Page 30 of Beg, Borrow, or Steal

“Not that I know of.”

“Are you kindness intolerant, then?”

“Well…I’ve never been officially tested but I suppose anything is possible.” I smile as her scowl only deepens. An angry little fireball. That’s what Emily is ninety percent of the time. Why the hell do I enjoy stepping right in her path so much?

There’s that tug again. The one that keeps drawing me to her.

“You’re supposed to accept their gifts,” she responds, like this is a fact.

“I am?”

“If you actually want to live in this town, then you’re supposed to accept them. Promise me you’ll accept them from now on.”

“Okay,” I promise even though I’m at somewhat of a loss as to what’s happening at this moment. “I thought…I thought you hated having me here.”

“I do,” she says primly while adjusting the bags on her arm an inch to the left.

“And I thought you were trying to get rid of me.”

“I am.” She looks to her left. “I was.”

I cock my head, eyebrow lifting. “Was?That’s an interesting word.”

Emily’s green eyes snap to mine. “I’ve decided to have pity on the town. It’s killing them to exclude you, and Harriet is dying to have you on the softball team. No matter how I feel about you…I love my town. I’m willing to let you be part of it for their sake.” She pauses. “So…I told them I wanted you to be included from now on.”

“Huh.”

Her eyebrows drop. “That’s all you’re going to say?Huh?I thought you’d be happier.”

I take a step to the right, out from under the awning, and look up at the sky.

“What are you doing?”

“Looking for flying pigs…”

She scoffs and rolls her eyes, but I still catch the curve of her lips before she smothers it.

“No, seriously? Has hell frozen over? Because I never thought I’d see the day that Emily Walker wanted me to be happy.”

She holds up a finger. “I never said Iwantedyou to be happy. I said I thought you’dbehappy. There’s a difference.”

I’m grinning and she obviously hates it. “This is such an unexpected turn of events.” Not an unhappy one, either. Because I’ve always enjoyed teaching here in Rome, but now actually living in the town and seeing how it operates, I can really see myself living here happily for a long time. I like its quirks. I like the way I feel here.

And…I like getting to know Emily in a different way too. I thought that by coming back and seeing her again, I would prove to myself that I really and truly hated her with no room for any other feelings toward her.

So far, only the opposite is proving true.

Her eyes are bobbing everywhere. “Well—I aim to keep you on your toes.” She pauses and presses her lips together like she doesn’tknow what to say next but isn’t eager to leave. “Okay, I should…go.”

“What’s with all the bags? Not going to your favorite corner table today?” I ask, not ready to let go of this moment yet.

“Oh.” She breathes a smile, and it jolts me back to the one she gave me on the road the other day when she didn’t realize it was me. I’ve been chasing the high of it all week. And the one after where she let me in her house. Where we talked like something damn near friends for the first time. Sort of like how we’re talking now.

“Not today. Madison is flying in for a quick trip. It’s been a long time since she’s been back, so I wanted to stock the house with all of her favorite things.” She’s got a little something from everywhere. Baguettes peeking out from the top of a Gemma’s Breadbasket bag. What looks like several different kinds of Doritos packed into a bag from the market. Even one from the Pie Shop that definitely has more than one pie inside.

“She probably doesn’t even miss them all that much, but I just thought—” She pauses and sets down her bags to pull her phone out. “Oh my god, I have service right here? It’s a miracle.” Her face lights up as she answers. “Hey, Maddie, are you about to board the…” She stops, and I watch as her smile slowly fades. She turns and takes three steps away from me. “Oh—no, of course you should stay! Oh my gosh, yes. Don’t even think twice about it…yeah, that’s a huge opportunity…oh please, I’m totally fine.” She forces a laugh. “I’m serious, Maddie, it’s all good. You caught me just before I left to get all the stuff.” A longer pause this time and with every passing second I see Emily’s shoulders sink lower and lower. “Okay. Have so much fun! Take pictures!”

She laughs again, then tells her she loves her before hanging up.

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