Page 17 of Switching Places

“Dinner’s still on. I’ll pick you up around seven. That suit you?”

“Yes, seven’s fine. I’ll be ready.”

“Lily?” He stopped.

“What?”

Emma’s heart raced. She wished he’d invite her to go in with him, spend the rest of the day together as they’d planned.

“Nothing. See you at seven.”

Hanging up the phone, Emma looked at the bread already spread with mayonnaise and the cold cuts she’d put out. Taking a slice of cheddar, she nibbled as she began to rewrap everything. It was a long time until seven.

When the phone rang a couple of minutes later, her spirits soared. Maybe he’d changed his mind.

“Hello?”

“Hello, darling. How was your trip?”

“Hi, Mom. I guess I should have called.”

Three days in California and her family seemed light-years away. She dragged a chair nearer to the phone and sat, annoyed at the disappointed she felt that it wasn’t Logan. She loved her family and was glad to hear from her mother.

“Oh, no, Emma, I love fretting for days on end, imagining you kidnapped or worse.”

She laughed. “Mom, I flew directly to LA from Dulles, not much chance of getting kidnapped. And it’s not like we have millions to pay a ransom.”

“How’s your sister?” Peggy Hamilton moved on to the next topic, her point made.

“Fine. Actually she’s not here right now. She’s in another movie and had to go to the filming early.”

“That’s a shame. Will she be back soon?”

“So she said. Just a week.”

“Oh, honey, I’m sorry your vacation is ruined. Maybe instead of sitting around all alone in a strange place, you should come home and visit Lily another time.”

“Um, I’m not exactly alone. I mean, I am alone right now, but her neighbor and I are going out to dinner tonight. And Lily’s house is right on the beach. I went swimming yesterday and this morning.”

“That’s nice. If her neighbor takes you under her wing, you’ll get to see something of California while waiting for your sister’s return.”

Emma twisted the phone cord in her fingers.

“The neighbor is a he, Mom,” she said slowly.

Maybe she should have just kept her mouth shut, let her mother think a woman was her new friend.

“David stopped by yesterday. He told us he’d asked you to marry him,” Peggy said slowly.

Yes, she should have kept quiet, Emma thought, grimacing. Now her mother would give her the why-didn’t-you-tell-me routine.

“Yes, he did.”

Emma frowned, wondering why he had stopped by her parents’ place. Was it to make sure they knew of his proposal? She wouldn’t put it past him to try to get them on his side, added pressure to get his own way. Was this the first time she’d noticed how he plotted to get his own way more times than not?

“I must admit to being a bit surprised you didn’t mention it. David’s a nice boy,” her mother said gently.

“He’s four years older than I am, hardly a boy.”

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