Page 13 of Marrying Emma

Marty studied Emma a minute. “You know, I appreciate the offer, but I should get going.”

“I want to thank you somehow. Please. Look, my son-in-law is grilling burgers here on Saturday. I insist you swing by. I won’t take no for an answer.” Mom put a hand on her hip for emphasis. “Five on Saturday. I’ll see you here?”

Marty’s gaze went from Mom’s to Emma’s and back as though he had no idea what to do. Finally, he gave a short nod. “You will. Thank you for the invitation.”

“You drive careful.” Mom turned to Emma. “I’m going to go in and finish dinner, Em.”

“Okay, I’ll be right there.” Emma watched as her mom entered the house, the door snapping shut behind her. When Emma turned back, she opened her mouth at the same time Marty began to speak.

“Don’t feel obligated—”

“I don’t want to intrude—”

Emma chuckled and shuffled some dirt with the toe of her shoe. “Sorry. You go first.”

“Look, I didn’t want to be rude. But I get the distinct impression you’d rather I didn’t hang out with your family.” He paused. “If you’d like, I can come up with an excuse later this week for why I can’t make it on Saturday.”

There was a glimmer of hope in his eyes. Emma couldn’t tell if it was because he wanted an out, or if he was hoping she’d encourage him to come. She fought back a sigh. Things with Marty were challenging enough when he was just the co-worker who flirted with everyone. Now that she was getting to know him? It was…different.

But she also knew her mom wasn’t going to let this go. Better to have Marty come over on Saturday, Mom could feel like she paid him back, and they could go back to being the co-workers who mildly irritated each other during the week.

“It’s okay. Come for burgers. Trust me, Mom won’t let it go if you don’t. Besides, you saved us a lot of stress and money this week.” She swallowed. “Thank you.”

He grinned then, his blue eyes sparkling. “You’re welcome. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“I’ll be there unless I win the lottery. See you then.” What was that saying? You have to play to win?

She watched as he walked back to his motorcycle, put his helmet on, and then lifted a hand in farewell before disappearing down the street.

Once back in the house, the aroma of spiced chicken filled the air. Emma took in a deep breath as her stomach growled. She found Mom in the kitchen finishing up the meat for chicken tacos.

Immediately, she thought about how Marty had gone out of his way to buy her lunch so she didn’t have to eat the questionable gas station food. He would’ve liked her mom’s tacos. The only reason he declined dinner was because he could tell she didn’t want him to stay.

Seriously, he’d done a lot for them. Took time out of his day when he didn’t have to do. The least she could’ve done was let him stay for dinner.

Why did everything have to be complicated where Marty was concerned?

Complicated was the last thing she should need.

6

Marty nodded in approval as Emma stretched to reach her feet. They’d been working on exercises every day this week. While Emma only stayed out on the gym floor for thirty minutes or less, her progress was easy to see. He truly hoped she could feel it as well.

She didn’t seem nearly as self-conscious as she was last week. He hoped he’d eventually get her to try some of the obstacles. He wasn’t going to push her, though. Marty didn’t know her well. Yet. But he knew her enough to guess pushing her would backfire on him.

Spending extra time with her on Tuesday—eating lunch together and helping with her mom’s car—had been nice. It’d been difficult to simply slap a battery in that car and walk away, though. He could have easily paid for repairs or bought them a new car. Seeing Emma drive it to work this morning concerned him. Seriously, the vehicle threatened to collapse at any moment.

He thought about what Emma said about her medical bills. He could only imagine how quickly they’d piled up after a lifetime of specialists and medication. His own medical bills had been astronomical after his accident and therapies.

For the first time in a while, Marty was reminded of how blessed he’d been to write a check and pay them off. It also served as a reminder for why he never let people know he had money. He wasn’t a billionaire, but between the investments he’d made and his savings account, he wouldn’t have to worry about money for the rest of his life.

In the past, women and even friends had shown interest in him simply because of the money he had. It’d hurt to learn that most of them had no real inclination to get to know him outside of all things financial. It’s why he kept that part of his life on the down low since then. The people at church—and Caleb in particular—had proven not everyone was like that.

It was hard in situations like this because a small fraction of what he had would make a huge difference for Emma. His hands were tied, though. Even if he could find a way to help her, she’d see it as charity. There was no way he could help, and if the roles were reversed, he’d feel the same way.

So he’d pray she got to work and back safely and try his best to be her friend.

Too bad any attempts to get her to eat lunch with him again had failed. She had to go to the post office, check on the house, or run by the store. One day, Marty saw her eating in her car in the parking lot. Was she avoiding him? He tried not to take it personally.

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