Page 39 of Mine to Hold
“Take a seat anywhere. I’ll get that coffee right after I take care of?—”
“Emmerson, we need to finish our conversation. You hung up on me and that wasn’t nice.” The woman barreled past Rumor.
“I called you about something else and you never let me get it out. I don’t want to talk to you about your wedding or help you with Ben and Sarah,” Emmerson said.
“Come on. I know you and Ben are friendly these days.”
“I’m not getting involved.” He let out an audible sigh. “I’ll take a seat at the counter. If I wasn’t so damned tired and starving, I’d leave.”
“Sounds like you’ve had a day.” Rumor curled her warm fingers around his biceps. “I’ll get you that coffee.”
“I can’t believe you won’t do this for me. It’s not like I’m asking you to?—”
“Tessa, the answer is no. Go back to your booth and let me be. I’ve had a shit few days.” He climbed up on one of the stools with his strong shoulders slumped.
Tessa scoffed, turned on her three-inch designer heels, and stomped back to her booth.
Rumor gathered the waters and put in the ladies’ drink orders. Since the café wasn’t busy, the drinks would take only a few minutes, so she decided to pour Emmerson his coffee and give him what she assumed was some much-needed attention. “Are you okay? I don’t mean to pry, but you look as though you lost your best friend.”
“Stuff like this is never easy.” He ran his hand across his unshaven face. “You’re going to hear about this soon enough, so it might as well come from me.”
“What’s wrong? What happened?”
“There was another murder,” he said softly, closing his eyes for a moment. When he blinked them open, a tear fell. He quickly wiped it away. “Edwina.”
“Oh no.” She grabbed his hand and squeezed it tight. Not only for him, but for herself. “When?”
“I won’t know the exact time of death until we get the autopsy report and that could be awhile. But sometime after she left my house and four in the morning when I got the call.”
“Shit. I’m so sorry. I know you and she didn’t have a good relationship, or even a friendship, but I do know that you cared.”
“Thank you for that.” He lifted the mug and blew before taking a sip. “I feel like shit because of the way she left last night. If I had known those would have been the last words I spoke to her, I would have never said them.”
“You had no way of knowing.” Rumor took his hands. She could feel the pain flow from his skin to hers and it tore through her system like a runaway freight train. “You have to remember she crossed a line.”
He let out a curt laugh. “You’re the one who told me I wasn’t nice.” He lowered his gaze.
“I didn’t know the whole story when I said that. Look at me.”
He lifted his gaze.
“First, what she was doing to you was definitely harassment. You know that and you also know you let it go on too long. She left you with no choice but to be harsh. And second, what happened isn’t your fault.”
“I know that, but it still doesn’t make me feel any better.” He lifted her hand and kissed it. “Thank you for trying, though.”
“Um, excuse me,” Tessa called, waving her hand. “When you’re done flirting, would you mind getting us our water and drinks.”
“I’ll be right back.” She patted his hand.
“You can tell Tessa to fuck off,” Emmerson said, and not softly either.
“I heard that,” Tessa said.
Emmerson turned, glancing over his shoulder. “I called you a little while ago not because of Ben and Sarah. But instead of letting me tell you what happened, you gave me a fucking earful.”
“You were giving me a warning,” Tessa said.
“Not about that,” Emmerson said. “But since we’re on the subject. Leave Ben and Sarah the fuck alone; otherwise, it will become a police matter.”
