Page 74 of Holding Ground

“Wow. You surprised me. Didn’t think you’d take the bait that Hollis and I laid.”

“Fuck off. Can you come over or not?”

“Absolutely. Anything to help my big brother get laid.”

I hung up on him while he was still laughing. Not that I’d ever kiss and tell, but I was tempted.

“Have you been here yet?” I ask Emelia as I park my truck near the end of Main Street by the marina. There’s a road that runs parallel to the shore that we’ll have to walk down for a couple of minutes to reach the pub.

“I haven’t eaten here yet, but I popped in one day and spoke to the owner…Fowler, I believe. Wanted to get his take on the development.”

The development isn’t something we’ve talked much about since the nature of our relationship has changed. I’m not sure if she’s avoiding it or if I am. Maybe we both are, in an effort to stay away from the one thing that has the potential to pit us against each other.

I trust Emelia, but if it were up to me, the council would vote no on the development.

So instead of commenting on anything to do with the development, I take a different track. “Fowler is Ansel’s best friend.”

She shifts in the passenger seat to face me. “No way. Well, I know how small small towns can be, so I guess that makes sense.”

I chuckle and turn off the truck. We both get out, and when I meet her on the sidewalk, I take her hand.

Emelia looks down at our joined hands, seeming unsure. “Is this okay? I know we’re obviously keeping the two of us a secret from Baylor, but are you okay if the people in town know?”

I laugh. “Em, they’re going to know as soon as I take you into the pub. It’s not like I’m regularly sharing dinners with women around town. And besides, I’m not going to treat this like a secret. The only reason Baylor doesn’t know is because she’s too young to manage her expectations.”

“Okay, just checking.”

I squeeze her hand and lead her around the corner toward the pub.

As we reach the walkway up to the pub, Collins comes out the door with a paper bag in hand.

“Oh, hey, Elliott.” She glances at our joined hands, then back at me, smiling.

“Hey, Collins. This is Emelia, or maybe you’ve met already?” I look between the two of them.

“Haven’t had the pleasure.” Collins shifts her takeout bag to her other hand and outstretches her free one.

Emelia drops my hand and takes hers. “Same.”

“You guys here for dinner or drinks?”

“Bit of both, I imagine. Is it busy in there?” I ask.

She shakes her head. “Not too bad. Well, I better get home so that I can eat this while it’s still warm.”

“All right. You take care.”

“Nice to meet you,” Emelia says as she walks away. Then she whispers, “Wow, she’s beautiful. Did you guys ever…”

I draw her into my arms. “There’s only one beautiful woman that I see.”

She playfully rolls her eyes.

“And no, we didn’t. She was married to Ansel’s other best friend.” The weight of Collins’s reality presses down on me. “He was a firefighter with Ansel…killed on duty about eighteen months ago.”

“That’s terrible.”

“Yeah, it’s been rough. Ansel took it really hard, but as horrible as it is, I want us to enjoy our evening.” I walk ahead and open the door, motioning for her to enter first.