Page 72 of Switching Places

“Do you think you can pull it off?” Lily asked from her position lounging on the bed. She wore a mint green negligee that revealed more than it concealed.

Tossing her head, flashing a smile as she tilted her chin down and swept her lashes up, Emma nodded.

“Even a condemned man gets one last request, doesn’t he?” Her eyes sparkled in determination. “And if he refuses, I’m no worse off, right?”

Lily laughed. “Right. Go get him, tiger.”

Emma grinned.

“I studied you every day of our trip. I’m going to think confident, think competent. And he’d better listen. But if not, then at least I tried.”

“He said goodbye.”

“He didn’t need to come by last night. And I really thought he was going to stay. Might have if Dad hadn’t shown up. I don’t for a second believe he was out of coffee. Or if he was, that he needed to borrow some from you.”

“So you’re going to go over there and do what? Ask for the coffee back, check out his kitchen to see if he was lying?”

Emma paused and slowly turned to her sister.

“If he isn’t out of coffee, he would have been lying, wouldn’t he? Would he do something like that? He’s so adamant against lying.”

“A small fib, no big deal,” Lily dismissed.

Emma gazed off into space.

“Maybe to you or me. Still, it’d be interesting to see if he has coffee, wouldn’t it? Maybe I can use that as the excuse, coffeepatrol. Lily, I’ve got to do this. Otherwise I’m leaving in the morning and won’t come back.”

“I thought you were getting over him. Thought it was merely infatuation. Three days into the trip to San Francisco and you stopped crying.”

Emma sighed and sat on the edge of the big bed.

“I hoped at one point it might be infatuation, but nothing went away. I have this huge achy hurt where my heart should be. I think about him all the time, want to share things with him. Want to know what he’s doing. Several times last night when you and Dad were laughing at something, all I could think about was how much Logan would enjoy that joke. And I wanted to share it with him. I don’t think I’m going to get over him soon.”

“Too bad he didn’t laugh it off like Dad did.” Lily looked at her sister. “You okay with Dad, now?”

Emma nodded.

“I enjoyed last night. And when we were dancing at the party, we had a chance to talk. He said he’d never had much luck with long-distance relationships, but he had always loved me. I watched him last night. He needs the spotlight and the adulation he gets from crowds. I don’t really suppose he needs another daughter hanging around. But I’ll see him from time to time. At least I know he loves me—in his own way.”

“Not like most fathers,” Lily murmured.

“No. But it’s enough. And I still have Gerald, who’s been the most wonderful stepfather a girl could have. So I’m lucky, I have two dads.”

“So get lucky with that obstinate man next door.”

She stood up resolutely. “You’re right. This is the only way I can leave. If he really doesn’t feel anything for me but contempt, I’ll learn to live with it. But his visit last night made me think there might be something left.”

Maybe it was wishful thinking, but Emma had hatched this plan before falling asleep last night and wanted to make one last attempt. She got herself into the situation, she had only herself to make it right.

Emma walked across the grass, quickly, trying to reach his house before she changed her mind.

The door was open, the screen in place. She rapped sharply.

“Come on in, I’m in the kitchen,” Logan’s voice called.

She took a deep breath, opened the door and walked quietly down the hall. A bright smile lit her face as she stepped into the kitchen. She hoped he couldn’t see how shaky her legs were.

“Got any coffee for a neighbor, especially since it’s ours to begin with?” she asked breezily.

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