats hadn't been ready, they could have stayed in the shelter longer and then…well, you know what happens. You guys really made a difference today."

  Emma preened under the praise and couldn't wait to share it with her mom.

  "All the animals were so cute," Anne gushed. "I can't imagine them not all being adopted."

  "Our success rate is pretty high. We pride ourselves on it." He took notice of their full trays. "You weren't kidding about working up an appetite."

  "We're ravenous," Emma said. She glanced over to Anne, who picked up a fork and speared her nachos. "What are you doing?"

  "What do you mean?" Anne scooped up a second mouthful of beans, cheese, and chips.

  "You're using a fork?"

  "Yeah…less mess."

  Emma stuck her fingers into her nachos and then waved her sticky, cheese-drenched fingers in front of Anne's nose.

  "Oh, gross." Anne pulled back, her nose crinkled.

  Frank laughed. "May I?" When Emma nodded, he reached for a nacho, which he ate with gusto, getting cheese sauce on his hands.

  "Look at this," a male voice said.

  Emma felt a frisson run down her spine as her head snapped up. Knight towered over the booth, his hands in his jacket pockets.

  "Did you guys have fun at the bonfire?" Anne asked.

  Emma tried to kick Anne under the table because she wasn't supposed to know they were at a bonfire, but she ended up stubbing her toe against the booth instead.

  She ignore the raised eyebrow from Knight, who, clever boy, seemed to be putting together that Emma knew exactly where he'd been all night. Instead, she focused her radiant smile on Frank Churchill and pushed her tray toward him. "Have some more nachos. I'm happy to share."

  Frank took another chip, and Emma reached for one at the same time.

  "Do you want to join us?" Anne asked.

  "Dunno." Knight shrugged. "Might be too cozy."

  Knight pointed to the line where Josh and Rick were standing. Knight then looked pointedly at Frank.

  "We can squeeze," Anne said. "Can't we?"

  Who did Knight think he was just showing up whenever he felt like it and going to bonfires when he didn't feel like it?

  "That's not really fair," Emma said. "This is Frank's booth. You and I are crashing already. We can't expect Frank to give up his booth just so the guys can join us."

  "Didn't you want us to join you?" Knight pulled out his phone. "You texted us what you were doing."

  "It would have been rude not to. Because it's polite to let people know your plans. You don't just go your own way and tell us afterward," Emma said tartly.

  Knight made a face at her, confused and a little annoyed. But before she could respond Frank rose to his feet.

  "I need to catch up with some people anyway." He wiped his hands off a spare napkin, which he balled up and tossed into a trash can.

  "Are you sure?" Emma asked.

  "It's no problem. Thanks for sharing your nachos. I'll see you all tomorrow."

  "Bye, Frank."

  He nodded at her. "Miss Greene."

  Emma shoved another chip in her mouth as her cheeks heated up at being addressed so formally after she'd gone and called him Frank. Knight dropped into the booth next to her, and it felt natural to shimmy up to his side.

  "That was rude," she said.

  "So is hitting on underage girls."

  "He was not hitting on us." Still, Emma couldn't deny the slight perverse thrill she got in the pit at her stomach that Knight thought Frank had been hitting on her. She was demented. It was the only explanation.

  "Frank wasn't like that all," Anne said. "And you shouldn't accuse him of that recklessly."

  "Sorry. You're right." Knight seemed duly chastised. "That was a dumb thing to say. I don't know what got into me."

  "There's nothing wrong with being friendly." Emma picked up another chip and popped it into her mouth. She slapped away Knight's hand when he reached for some. "I'm not really a sharer."

  "Does Frank know that?" Knight asked.

  Anne pushed her nachos forward in offering. Knight took a few and smiled at her. Emma felt something like queasiness in her stomach. Maybe she'd eaten too much. "Anne worked hard all day for those nachos. Rick and Josh better be ordering another round for you."

  "Yep, I was sent to scout for seats. Lucky for me, I found two hot girls who were willing to share."

  "Their booth. Not their meal," Emma said, although she couldn't bring herself to eat another bite of her food.

  "Loud and clear, Emma."

  "Josh! Rick!" Emma called out to the register. "Don't forget something for Knight."

  Rick raised his fist in the air in answer, not turning around, as he heard her. A few moments later when he finally did walk toward them, he was holding two trays piled high with paper-wrapped soft tacos. He scooted in next to Knight, and Knight and Emma were forced even closer, their thighs touching.

  This meant Josh would have to sit next to Anne in the only empty seat left in the booth. Not that it mattered. She cast a forlorn glance at Josh who was giving his order at the counter—and her mouth dropped as he casually laid his arm across the shoulder of the girl standing next to him.

  The girl had short, spiky hair, wore a red halter bikini top and loose, flowing white skirt that hung low on her waist. She draped her hand around Josh's hip and whispered in his ear.

  "Who is that?" Emma asked.

  "Oh…I can't remember her name." Knight squinted thoughtfully. "I don't think Josh actually told us her name. She's from the bonfire and can walk on her hands. That's all I got."

  "You sent Frank away to make room for some stranger?" After all that talk from Josh a
bout being in love with Fanny, he had the nerve to pick up a girl at a bonfire and bring her to eat with the rest of them? Was nothing sacred? "Is Josh rubbing it in?" she muttered under her breath. She asked Anne, "We can head out if you're done. We don't need to wait around for these guys to eat."

  Anne flashed her last taco. "Almost done."

  Almost wasn't soon enough. Josh turned around, burrito in hand, and sauntered over with the girl next to him. "Whoa, ladies," he said when he reached them "You gotta stop stalking me like this."

  Emma's gaze slid across the girl. She looked nice enough. Cheery smile. Nose ring. Friendly eyes. A bit too eager and starry eyed over Josh, in Emma's opinion.

  "So…" Josh pulled the girl closer. "Emma, Anne—I found a mark for tomorrow's adoption event. She is soooo ready to bring a puppy home. Meet—"

  "Do we really need to know the name of yet another girl you're hooking up with?" Emma asked.

  "Emma!" Anne elbowed her in the side.

  "Ow." She rubbed her ribs. "I just mean what's the point of learning the names of every girl Josh brings around? Are we ever going to see her again?"

  Emma felt another wave of queasiness as the girl unlatched herself from Josh's side, spun around, and stalked away. The queasiness turned her belly to a dark, sticky pit as Josh ran after the girl. Even Anne scooted out of the booth.

  "I'll see if she's okay."

  Rick was only a second behind her.

  "What was that about?" Knight asked. "Did you see her kicking a puppy at the shelter or something?"

  "No, I just…" Emma dropped her forehead to the Formica table. "I didn't have anything against her. Josh just got done telling me how he was still in love with Fanny and that's why he isn't into Anne, and now he's all over this girl?" She groaned and sat back up.

  "He wasn't all over that girl. They met at the bonfire…where Josh spent the whole night telling people about tomorrow's adoption event. He felt bad he hadn't been more helpful because of his condition, and he figured it would be a good way to do something. They're all probably going to show up just to see him. Half of them will end up adopting a pet. Isn't that the whole point of this weekend? The adoption event?"

  "It is," Emma said, "but I thought—"