Happy Ever After by Nora Roberts

FIVE

    S HE RAN THE SHOW LIKE A VELVET-VOICED GENERAL, MALCOLM thought, striding around in her mile-high heels and severe black suit. A lot of smiles, though, he noted, and buckets of warmth.
    Except when she looked in his direction.
    He waited her out, smothered in the scent of roses that made the bouquet he carried seem a bit puny. Still, he’d wrangled it from the nose-ringed Goth girl who worked with Emma, so he’d kept it all in the family.
    Emma breezed by him. “Mine?”
    “Not anymore.”
    “Still very pretty. Parker’s going to be a few more minutes.”
    “I’ve got time.”
    “Grab a drink if you want. There’s plenty. Or you can wait inside.”
    “I’m good, but thanks.”
    “I’ve got to go. If you were over at my place, you saw we’re neck deep.”
    “Wedding tomorrow?”
    “No, actually, they had a conflict, so they rehearsed for their Friday wedding tonight. I’ve got an outside event tomorrow, and Parker’s got a couple tours, plus we’ve got another full-staff consult. And a four-event weekend.”
    “Busy girls. I’m fine here. Go ahead.”
    “She won’t be long,” Emma assured him and hurried away.
    When he waited another fifteen minutes, he figured she took her time. But she came out again, with that ground-eating stride she managed to make look both unhurried and graceful.
    “I’m sorry to keep you waiting,” she began. “If I’d known you’d planned to come by, I’d have told you we had a rehearsal.”
    “I didn’t come to see you.”
    She opened her mouth, closed it again.
    “I came by to see Mrs. Grady.” He gestured with the flowers. “To thank her again for dinner and the ham sandwich I had for lunch today.”
    “Oh, well, she’s not here.”
    “I got that.”
    “She went out with friends. Dinner and a movie.You brought her flowers.”
    “Coals to the place that has all the coals.”
    “She’ll love them, and she’ll be sorry she missed you. I’ll put them in water for her.”
    “Okay.”
    But when she reached for them he turned and started to the house. He glanced back. “Coming?”
    “I don’t want to hold you up any more than I already have,” she said as she walked with him.
    “I’ve got nothing booked.You?”
    “Actually, I was going to call you,” she said, evading the question, “to thank you for having my car sent out.You didn’t have to go to the trouble, but I appreciate it.”
    “We’re both full of thank-yous.”
    “Apparently.” She led the way in, through the kitchen and back into the butler’s pantry.
    He stopped, looked around. “Wow. This place just keeps on keeping on.”
    “My family’s always liked to entertain, and often in a way that takes a lot of space.” She chose a vase from a cabinet.“Del may be home if you want company.”
    “You know, it feels like you’re trying to shake me off.”
    “Does it?” She added flower food and water to the vase.“That would be rude.”
    “And you wouldn’t be.”
    “Oh, I can be, depending on the circumstances.” She waited a beat.“But doing me a favor, two actually, and bringing one of my favorite people flowers aren’t meriting circumstances.”
    “I can’t say I thought of kissing you as doing you a favor.”
    He felt the temperature drop twenty degrees.
    “That’s not what I meant.”
    “I bet that usually works. The freeze,” he added. “But me? I don’t mind the cold.”
    “I’m sure that’s handy for you, and I also think you’ve gotten the wrong impression.”
    When she turned, he shifted, and boxed her in.“No, I haven’t.”
    Her eyes flashed, blue lightning cased in ice.“I don’t like being maneuvered.”
    “No, you like doing the maneuvering, and you’re damn good at it. I admire that.When I was doing gags—”
    “Gags?”
    “Stunts. Stunt work. Anyway, back then I liked to watch the horse wranglers if I had a chance.You’ve got the same kind of skill with people. It’s impressive.”
    “I’d say thank you, but we seem to have